You probably heard the sentence “put on your thinking cap” a lot when you were in elementary school.
While if someone said that to you as an adult, you probably would feel a bit offended, it is important to be able to sit back and analyze a problem and come to a solution.
Critical thinking is a great skill to have in life and the workplace.
Nowadays, we are fully invested in social media and consuming a lot of data on a daily basis, having the ability to process information is essential.
Many jobs are the same, and hiring managers value someone who can take a problem and find a solution or find ways to improve productivity quickly.
By using a resume builder, you can incorporate your critical thinking skills the correct way and impress a hiring manager.
By reading this guide you can understand what critical thinking is, how to include your skills in a job application, and have a look at some critical thinking skills examples.
What Is the Meaning of Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking is a way of analyzing data that helps you to solve problems and make good decisions.
The meaning of critical thinking has to do with analyzing information by considering the validity of your ideas, opinions, and conclusions.
This type of analytical skill is necessary for you to take your ideas and opinions, and determine if they are valid.
With critical thinking skills, you will be able to make better decisions and improve your problem-solving skills.
Critical thinkers use evidence found through research or experience to support or disprove ideas rather than accepting them at face value.
Critical thinkers do not blindly accept claims as true just because someone says so; instead, they evaluate whether those claims might be true based on the evidence available at hand (or should I say “online”).
They ask themselves questions like, what makes me believe this? Is there another way of looking at this situation?
Does this argument really hold water when examined from multiple viewpoints simultaneously?
Is there any reason why someone would lie about these facts?
Critical thinking helps you to know what is the truth or correct answer because it means that you will be able to ask the right questions and analyze solutions.
Being able to harness these analytical skills can help you as an employee in various job positions and professions.
When discussing critical thinking as a job skill, hiring managers love to see a candidate that can use these skills in the workplace.
Looking at some resume examples can show you exactly how to present those skills to a potential employer.
How to Be a Critical Thinker
It is possible to become a more critical thinker. This type of skill can be learned and improved over time.
It’s not an innate ability you’re either born with or not; rather, it’s a process of evaluation that you can improve over time.
Of course, one important thing you will need is patience! This is a very significant part of learning how to become a better thinker.
You may find yourself having trouble catching on at first; there are no shortcuts here!
You may not be a natural, but stick with it. Many people trying to learn how to think more analytically feel frustrated when they first start learning new skills like these.
Your hard work will pay off over time as once-difficult tasks become easier and easier for you until eventually everything clicks into place and starts making sense. Practice makes perfect
To help you can find steps below you should take to become a developed critical thinker.
Critical Thinking Steps
To think critically takes a process. By going through these steps when you have a problem you will be able to resolve your dilemma correctly.
When at work, this is especially important. When you go through the correct problem-solving steps one by one, you will be able to complete all the tasks your employer gives you.
Here is what you should do when using your critical thinking skills to resolve a problem:
- Determine the problem or dilemma: Be as specific as possible, and figure out why the problem exists, that way it will be simpler to find the solution.
- Gather details or data: Find stats or information from various sources related to the problem you are trying to solve.
- Review the data: Go over the information you have collected, organize it, and make sure it’s from a credible source and that you have enough to make an informed decision.
- Rank the data: List the information you have gathered from the most significant and relevant to the least significant.
- Create solutions to the problem: Test various solutions then go over the results.
- Analyze the solutions you have found: Review the results of your possible solutions to your dilemma.
- Improve your work: Find ways to improve your test results.
- Choose your answer and communicate: Once you have found the answer to the problem, you must then present it to your team and manager in detail.
By following these steps you can come to a reasonable answer to almost any task you are given at work, and improve upon a problem your company is facing.
If you can give some examples on a resume that demonstrate using this process, hiring managers will be calling you in no time for an interview.
Just make sure you use a resume template, so you don’t make silly errors when presenting your critical thinking skills on your job application.
Why Must You Have Critical Thinking Skills?
Critical thinking is a skill that is valuable to any professional in just about any field.
It is necessary for developing effective strategies, making wise decisions, and solving problems that an individual might face or the company.
Critical thinking allows you to know how to look for an improved solution when faced with a problem or situation.
It is not only essential in the workplace, but in your daily life as well.
You should analyze information coming from sources such as social media or the news to figure out what is true and what isn’t.
As such, it’s one of the best skills you can develop if you want to improve your overall way of thinking.
Critical thinking allows us to see things from multiple perspectives – which enables us to find solutions that work for everyone involved in an issue instead of just ourselves.
This makes it easier for people who disagree on important issues because they’re able to get past disagreements by focusing on what’s the best overall.
By doing this you and other people you work or live with can go over data and information together to come to the best solution to a problem or issue.
Strictly applying that logic to the workplace, completing tasks with a group or on your own becomes much easier.
How to Include Critical Thinking in a Resume
To validate your critical thinking and problem-solving skills to a hiring manager is to place them correctly on a resume.
However, if you choose the wrong resume format there’s a good chance your job application ends up with a rejection.
To make your critical thinking skills stand out on your resume here are a few things you must do:
- List your skills.
- Explain how you used your skills in a previous job.
