Nearly every interview includes questions related to hard skills, tangible experience and program proficiencies. But in today’s world, the best interviewers try to discern whether a candidate has soft skills such as problem-solving and innovation while searching for the perfect employee. When you are building a team, it is important to have critical thinkers with great communication skills on your side. Our new infographic provides tips and questions to ask when looking for employees who think outside the box.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX.

Once you’ve identified the right questions to ask your candidates, it’s time to reassess the way you ask them. In many creative fields such as marketing, technology and the arts, employers are assessing their candidates through more involved problem-solving questions, such as asking them to design an evacuation plan for San Francisco. This enables the employer to see the intellectual and creative process that the candidate goes through when solving an out-of-the-box question. Work can be stressful and is rarely straightforward. These skills are great for determining who can think on their feet and how they will fit into your organization.

RETAINING CRITICAL THINKERS.

Finding the perfect critical thinking employee is one thing, but retaining them is another. Retention can be a huge issue for employers – especially when dealing with today’s job-hopping, tech-savvy Millennials. 91% of Millennials expect to stay in their jobs for less than three years – an important factor for employers to keep in mind.

In order to keep employees engaged, productive and feeling valued, you should reward them on jobs well-done, respect them and keep open communication. When you find an employee that fits, make an effort to ensure they stay.