How To Answer "What's Broken At Your Current Company & How Would You Fix It?

How to Answer "What Is One Thing That Is Broken and How Would You Fix It?" (Without Getting Fired)

Picture this: You’re in the middle of an interview. You’ve nailed the "Tell me about yourself" opener. You’ve navigated the questions about your strengths and weaknesses. You’re feeling good. Then, the interviewer leans back, narrows their eyes slightly, and drops a bomb:

"What is one thing that is broken at your current company, and how would you fix it?"

Or, even trickier: "Based on what you've seen so far, what is one thing wrong with our product/company, and how would you fix it?"

Panic sets in. Your palms start to sweat. It feels like a trap. If you're honest, you might sound like a complainer or a "hater." If you say "nothing," you look like you lack critical thinking skills or you're hiding something.

Whether you are a recent grad trying to break into the workforce, an F-1 student racing against the clock for sponsorship, or a career pivot-er feeling like an underdog, this question can be a career-killer if you don’t handle it right.

But here’s the secret: This question is actually your best opportunity to shine.

It’s not about airing dirty laundry; it’s about proving you are a problem solver. In this guide, we’re going to break down exactly why recruiters ask this, the traps you need to avoid, and give you a fool-proof framework to turn this awkward moment into a job offer.

Why Recruiters Love This "Trap" Question

To master this answer, you first have to understand the psychology behind it. Hiring managers aren't just looking for gossip about your current boss or your frustrations with the coffee machine. They are looking for specific behavioral indicators.

When you are an "underdog," maybe you come from a non-target school or a non-traditional background, you have to prove that you possess the mindset of an owner, not just an employee.

Here is what they are actually testing when they ask what’s broken:

1. Your Ability to Identify Systemic Issues

Companies want to hire people who can see the big picture. Can you tell the difference between a one-time annoyance (like a printer jam) and a systemic inefficiency (like a broken procurement process that costs the company thousands of dollars)? They want to know if you can identify friction points that slow down the business.

2. Your Attitude Toward Adversity

This is the "Vibe Check." When things go wrong, do you point fingers and blame others? Or do you roll up your sleeves and look for solutions? Recruiters are terrified of hiring "energy vampires," people who constantly complain but never offer to help. They want to see if you can discuss a negative topic with a positive, constructive tone.

3. Your Problem-Solving Methodology

It’s easy to say something is broken. It’s hard to fix it. This question is a stealth way of asking, "Walk me through your problem-solving process." Do you use data? Do you consult your team? Do you think about budget? They want to see the gears turning in your head.

4. Your Cultural Fit

If you answer the version of this question about their company ("What’s wrong with us?"), they are testing your diplomacy. Can you give constructive feedback without being rude or arrogant? This is crucial for roles that require cross-functional collaboration.

The Danger Zone: 3 Traps to Avoid at All Costs

Before we build the perfect answer, let’s look at the wreckage of failed interviews. Most candidates blow this question because they fall into one of three specific traps.

Trap #1: The "Trash Talker"

This is the most common mistake. The candidate takes the question as an invitation to vent.

• What it sounds like: "Oh man, management is a mess. My boss, Karen, never listens to anyone, and the software we use is from the Stone Age. Honestly, the whole place is toxic."
• Why it fails: Even if you are 100% right, you look like a liability. If you trash your current employer, the interviewer assumes you will trash them in six months. It signals a lack of professional maturity and loyalty.
• The Takeaway: Never make it personal. Never blame a specific person.

Trap #2: The "Everything is Perfect" (The Ostrich)

This happens when a candidate is too afraid to say anything negative.

• What it sounds like: "Honestly, I can’t think of anything. My current company is great! everything runs super smoothly."
• Why it fails: No company is perfect. If you say nothing is broken, you look unobservant, dishonest, or complacent. It tells the interviewer that you lack the critical thinking skills to improve processes. You’re telling them you are a "worker bee" who just follows orders, not a future leader who innovates.
• The Takeaway: You must pick a problem. The key is picking the right problem.

