What are critical thinking skills?was originally posted onforaging.
In the workplace, we are constantly bombarded with new information to examine and find solutions. Employers want to hire people who are good at analyzing these facts and drawing rational conclusions, also known as critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is a way ofSkillsthat describes how it processes information andProblem solved. In this guide, we'll cover examples of critical thinking, how to improve your critical thinking skills, and how to include it in a job interview.
Critical Thinking Skills Defined
What are critical thinking skills? Critical thinking skills help you process information and make rational decisions.
“Critical thinking skills allow us to see problems from multiple angles, find multiple solutions, and make informed decisions,” says Bayu Prihandito, a self-development expert and certified expert in psychology. “This not only saves time and resources, but also develops innovation andadaptability, skills that employers value highly.”
There is also data that supports Prihandito's argument. In advanced industries like technology and finance, critical thinking skills are even more important than some technical and digital skills.difficult skills. AccordingPwC, 77% of employersfinancial servicessay critical thinking skills are critical to their business, compared to digital skills by 70%. Critical thinking is one of the top five skills tech employers are also looking for, according toInternal feed data, just preceded bycommunication skills, data analysis in Python.
>> MORE:learneddifferences between hard and soft skills.
ButwhyHow many employers want you to have these skills? Critical thinking skills make you a more effective, productive, and efficient employee.
“Questioning assumptions, evaluating evidence, and exploring alternative perspectives enable people with strong critical thinking skills to make informed decisions and find creative solutions to complex problems,” said Matthew Warzel, certified professional resume writer and former Fortune 500 member.recruiter. “This leads to better problem solving anddecisionprocesses, promoting the efficiency and productivity of the organization. Critical thinking skills also enable people to identify and mitigate potential risks and hazards, minimize errors, and improve overall quality in the workplace.
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Examples of critical thinking skills.
Examples of critical thinking span a wide range of skills, from the research you do to understand a problem to the collaboration skills you use to communicate a solution to others. Other examples are:
Examples of critical thinking skills at work
What does critical thinking look like in the workplace? Here are some examples of critical thinking for different roles:
- Asoftware developeranticipate potential challenges with a new feature and make plans to mitigate them prior to integration
- Amerchantevaluate historical user data to identify channels to invest in
- Ainvestment banksperform due diligence on a possibleFusion
- Aproduct managerhypothesize why a product change will generate more engagement
- A sales manager considering the risks and results of adjusting the company's pricing model
- A consultant who collects initial data and information about the company's current processes, costs, and organization to gather challenges.
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Whether you're in a tech field, creative field, or anywhere in between, critical thinking skills can help you become a better employee and are therefore extremely valuable to all different types of employers.
"Critical thinking is essential for success in white-collar and blue-collar jobs," says Dr. Nathan Mondragon, a leading occupational and organizational psychologist at HireVue. “Think of the school bus driver who has to constantly stay alert and practice some in-the-moment critical thinking skills during an ever-changing road or traffic situation. No parent will question the importance of a bus driver's ability to quickly and critically analyze a situation in order to make an informed, albeit quick, decision."
How to improve critical thinking skills
If critical thinking skills are critical to being an effective (and hireable!) employee, how can you improve yours?
Practice active reading
Okay, maybe you know something.active listeningyes, but what about active reading? Active reading is when you read challenging material and think about what you read. It can help you manage information and develop your critical thinking skills.
Choose an article on a topic that interests you. As you read, write down your thoughts on the author's arguments and any follow-up questions you may have. Better yet, have someone else read the same material and start a conversation about what they wrote!
“Reading diverse and challenging material, such as books, articles, or academic papers, can expose students to different perspectives and complex ideas,” Warzel says. “Students can then write reflectively, articulating their thoughts and opinions about the material as they process it.logic reasoningand evidence to back up your claims. This process helps develop clarity of thought, logical thinking, and the ability to analyze and summarize information effectively.
The exercise may seem a bit like homework at first, but that's why teachers let you answer comprehension questions and participate in school discussions: they want you to think critically about the material.
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Play with puzzles...
Developing your critical thinking skills doesn't just require reading a ton of articles. It can also be fun! Engage in brain teasers like logic puzzles, brain teasers, and word games regularly. These riddles exercise your thinking skills while keeping you intellectually stimulated.
…and the people too
You don't think critically in a bubble. You need to work with others, especially in the workplace, to understand past projects, obstacles, resources they have, and their viewpoints. By participating in group activities such as debates, academic clubs, and academic discussions, you can practice listening and processing different points of view.
be curious
Good critical thinkers are open to different reactions and ideas. They want all the evidence to understand why something is or isn't happening. They also know that approaching a problem with an open mind is the best way to solve it.
You can practice that open mind by being curious.
"Choose a curiosity mindset, learn to ask good questions, and practice figuring something out from start to finish and back again," says Aissan Nicole, CV andrace coachand workplace specialist. “Critical thinking is about being reflective, not reactive. Put yourself in awkward and challenging situations, surround yourself with people with different views and life experiences, and just listen.
