Critical thinking is one of the most sought after skills in today’s job market. It appears as a desired attribute in almost every position description and, as a resourcing specialist, it is the first thing many clients indicate they want to see in a successful candidate.
So, why is it valued so highly and how do you screen for it during the resourcing process?
Critical thinking is defined as the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement. The ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking, incorporate logic and deduce consequences from available information are key components in the process.
What makes it a difficult skill to master is the need to cut off a number of human responses such bias, gut instinct and emotions as part of that process. For many people, their decision making is unconsciously swayed by these elements. Not everyone excels at critical thinking.
The benefits of hiring a critical thinker are clear, especially in project management roles within the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors. Key among them are often improved project outcomes, reduced delivery timeframes and the use of new and creative solutions to solve age old challenges.
While anyone can claim to be a critical thinker, the trick is knowing how to test for it during the recruitment process. We believe great critical thinkers leave a trail of evidence. A detailed walk through a candidate’s job history and achievements in key project roles typically provide examples of this skill in action.
Critical thinkers also typically have several personality traits in common, which we again look for evidence of in their work history. These include challenging the status quo, the courage to adopt a different approach on projects and the ability to incorporate feedback and past experiences and use them to adapt an appropriate approach to tackle a certain problem.
One candidate recently shared this experience with our team, which is the perfect demonstration of critical thinking in action. As a Project Manager at an Industrial plant, he was faced with a situation that required running two crews on alternate schedules, as safety concerns prevented both crews carrying out their required work on a vertical grinding mill at the same time. Rather than accept the status quo, he devised a solution that involved the design and build of a retractable safety deck that allowed both crews to work safely in the same area at one time.
While the engineering and build of the safety deck did come at a cost, it saved the project 12 times as much in lost time, totalling more than a million dollars being saved by the project.
There is no doubt that critical thinking is a highly demanded skill among project managers today. The key to securing staff that genuinely possess it is to ask the right questions during the resourcing process.
I have had a lot of success by asking detailed questions around specific projects, for example what perceived challenges were faced during the project, why these challenges existed and how the candidate overcame them. The secret it to look for evidence in their answers that demonstrates proof of it in action. Evidence always holds the key.
13 Mar 2025