In all areas of work the applicants have their own reasons for applying for a position, and the main aim of the interview is to find out if the applicant is a ‘good fit’ with the position offered and whether they have good critical thinking skills. So where possible use a hypothetical scenario to get what you are looking for in the interview process.
Critical Thinking Job Interview Questions
The best way to determine critical thinking during a job interview is by asking the applicant to describe past experiences and how they handled them or presenting a scenario. This way you can encourage the candidate to give a complete response to the question.
We don’t always aim to assess whether the question is right or wrong just if they are able to employ critical thinking job interview questions skills.
Critical thinkers are an asset in all roles within your team and are responsible, consistent, and creative. Here are a few questions that you might ask.
Tell me about a time you had to make a decision with incomplete information. What did you do?
When you ask this opt for the candidate who strikes a balance between fast and good decision making demonstrating critical thinking skills.
Recruitment and retention of staff are expensive, so the interviewer is looking for an applicant who will remain in the position for five years or more.
We would hope that the applicant has researched the position and will have a clear understanding of the Mission Statement of the Company and in asking them the question we are looking for clear and concise answers.
Answers to look for Critical Thinking Job Interview Questions
What interests you about this position?
·A. I am interested in the position as it is similar to my previous position where I fulfilled an education role in delivering programs to a range of community organizations and was overseeing staff training. ( Very specific and shows certain skills in critical thinking would be required).
· A. Another answered that she had worked in a similar role in London and had managed a medium-sized team of 12 people before moving to Sydney to accommodate her Partners work, this fitted exactly with our criteria, so we knew that we had had the right applicant. ( This was a clear and specific answer). It also shows that to be in this area she would require good critical thinking skills.
The applicant reflects that they have researched the company and are able to reiterate that what they have done in the past is a good fit with your company and demonstrates good critical thinking skills.
They also answer that they have a long term goal of a stable position and connect with the Mission of your company ( you don’t want someone who is planning to leave in a year).
They answer that their experience matches up with your job and they go on to discuss how they have solved problems and implemented change management in their past position how hiring them will benefit the company, thus demonstrating good critical thinking.
What you want to hear in critical thinking job interview questions
Describe a time when you convinced your manager to try a different approach to solving problems.
Look for the candidate who has implemented new procedures and made changes to various processes in their last job.
Q.Ask a problem-solving Question relevant to the work area and see if they can solve it: ( Invent a suitable scenario)
You are looking for enthusiasm in problem-solving, and a willingness to be up for the challenge of finding a solution.
Ask the applicant How they Handle Stress and Pressure
This can be very revealing and what you are looking for are sporting activities or gym classes. Not spending whole weekends in the pub.
Another good answer is ‘ I actually work better under pressure’, and of course many of us do and this is good in a high-pressure workplace.
Everyone feels stress and pressure, but it is how they manage it is the important thing.
The above answers all outline what you want to hear, but there are some answers that are ‘red flag’ answers and I will list examples below.
What to Worry About in Job Interview Questions
- If the applicant doesn’t answer the question, they must at least be prepared to try and solve a problem.
- An applicant who tends to jump to biased conclusions, you are looking for someone logical and clear-headed.
- An applicant who gives a glib answer without thinking through the problem.
Unfortunately, you won’t always get the right person, and sometimes you will be tricked. Some perspective employees have been to a lot of interviews and are very good actors. If possible you want an employee with good past experience in all areas of their work and once you have made a choice based on the interview check the references as soon as possible. Have a list of questions ready, and if there is excessive sick leave involved or other issues check the applicant further or do not employ them if you have any doubts about the ability to perform the role.
Once they are with you they will become either your asset or your problem. In many cases it is better to use a recruitment company as they interview as a job, meaning that they are extremely skilled in the process and will deliver a good outcome. The more that you recruit the more you realize that there is a lot of skill attached to it, and you learn to rely on the Essential Criteria more as the answer given by the applicant should be specific to the criteria in the job advertisement.
You will be structuring the interview questions to reflect critical thinking skills at the job interview.
Conclusion
Good critical thinking skills should be demonstrated at the interview and if you can’t handle the interview process you will not be able to do the job. From the employer’s viewpoint, carefully structured questions are the key to a good interview and to getting the right person to fill the position for a long time.
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