Welcome to the second post in our series.
The second skill we will discuss is critical thinking: Does the candidate have the ability to ask critical questions, look at things from different perspectives, play the "devil's advocate," and conduct meaningful analysis to make informed decisions?
Questions indicating high critical thinking:
- Asks deep or challenging questions about the information provided. For example: if you mention a culture of teamwork and collaboration, the candidate might ask, "How does that manifest in day-to-day operations?"
- When presented with a professional or technical challenge, asks follow-up questions to deepen their understanding of the information provided.
- Able to respectfully disagree with the interviewer. For instance, if the interviewer states, "We believe satisfying customers means giving them what they want," the candidate might respond, "Based on my experience, sometimes customers don't know what they want. Do you agree?"
Questions indicating low critical thinking:
- Asking generic questions easily found on the web, such as "Tell me about your culture."
- Repeating or reconfirming information already covered in the interview process or readily available in the job description, such as asking about the salary range or work model.
- Not asking any questions and simply repeating or confirming what the interviewer said, such as saying, "I really like your customer-centric approach."
