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Critical thinking skills are key to your success. They help draw connections between ideas and facts and let you think more rationally. Scroll down to learn all about them.
Did you know?
Critical thinking is the number one soft skill 60% of managers feel recent college graduates lack. And another report showed that a full 93% of employers will take critical thinking over undergraduate degrees.
That makes sense.
After all, critical thinkers can bring innovative solutions to the table and help organizations remain competitive.
But—it’s not just entry-level candidates that need critical thinking skills. Whether you’re an intern, individual contributor, or manager, knowing how to think critically can help you land a job in 2023.
Good news?
In this guide, you’ll see:
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And once you’ve perfected your critical thinking skills, check out a selection of other resume writing guides.
Check out more skills guides:
Alice Hill
Software Engineer
Personal Info
Phone: 123-456-7890
E-mail: alicehill14@gnail.com
linkedin.com/in/alicehill
Summary
Professional software engineer with 4+ years of experience, skilled in software development using different programming languages. Seeking to provide optimal software solutions at Appls. At Citadel, developed a Market signals system with a 12% annual ROI on average. Worked closely with different teams to improve company’s operational readiness, faster data communication between teams, and build critical software solutions for end-users.
Experience
Software Engineer
Citadel, San Francisco, CA
December 2019–May 2021
Associate Software Engineer
Dycom Industries, Inc., San Francisco, CA
April 2017–November 2019
Education
Carnegie Mellon University, BS in Computer Engineering
2013–2017
Certifications
Awards
Additional Activities
Key Skills
Critical thinking lets you make better decisions—whether it’s about communicating information, developing a strategy, or completing a project—that ultimately lead to major dividends for the business.
Need an example?
Let’s say you work in HR. You’re tasked with resolving a conflict between an employee and their direct manager. To resolve it, you’ll need to use critical thinking and conflict resolution skills to understand the driving force behind the conflict, objectively examine each party’s take on the situation, and present an action plan.
So—
It’s only logical that most recruiters favor employees with strong critical thinking skills, especially in roles where you’ll need to tackle unique problems and come up with unorthodox solutions.
So far, so good.
You know you need critical thinking skills to land the perfect job or climb the next rung on your career ladder.
So, here’s a list of five critical thinking skills examples:
Observation skills often act as the starting point for your critical thinking ability. It involves paying attention to subtle details, noticing patterns, and often predicting a workplace problem before it even occurs.
Rather than relying solely on self-knowledge, it’s crucial to find as much information as humanly possible to make better-informed decisions, particularly if you work in journalism or law enforcement.
In essence, it’s your ability to process collected data, facts, or information to analyze and evaluate a situation.
Once you have all the information at your fingertips, you’ll need to ensure the collected data is accurate, sufficient, and reliable before you can move on to addressing a problem.
The modern workplace is rife with risks that can lead to profit losses or legal consequences. Having strong risk assessment skills in your arsenal will help you identify potential hazards and act on them in time.
Before you pull the trigger, it’s important to run your ideas by colleagues, your direct manager, or other stakeholders. You will not only need to know how to communicate your possible solutions effectively, but also convince others to go ahead with your plan.
Expert Hint: It’s always good practice to get feedback from other people in the company. After all, it’ll help you make better-informed decisions.
Once you’ve identified a problem, analyzed it, and devised a possible solution, you’ll then need to bring it to life.
Creativity is a valuable skill that’s closely related to critical thinking, and it’s handy regardless of your line of work or level of experience. After all, it lets you develop innovative ideas, make processes more efficient, and generally drive innovation in the workplace.
It’s no secret that your upbringing, life experiences, and even education can leave their mark on your ability to evaluate and perceive certain situations. But if you grow aware of such biases, you’ll elevate your critical thinking and overall decision process at work.
Now—
Let’s look at how to craft a resume, so it’s chock-full of critical thinking skills.