- Describe a problem you faced, and then explain what steps you took to solve it.
A good list of critical thinking skills to put on your resume include:
- Communication
- Observation
- Analysis
- Problem-solving
It’s essential not only to list that you have critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, or analytical skills, but you also are going to have to back up your list with real examples.
Below are examples of what you should and shouldn’t put on a resume when providing proof of your critical thinking skills in past job descriptions.
❌ Wrong
This example shows that a solution had been found, in this case, treatment. However, it does not explain how the answer was found and what was done with these findings.
✅ Correct
This example displays that a solution was found based on analysis. Afterward, the findings were communicated to the other staff members.
These are all parts of the critical thinking and problem-solving process, and presenting an example like this on your resume will impress a hiring manager.
❌ Wrong
This example of someone who works in customer service is missing a lot of essential information on their resume.
It does not show how they handled complaints effectively, or if there was an improvement.
✅ Correct
This is a fantastic way to explain what you did while working at your previous job. It shows that you used the necessary problem-solving steps and created a solution that improved productivity.
Coming up with a description like this for one of your past jobs will surely grab a hiring manager’s attention.
Critical Thinking Examples During an Interview
If you write your resume and cover letter correctly, you will almost certainly get called in for a job interview.
When that time comes, it will be critical for you to know exactly what you should say when you need to show off your critical thinking skills.
You need to be ready for any question that could come up during the interview.
Here are some common interview questions that will test your critical thinking experience.
Question: Describe a moment you realized there was a problem and work, and then solved it.
Answer: “Our group had to meet a new deadline to finish the creation of our product. I listed our tasks, then ranked them by priority, and communicated with the group to discuss who would complete a task or tasks. We met the new deadline with our product.”
This example shows both evaluation and problem solving when presented with a problem.
Question: Describe a situation when you had to convince someone to take your advice.
Answer: “The owner was sure we were making enough money with our bike tours. I analyzed our income and saw we were at a 15% deficit. I then created a presentation showing answers to customer surveys that proved we could increase our revenue by changing the route of our tour.”
By including an answer like this, you demonstrate your analytical skills and show you know how to communicate your findings.
When you can demonstrate these traits in your resume and during your job interview, it will be extremely difficult for a hiring manager to turn you down.
Top 5 Most Important Critical Thinking Skills
The all-important question is, what are the critical thinking skills that you must have in the skill section of your resume?
You probably can think of some critical thinking examples in real life if you try hard enough.
However, it would be ideal to include skills you have used exclusively on the job to solve problems and increase productivity or earnings.
By understanding what these skills are, you’ll understand what a hiring manager values in an employee that is a great critical thinker.
With that understanding, you’ll be able to nail your resume and eventually your job interview.
1. Observation Skills
A hiring manager would love to have someone that has great observation skills. With this type of skill, you can identify a problem, then quickly create a solution.
If your observation skills are good enough, you can probably be able to see an issue before it even begins to negatively affect a business.
2. Inference Skills
This is a skill that has to do with taking data and information you have gathered and then drawing the correct conclusion based on that information.
You can base answers on limited details, and that talent can be used in many professional settings.
3. Analytical Skills
You don’t need to be a scientist or a mathematician to be great at analyzing situations. Being able to evaluate a situation to find solutions to problems at work.
Hiring managers love employees who possess analytical skills, especially when considering who can be a team leader.
4. Communication Skills
Communicating your findings and ideas is essential to any company. Whether you are discussing data and solutions with your boss or coworkers, you need to know how to communicate.
Make sure you always listen as well as speak, part of being a great critical thinker is to listen to the opinions of others.
5. Problem Solving Skills
This is arguably the most important concept of being a critical thinker. It’s not enough to be able to analyze data and information.
It is also essential that you can come up with solutions. An employer wants someone that can improve their company, and being a great problem solver allows you to do just that.
Improving Your Critical Thinking Skills
Not everyone is a natural when it comes to critical thinking and problem-solving. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t improve on what you already have.
Since elementary school, we have had to learn how to problem-solve.
You may be rusty because you have been out of work for a while, or feel you can do better. There is always a way to improve your skills.
If you want to improve your critical thinking skills, here are some ways for you to start:
- Be open-minded – Don’t jump to conclusions. Question assumptions and don’t take things at face value. Stay skeptical and ask, “why?” Be aware of your bias, don’t let it cloud your judgment.
- Be creative – Don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Practice looking at issues from multiple angles by gathering evidence in support of or against an argument or hypothesis.
- Organize thoughts logically – Prioritize and construct your thoughts, then write them down (or speak them aloud).
- Stay organized – Avoid getting confused by jumping around while explaining something complex.
- Consider multiple angles – Try out different approaches until one works best.
- Play games – Buy or borrow games that require critical thinking, such as crosswords and Sudoku.
- Read books and articles – Read different material to improve your critical thinking skills because they require you to analyze what’s happening in each chapter of the story or article.
These are all easy ways for you to enhance your critical thinking skills. All of these methods require one thing, patience.
You definitely will not become a problem-solving guru overnight.
It will take time, but after a while, you will notice the fruits of your labor in class, doing a group assignment, at a future job, and in other situations.
