How critical is critical thinking?
In the 4th century BCE, Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”?
This idea influenced many great minds, including a 16th-century Italian astronomer, who went on to observe the movement of the planets and proclaim, against all orthodox thinking of his time, that the world was not geocentric but heliocentric. In other words, it was not the Sun that revolved around the Earth but the Earth that revolved around the Sun. For his thoughts, he was threatened with the death penalty and finally put under house arrest.?
The man, of course, was Galileo Galilei, an exemplar of critical thinking.?
Fortunately, today, critical thinking is not as dangerous as it used to be; it’s a quality that everyone admires in people.?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Critical thinking requires us to use our imagination, seeing things from perspectives other than our own and envisioning the likely consequences of our position.
– Bell Hooks
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Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information and form a judgment effectively. Someone with critical thinking skills can think rationally and clearly about what they should or should not believe. They can engage in their thoughts, reflect, and come to a well-informed conclusion.?
So, what sets critical thinkers apart?
The essential elements of critical thinking?
Critical thinkers:?
They're willing to admit when they're wrong or when they don't know the answer rather than digging into a gut reaction or emotional point of view.?
This is a critical skill for anyone in the knowledge or technology space.?
How do you measure a candidate's critical thinking skills??
A friend of mine was interviewed for a position in a leading aerospace lab. The lab had a group of 10 highly talented people who worked on high-tech stuff. This friend would be the 11th person to join the lab if he was selected. He was asked to come on a Wednesday evening. He met with almost everyone for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the next couple of days - their conversations continued for two days. With two days of discussions with almost everyone in the organization, you can't fake it. You are continuously being assessed for everything that is expected of you. After these two days, they were convinced of his fitment, and he was onboarded.?
At Zuci Systems , we do something similar for our senior hires. We ensure that they meet with all the senior folks or function heads at our office, and everyone shares their feedback about them before they are onboarded.?
Besides this, here are some methods we use to evaluate critical thinking skills during the hiring process.?
Case interviews
We present candidates with an actual or hypothetical business problem and ask them to analyze the situation, identify potential solutions, and make recommendations.?
An example could be, "You are a manager at a retail store, and sales have been declining for the past three months. What steps would you take to analyze the situation and turn things around?"
Given the information, there are no right or wrong answers. Besides, you don't have enough information to come up with a full-fledged solution.?
The idea is to determine candidates' ability to structure their thoughts, consider different perspectives, and provide logical reasoning behind their decisions.?
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The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks but in how it thinks.
– Christopher Hitchens
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Analytical skills?
We understand the candidates' ability to analyze data sets, reports, or scenarios.?
Look at this example.?
Here are the monthly sales figures for the last two years. Please analyze the data and explain the trends you observe. Based on this data, what strategies would you recommend to increase sales for the next year??
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This can help gauge their ability to draw insights from information.?
Behavioral questions?
Ask candidates about specific situations where they had to use critical thinking.?
Here is an example.?
Can you describe a specific project or task where you had to make a critical decision under pressure? What was the situation, how did you approach it, and what were the results of your decision??
Here, we probe for details on their decision-making process and the reasoning behind their choices.?
Brain teasers
Here, we present candidates with puzzles, riddles, or brain teasers to understand their problem-solving skills in real time.?
This is my favorite.?
You have a 3-liter jug and a 5-liter jug. How would you measure exactly 4 liters of water using only these two jugs??
This can assess their ability to think creatively and logically under pressure.?
Group activities?
Most jobs today require teamwork. We typically create a group situation and present it to the candidates to see how they collaborate to solve a problem.?
Look at this example.?
Imagine you and your team are in a competitive sales pitch to win a major client. You encounter a disagreement within the group about the pricing strategy. How would you handle this situation to ensure the team makes a cohesive and informed decision??
We evaluate their thought process and ability to listen to others, contribute ideas, and adapt their thinking based on group dynamics.?
Role-play?
We typically provide customer service problems in role-play scenarios. We firmly believe that customer experience is the responsibility of everyone in the organization.?
Look at this scenario.?
A customer buys a product from you, and you ship your product. When they open it, they realize the wrong product has been sent to them and are very upset about it. How would you handle this situation to ensure the customer is satisfied and your delivery resolves the mistake? Also, how do you ensure that this mistake doesn't get repeated??
Here, we assess the candidate's ability to think on their feet, empathize, and find a resolution.
Written assessments?
Here is an example.?
Artificial intelligence is going to take away jobs from the tech industry. Artificial intelligence will help folks in the tech industry do their jobs better. Here are two takes on the same topic. Can you write an essay on these two topics??
This allows us to evaluate their ability to articulate thoughts, structure arguments, and provide evidence to support their conclusions.?
All these exercises can be invaluable if done right. Real-life scenarios and thought-provoking questions in your hiring process are not just a means of evaluating critical thinking skills; they are investments in onboarding candidates with the wisdom and ingenuity to manage complex workplace complexities.?
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At Zuci, we also emphasize assessing a candidate's attitude, willingness to learn, and ability to learn from their experiences.?
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So, by implementing some of these methods, you can uncover candidates with the acumen to excel in diverse, dynamic, and often unpredictable work environments.?