When you start writing your resume, the first key section you want to include is a resume profile, which is also known as a resume summary statement or resume objective statement. Interestingly enough, it’s likely the first section the hiring manager will check. So, you need to spotlight your critical thinking skills there and grab the employer’s attention right from the get-go.
Here’s how:
Summary
Professional software engineer with 4+ years of experience, skilled in software development using different programming languages. Seeking to provide optimal software solutions at Appls. At Citadel, developed a Market signals system with a 12% annual ROI on average. Worked closely with different teams to improve company’s operational readiness, faster data communication between teams, and build critical software solutions for end-users.
Your work experience section plays a central role too. If you manage to present your professional experience right, you’ll likely get a callback from the employer. So, put your best foot forward and highlight your critical thinking skills.
Below are three resume tips for acing this section, followed by an example:
Experience
Software Engineer
Citadel, San Francisco, CA
December 2019–May 2021
If you lack tangible work experience (e.g., because you’ve just graduated from college), your work experience section might be underperforming. So, you need to make the most of your education section instead.
To do it, highlight your GPA, include individual modules you’ve studied, and/or mention extracurricular activities you’ve completed to prove you have the critical thinking skills necessary for the position you’re applying for.
Education
Carnegie Mellon University, BS in Computer Engineering
2013–2017
Your skills section needs to be focused and impactful if you want to improve your chances of success. So, avoid throwing a random list of hard and soft skills into your resume.
Below are a few pointers:
Key Skills
If you’re still unsure your resume is good enough for the employer, consider adding extra sections to further spotlight your critical thinking skills.
Below are some ideas for inspiration:
Awards
Additional Activities
Expert Hint: Don’t forget to feature your critical thinking skills in your cover letter. Although you might think cover letter writing is growing obsolete, as many as 83% of HR pros still read them.
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While human thought is amazing, the level of its speed and somewhat automation can put us in a disadvantageous position when we have to think critically. That’s because our brain uses mental shortcuts to explain what’s happening around us, often relying on common biases such as cognitive bias or action bias.
As a critical thinker, you need to be aware of such biases and prejudices and know when they could impact your objectivity.
It often happens that an explanation grows too complex and the original question slips through the cracks. That’s why it’s important to continually go back to the basic questions you had when you approached the problem at work.
Examples of basic questions include, “What do I know already”, “How do I know that?”, or “What am I trying to prove/disprove here?”
When faced with a problem, look at other similar work that’s been done in the same area. Perhaps someone has already come up with a solution.
That said, before using someone else’s solution, evaluate it critically to ensure you don’t reach the wrong conclusion. Ask yourself, “Who collected this evidence?”, “How did they collect it?”
These days, most of us tend to Google for solutions before thinking for ourselves first. But, this can be your most powerful tool. So, don’t get bogged down in research and reading other people’s thoughts unless you can’t find a solution on your own.
While it’s tempting to stick to people who think or act like you, sharing the same cultural background, for instance, we become more rigid in our thinking. That’s why it’s important to get outside your personal bubble, so we can gain richer insights.
A good place to start is to ask for input from people unrelated to your field of expertise or ask your team members to email their opinions separately to avoid the group’s influence.
Expert Hint: Make a point to continually practice your critical thinking skills even when faced with a simple obstacle in either your professional or personal life. You’ll feel much more comfortable using them when you put them into action.
When you make a decision or come up with a solution, consider how others might feel about it. To do it, make a habit of determining the possible outcomes of your actions and changes (both positive and negative) they’ll likely bring. In the end, it’ll help you make better and more considerate choices.
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With strong critical thinking skills on your resume, you automatically become a more appealing candidate. After all, critical thinkers in the workplace can drive innovation and help organizations stay ahead of the competition.
So—
Take the opportunity to highlight your critical thinking on a resume to ensure your candidacy gets noticed and put aside some time to improve your critical thinking competencies.
Thanks for reading. If you’re still struggling with critical thinking skills definition or just need some advice on adding them to your resume, let us know in the comments section below. We’re here to help.
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