How to Demonstrate Critical Thinking Skills in a Job Interview
We know employers value critical thinking skills, but you don't just want to add "critical thinking" to the skills section of your resume. Instead, your goal should beshowemployers that you have these skills.
on your resume
in youCV, highlight experiences in which you used critical thinking skills.
“Include relevant experiences or projects that demonstrate your ability to analyze information, solve problems, or make informed decisions,” says Warzel. “For example, you can emphasize academic courses related to research, critical analysis, or complex problem solving. You also mention extracurricular activities or volunteer work where you had to think critically or practice your problem-solving skills.”
in the conversation
maideninterview, draw on your experiences using the STAR method to frame your answers. EITHERSTAR methodhelps to clearly and concisely describe the situation, what you did, and the results you found.
In addition to talking about your experience, you can also show your critical thinking skills in the way you answer questions. This is especially true for moretechnical job interviewswhere the interviewer can ask you to solve problems.
For example, let's say you are applying for aInformation Analystposition. The interviewer can ask a hypothetical question about how you would find out why the company's sales fell in the last quarter. Even if you don't have an answer (or a full one!) right away, speak out loud about your thought process. Consider:
- Where do you start?
- What resources does it depend on?
- who do you work with?
- What steps are you taking to find an answer?
- How do you communicate the results?
"Stress your ability to think logically, consider multiple perspectives, and draw conclusions based on evidence and reasoning," Warzel says.
Now is the time to specify exactly what steps you would take to resolve a problem. While a resume can be short, the interview is the time to develop and showcase your thought process, and hopefully demonstrate why you are the best candidate for the position!
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oppositeWhat are critical thinking skills?first appeared inforaging.
FAQs
What are critical thinking skills? ›
The key critical thinking skills are: analysis, interpretation, inference, explanation, self-regulation, open-mindedness, and problem-solving.
What are your critical thinking skills? ›6 key critical thinking skills. The key critical thinking skills are identifying biases, inference, research, identification, curiosity, and judging relevance.
What is critical thinking answers? ›Thinking critically involves applying reason and logic to assess arguments and come to your own conclusions. Instead of reciting facts or giving a textbook answer, critical thinking skills encourage students to move beyond knowing information and get to the heart of what they really think and believe.
How do you answer critical thinking questions? ›This skill requires good observation and problem-solving skills, essential for critical thinking. Your answer should show that you can identify possible problems and find logical solutions before they become actual problems.
What is critical thinking skills examples? ›Critical thinking skills: Observation: The ability to notice and predict opportunities, problems and solutions. Analysis: The gathering, understanding and interpreting of data and other information. Inference: Drawing conclusions based on relevant data, information and personal knowledge and experience.
How do you explain critical thinking skills in an interview? ›Give examples of how you conducted research, consulted appropriate sources, weighed your options, took the time to digest the information, and considered similar past scenarios. Come to the interview armed with a few examples of how you've handled making important decisions or solving complex problems.
What is an example of critical thinking in everyday life? ›The decisions you make while picking a particular stream to pursue a career in that domain are crucial to critical thinking. For instance, when a person wants to be a doctor, they need to decide which area of specialization to go for. Critically evaluating the factors involves aspects of critical thinking.
What is critical thinking in one line? ›Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments in order to form a judgement by the application of rational, skeptical, and unbiased analyses and evaluation.
How do you write a critical answer? ›There are four parts to a critical response paragraph:1) an argumentative topic sentence, 2) evidence in the form of quotations or paraphrases for the argument you are making, 3) interpretation of your evidence in relation to the argument, and 4) a strong concluding statement.
How do you pass a critical thinking assessment? ›- Tip 1 – Learn Your Logical Fallacies. ...
- Tip 2 – Do Some Abstract Reasoning. ...
- Tip 3 – Read More Non-Fiction. ...
- Tip 4 – Attempt Practice Papers. ...
- Tip 5 – Read Explanations to Sample Questions. ...
- Critical Thinking Test Tips – Conclusion.
How do you demonstrate critical thinking? ›
- Identify the issue. When faced with a situation or problem, determine what has caused it.
- Analyse the arguments. ...
- Discover the facts. ...
- Challenge your biases. ...
- Decide on significance. ...
- Draw conclusions.
An important critical thinking question is: How strongly is your reasoning supported by management?
What is an example of critical thinking by a student? ›For example, students might apply critical thinking in their science lesson to work out the best way to approach their group project. They make decisions such as who will complete each task, in what time frame. They solve problems like how and where they will meet outside of school hours to work together.
What are the 3 main critical thinking techniques? ›- Analysis. ...
- Evaluation. ...
- Inference.
- analysing arguments, claims or evidence.
- judging or evaluating based on evidence.
- making inferences using inductive or deductive reasoning.
- making decisions and/or solving problems through reasoning.