Trap #3: The "Vague Philosopher"

This candidate gives a high-level, generic answer that doesn't actually mean anything.

• What it sounds like: "I think communication could always be better. Sometimes people don't talk enough."
• Why it fails: It’s boring and forgettable. It doesn’t show off your skills or your specific experience. It’s a safe answer, but "safe" doesn’t get you hired at top companies like Google or Deloitte.
• The Takeaway: Be specific. Use concrete examples and data.

The "Constructive Optimizer" Framework

Now that we know what not to do, let’s build your winning answer. At Wonsulting, we believe in structures that turn "underdogs" into winners. We’re going to use a modified version of the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) specifically tailored for this question.

We call this the Constructive Optimizer approach. You aren't "fixing a disaster"; you are "optimizing a process."

Step 1: Identify a Process, Not a Person

The "thing that is broken" should never be a human being. It should be a workflow, a tool, a system, or a communication loop.

• Bad: "The sales manager is lazy."
• Good: "The lead-generation process between the marketing and sales departments has a bottleneck."

By focusing on the process, you remove the emotional "drama" and focus on the business logic. This makes you look objective and professional.

Step 2: Quantify the Friction (The "Broken" Part)

Don't just say it’s broken, prove it. Use data if you can. This is especially important for our F-1 visa students and STEM graduates, as it highlights your analytical skills.

• Instead of: "It takes too long to enter data."
• Say: "Currently, the manual data entry process takes the team about 15 hours per week, which creates a lag in reporting and leads to a 10% error rate."

See the difference? The second version frames the "broken" thing as a business cost (time and accuracy).

Step 3: Propose the Fix (The Solution)

This is where you show your value. How would you fix it? Be realistic. Don't suggest buying a million-dollar software if the company is a startup. Suggest a solution that is actionable.

• The Fix: "I would propose implementing an automated script to handle the data transfer, or at the very least, creating a standardized template to reduce manual errors."

Step 4: Predict the Outcome (The ROI)

Finish strong by describing what the world looks like after your fix.

• The Result: "By making this shift, we could reduce data entry time by 50%, freeing up the team to focus on client-facing tasks, and virtually eliminate reporting errors."

Scenarios & Scripts: How to Answer Based on Your Profile

Different "underdogs" need different strategies. Here is how to tailor your answer depending on where you are in your career journey.

Persona 1: The F-1 Student / Recent Grad (The "Fresh Eyes" Approach)

The Challenge: You might feel like you don't have enough experience to criticize a company's operations. You might suffer from Imposter Syndrome. The Strategy: Focus on efficiency. As a digital native, you likely know shortcuts or tools that older generations don't. 

The Script:

"In my last internship, I noticed that the weekly reporting process was 'broken' in the sense that it was entirely manual. We were copy-pasting numbers from three different spreadsheets into a master doc. It worked, but it took four hours every Friday.

If I were to fix it, I would set up a simple macro or use a tool like Zapier to automate that data pull. This would not only save four hours a week, adding up to 200 hours a year, but it would also remove the risk of human error in copy-pasting. I love finding small workflow hacks like that to save time.”

Why this works: It shows you value time and know how to use technology to solve problems, which is a massive plus for entry-level roles.

Persona 2: The Stalled Professional / Mid-Career (The "Collaborator" Approach)

The Challenge: You’ve been in the game for a while (5-10 years). You’re frustrated with bureaucracy. You need to sound senior and strategic. 

The Strategy: Focus on communication silos. This is a universal problem that shows you are thinking about leadership and cross-functional success. 

The Script:

"One thing that is 'broken' in many organizations I’ve seen, including my current one, is the feedback loop between the Product team and the Customer Success team. Often, CS hears about bugs or feature requests, but that data gets lost in Slack channels and never makes it to the Product roadmap effectively.

To fix this, I would implement a structured bi-weekly sync or a shared ticketing tag specifically for 'Customer Friction.' This ensures that the Product team builds what users actually need. In my experience, closing this gap can reduce churn significantly because customers feel heard."

