Strategic thinking is an important skill. Even though it is something that can be cultivated, some people are just born with the gift of strategic thinking. It is this pedigree of professionals that recruiters tend to hire.
But the question we should be asking is this: “What makes strategic thinkers so attractive to recruiters?”.
There’s no simple answer to this question but here’s a brief overview:
Strategic thinkers are quick on their feet.
They are able to quickly identify a given problem and analytically assess the situation to find the best possible solution to the challenges that they are facing.
Because they are able to do this, they are able to distinguish themselves from an average professional or job applicant.
An average job applicant is someone who has the desired skill set but does not have the mental caliber to find meaningful solutions to problems. As such, they are unable to perform when they get actual real-life professional exposure.
This is why recruiters are keen to hire job candidates who are strategic thinkers.
Given below is a list of the top 6 ways that recruiters use to screen job candidates for strategic thinking:
1. Give Them a Real Problem to Solve
You won’t know if a job applicant is a strategic thinker if you don’t judge his skills as a strategic thinker. To assess if a given job applicant’s thinking skills, give him/her a problem to solve.
This problem should be targeted at a person’s thinking ability and should address his/her competence as a strategic thinker.
The problem that you give to the applicant should address the below mentioned questions:
· Is the job applicant rash in decision making? Or does he/she make sound decisions when faced with a problem?
· Is the applicant able to identify the best possible solution to a given problem? If yes, is he/she able to justify their reason for doing so?
· Is the applicant able to come up with sound solutions in less time? Or does he/she take their time to solve a given problem correctly?
Once you have come up with problems that are designed to evaluate the parameters that we have mentioned above, present them to a given job applicant.
When you present these problems, give the candidate enough time to assess the problem, and once he/she comes up with a solution, ask them to walk you through the steps that they would take to investigate or resolve the problem.
2. Assess if the job applicant is able to convincingly explain his/her reason to arriving to a specific solution
There is no one rule to strategic thinking. There is no one answer or solution to a given problem. One problem can have multiple solutions.
It is likely that the candidate’s solution to a given problem may not be the same as your definition of a given solution. His/her explanation to a given problem may not resonate with your line of thinking either.
But don’t panic.
This clash of opinion says nothing about a candidate’s caliber.
A company will never grow if everyone thinks the same way.
What you should assess is not the solution that the person gives, but his/her explanation of how he/she arrived at a given situation.
If the candidate is able to brilliantly explain the reason for choosing solution A over solution B, if he/she has ideas that you could have never fathomed, then it looks like this candidate is the candidate for you.
3. Assess if the candidate is able to identify potential gaps and problems in a flawed strategic plan
Let’s say you want to assess if a given candidate is a strategic thinker.
One way you can do this is by deliberately assigning candidates with problems which are fundamentally flawed.
If the candidate is able to spot these fundamentally flawed plans instinctively, if he/she is able to identify the potential gaps in it; then you know that these are the candidates that you probably want on board.
Ask them how exactly they can rectify the flaws, what their understanding of the plan is, and how do they think the roadmap can be further streamlined. If a candidate is able to answer these questions, you know s/he would add tremendous value as a strategic thinker in your team.
4. Ask targeted interview questions to candidates
What better way to look for strategic thinkers than to ask them targeted interview questions?
This is a tactic that most recruiters use – knowingly or unknowingly – while shortlisting candidates.
You can easily assess a person’s mannerism and thinking abilities by gauging their response to a specific question.
When asked specific questions that tests the strategic thinking of an applicant, is a given candidate quick to crumble? Does the candidate give meaningful answers to a given question?
These are the tell-tales that you should look for and give weightage to when fishing for candidates with strategic thinking abilities.
5. Look for candidates who value strategic thinking
You can get an inside peek into a candidate’s mind and understand what their standing is in terms of the value they place on strategic thinking.
Most strategic thinkers plan ahead. They do their homework. They value strategic thinking.
As such, they make it a point to know every small detail of a given company before applying for jobs in these companies. Thus, they are able to evaluate what your company’s strategy is by doing an advanced research and a detailed background check of your company.
By asking them what their understanding of your company’s overall strategy is, you will be able to assess if a given candidate value strategic thinking or not.
If they do, they are more likely to be strategic thinkers too.
6. Evaluate if a given candidate asks you strategic questions
A strategic thinker is more likely to ask strategic questions than ones who aren’t. This is the most evident tell-tale of a strategic thinker.
A candidate who is inclined towards strategic thinking is most likely to ask you proactive questions. These questions might throw you off because you probably did not see them coming.
They are likely to ask you questions that resonates around the current corporate strategy of your company, what the future may look like, the potential role they will play in contributing to the company’s strategy, etc.
Because the best thinkers are action-oriented, expect them to ask questions related to the implementation of ideas.
BONUS TIP #1: How to scan a resume to filter strategic thinkers?
What does that mean? Do you search for the term ‘strategic thinking’ in hundreds of resumes and then shortlist the candidates?
No.
You don’t need someone who says on their resume that they are a ‘strategic thinker’. You need someone who can show that. If the resume mentions instances wherein they identified process gaps, initiated process improvements, formulated strategies, etc.
If the resume showcases such instances, it’s your job as a recruiter to find out how legitimate they are, and if the applicant has the capability to replicate the same thing elsewhere as well.
BONUS TIP #2: Presenting real-life scenarios as case studies
Identify a few real-life instances wherein companies were on the brink of disaster but somehow managed to claw their way out of it. Present the same as a case study to the candidate while removing all specific details and see what solutions they come up with. The focus shouldn’t be on the eventual answer but the thought process and the reasoning they use to arrive at the conclusion. You can’t expect the candidate to solve a crisis facing a billion-dollar-company the same way the company itself would, but if you’re able to gauge how quick they are on their feet, it’ll go a long way in deciding if they’ll be a good fit for your team.
Think we covered it all? Maybe we missed something? Do you want to share your own experiences, as an applicant or as a recruiter? Drop in a comment below!
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- 6 Ways To Screen Job Candidates For Strategic Thinking - September 3, 2019
