1. Lateral thinking

Lateral thinking may help a team member approach problems creatively and implement solutions. Premortems are an example of this skill in practice, where workers consider hypothetical obstacles and ways to resolve them before they actually occur.

This type of thinking can help employees consider unique approaches to challenges.

How to hire for lateral thinking

Attract candidates with lateral thinking skills by:

• Including relevant terms in your job posting , such as problem-solving skills and adaptive learning

• Listing job duties that help candidates understand the position’s creative problem-solving responsibilities

• Informing candidates that you empower employees to think for themselves and make proactive decisions

Assessing the skill

Evaluate lateral thinking skills by presenting a hypothetical challenge or one present in your organization, and ask the candidate to describe how they would approach it or what potential solutions they would try.

Roles where this skill excels

• Cyber security specialist: Security professionals—whether they’re securing physical assets or virtual networks—require lateral thinking skills to evaluate and respond to risks.

• Chief of staff: People in leadership positions often rely on lateral thinking to assess risks and challenges, select viable solutions and collaborate effectively with others.

• Assistant manager: Middle managers typically need lateral thinking skills to help them balance organizational expectations and team members’ needs.

2. Pattern recognition

Pattern recognition helps someone identify trends and other relationships in data, which aids in analyzing information and drawing relevant conclusions. This skill is ingrained in creativity, which often requires unconventional thinking to produce something entirely new.

How to hire for pattern recognition

Include language in your job postings to emphasize your company’s need for pattern recognition skills. Some examples may include:

• Ability to see patterns in complex data sets

• Data analysis skills

• Ability to recognize repeat customers

Assessing the skill

You can test for specific pattern recognition skills, such as identifying patterns in numeric data. Ask candidates to take a practical test related to your position that involves pattern finding.

In other cases, you may evaluate these skills during the interview process. For example, you can ask candidates to describe a time when they used pattern recognition skills to identify or help solve a problem.

Roles where this skill excels

• Accounting clerk: Professionals in financial-related roles lean on pattern recognition skills to help identify trends or errors in data.

• Police officer: Law enforcement officers use pattern recognition to evaluate risks or anticipate others’ actions.

• Production assistant: Understanding patterns can help production assistants respond proactively to the needs of cast and crew members.

3. Ideation

Ideation is the process of developing concepts and, in a work setting, considering how they apply to company goals. Candidates with ideation skills typically excel at brainstorming. Ideation can potentially drive innovation, fuel marketing processes and help teams devise viable solutions to challenges.

How to hire for ideation

To ensure candidates understand you’re looking for ideation skills, consider:

• Requesting the ability to pitch concepts or collaborate with a team to achieve a long-term goal

• Using clear examples of applicable ideation skills

• Listing job duties that require ideation skills

Assessing the skill

Test the strength of a candidate’s ideation skills by asking them to brainstorm during interviews or as part of the application process. For example, when hiring for a content marketing position, you might ask candidates to develop a sales pitch for a hypothetical or real product.

Roles where this skill excels

• Director of marketing: Marketing campaigns require constant ideation, so this skill can benefit marketing roles of all levels.

• Project manager: Project managers may develop their own solutions and ideas or lead teams in brainstorming sessions.

• City manager: City managers use ideation skills to support marketing and public relations (PR) teams and generate solutions to conflicts.

4. Storytelling

Storytelling skills enable individuals to create narratives that inform, entertain and persuade others, making them important for marketing, advertising or customer service.

How to hire for storytelling

To hire candidates with storytelling skills, attract suitable applicants by listing related skills on your job posting . You might include:

• Storyboarding

• Writing compelling narratives

• Plotting

Assessing the skill

The application process can demonstrate a candidate’s storytelling skills. For instance, does the applicant create a compelling narrative on their resume?

Consider asking to see a portfolio of work to evaluate specific storytelling skills, such as social media management or storyboarding.

Roles where this skill excels

• Brand manager: Brand managers rely on storytelling skills to craft engaging narratives. This also applies to related positions, such as a PR manager.

• Social media specialist: Social media marketing professionals use storytelling to drive holistic campaigns that interest audiences while tying into business goals.

5. Improvisation

Improvisation skills help individuals respond quickly and effectively to evolving or unexpected situations or changing market trends.

How to hire for improvisation

Attract candidates who are good at improvising by including relevant information in your job descriptions, such as:

• A list of job duties that require improvising

• A request for someone with experience in roles that leverage improvising skills

• The ways you evaluate performance related to this skill

Assessing the skill

Use interview questions to assess improvisation skills. You might ask a question the candidate isn’t likely prepared for.

You might ask applicants to tell you about times they had to change tactics or make decisions quickly to address a situation.

Roles where this skill excels

• Customer service representative: While you might provide a general script, customer service employees need improvisation skills to answer customer questions and resolve any challenges.

• Actor: Performers rely heavily on improvisation to add value to roles and make them more unique and compelling for the audience.

• Preschool teacher: Individuals who work with small children often have to formulate answers and solutions in the moment, which requires strong improvisation skills.