Why this works: It positions you as a bridge-builder who cares about the customer and the product, not just your own desk.

Persona 3: The Career Pivot-er (The "Transferable Skill" Approach)

The Challenge: You are moving from teaching to tech, or hospitality to sales. You’re worried your past experience isn't relevant. 

The Strategy: Frame your "outsider" perspective as a superpower. You see things industry insiders miss. The Script (Teacher to Project Manager):

"Coming from an education background, I look at onboarding processes very closely. One thing that was "broken" at my last school, and I see it in corporate settings too, is assuming that simply emailing a manual counts as training.”

To fix this, I would restructure onboarding into active learning modules with checkpoints. Instead of just reading a PDF, new hires would complete a mini-project in their first week. In my classroom, moving from passive reading to active doing increased retention by 40%. I’d apply that same pedagogy to team training to ramp up new hires faster."

Why this works: It validates your past experience and directly applies it to a business KPI (ramp-up time).

What If They Ask: "What Is Broken at OUR Company?"

This is the "Hard Mode" version of the question. They are asking you to critique the company you are interviewing with. This is dangerous ground.

Do NOT:

• Criticize their core product (unless you are applying for a Product Manager role and have a very specific, polite fix).
• Criticize their website design (unless you are a Designer).
• Make assumptions about their culture.

DO:

• Focus on the user experience or customer journey as an outsider.
• Frame it as a "Question" or "Observation" rather than a judgment.

The Script:

"I spent some time going through your user signup flow to prepare for this conversation. I wouldn't say it's 'broken,' but I did notice a friction point where users have to click three times to get to the pricing page.

If I were in this role, I’d love to run an A/B test to see if simplifying that menu structure would increase conversion rates. I’m really curious to see if that’s something the team has looked at!"

This shows you did your homework (Authority) but you are humble enough to ask if they’ve already tested it (Empathy).

How Wonsulting Tools Help You Crush This Question

Preparing these stories takes time, and you need to make sure you sound confident, not cocky. Here is how the Wonsulting suite can help you prep:

• Practice with InterviewAI: You can literally select this question ("What is one thing broken...") and practice your answer. The AI will listen to your response and give you feedback on your tone. Did you sound too negative? Did you ramble? It helps you refine the script before you’re in the hot seat.
• Format with ResumAI: Once you identify these "broken things" you’ve fixed in the past, you need to put them on your resume! Use the Wonsulting bullet point generator to turn "I fixed the filing system" into "Streamlined internal data architecture by implementing automated workflows, reducing administrative hours by 20% weekly."

Summary: The "Fix It" Checklist

When that scary question comes up, take a breath. Smile. You’ve got this. Just remember the checklist:

• Process, not Person: Never blame a coworker or boss.
• Be Specific: Vague answers kill interviews.
• Quantify the Pain: How much time or money is the broken thing wasting?
• Propose a Fix: Show your solution-oriented mindset.
• Show the ROI: Explain why your fix makes the company better.

Being an underdog means you have to work smarter. You have to prove that you see inefficiencies others ignore and have the grit to fix them. By answering this question correctly, you aren't just a candidate; you’re a consultant adding value before you’re even hired.

Now, go find something broken and tell them how you’ll fix it.

Key Takeaways

• Don't Panic: This question is an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and problem-solving skills.
• Avoid Negativity: Never trash-talk previous employers or colleagues; focus on systems and processes.
• Use the Framework: Identify the process, quantify the friction, propose a fix, and predict the positive outcome.
• Tailor Your Answer: Adjust your response based on your experience level (New Grad vs. Mid-Career vs. Pivot-er).
• Be Careful with "Our Company" Questions: If asked about the interviewing company, frame critiques as observations or hypotheses to be tested, not hard judgments.
• Practice Makes Perfect: Use tools like InterviewAI to simulate the pressure and get feedback on your delivery.