What are analytical thinking skills?

What is analytical thinking? Analytical skills allow a person to break down a complex topic or problem into smaller chunks by thoroughly analyzing all available information. These skills help the person come up with solutions based on facts and data. Critical thinkers typically look for patterns and often dig deeper to find additional information if needed to draw a logical conclusion.

Some specific skills and characteristics an analytical thinker might display include:

• Problem-solving
• Weighing pros and cons to make a decision
• Observation skills
• Data analysis
• Research
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Structured and organized
• Logical thinking
• Brainstorming

Why hire for analytical thinking skills?

When you hire an employee, you typically look for a wide range of skills and experiences to check off multiple boxes for the job. Looking for analytical skills can offer several benefits to the company, including:

• Problem-solving: You can often rely on your analytical thinkers to come up with logical solutions for problems. Solving problems quickly keeps your company running smoothly and could help improve efficiency.
• Identifying underlying issues: By breaking an issue down into small parts and analyzing all the components, an analytical employee might discover underlying issues or root causes of the larger problem. They might spot the minor details that other people overlooked.
• Making decisions: A thorough analysis of a situation lets you make a more informed decision. With analytical thinkers on the team, you can make strategic decisions based on data.
• Introducing new ideas: Analytical thinkers might look at issues from new perspectives and come up with creative ideas. They could help you stay competitive in the industry with their innovative recommendations.
• Independent worker: When someone is analytical, they often feel confident researching, analyzing and making decisions on their own. They may not need a lot of supervision or hand-holding to complete their duties. This can increase productivity and free up their supervisors to handle other duties.

How candidates display analytical thinking

Applicants can show their analytical skills in several ways. Some directly mention the skills in their cover letters and resumes. Others mention those skills in interview questions, but they might also use critical thinking skills during their interactions with you. If you notice them using those skills, it can be more meaningful because you’re seeing them in action.

Before you start hiring, have a clear analytical thinking definition in mind. Identify specific skills you want your selected candidate to have. This helps you spot the desired qualities as you screen and interview candidates.

What to look for on resumes

Applicant resumes and cover letters give you an initial way to screen for analytical skills. Anyone can list analytical skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and data analysis. Look for specific examples of applying those skills in the workplace. This might include achievements related to analysis skills, statistics developed relevant to the topic or descriptions of processes they use. Candidates might also describe situations and experiences that involved analytical thinking in their cover letters.

How to assess analytical skills during interviews

The interview process lets you dig deeper when evaluating critical thinking. You can pose questions to candidates and see how much thought they put into the answers. You’ll likely analyze several skills in the interview, but the following tips can help you include analytical skills in the process.

Interview questions to ask

Your interview questions can relate directly to analytical skills. You can also use questions that set up a complex situation and ask the interviewee to break it down or suggest a solution. This helps you see how they apply analytical skills to the situation. Here are some analytical interview questions to ask candidates:

• Walk me through the steps you would take to troubleshoot [a specific problem related to the position].
• How would solve a problem if you didn’t have adequate information?
• How do you deal with a large amount of data when you sit down to tackle an issue?
• Describe your process for making a work-related decision.
• How do you use metrics in your current position?
• When you start a new job or take on a new responsibility, how do you establish procedures for completing the work?
• Imagine you and a coworker draw different conclusions about a situation. How do you reconcile those differences to come up with a unified solution or recommendation?
• Tell me about a time when your analytical skills led you down the wrong path and what you did.
• What do you do if you get stuck or the data you have doesn’t make sense?

Tailoring the questions to the position and hypothetical situations the candidate might encounter can give you a better idea of how they might perform. When asking questions, be patient and don’t rush interviewees to answer. Creating a thorough answer can take time.

What to look for in answers

When listening to the answers, look for detailed answers that show careful thought rather than generic answers. Surface-level answers lack the depth that comes with strong analysis. A candidate can show their analytical thinking by asking clarifying questions and giving in-depth answers. Explaining their thought processes as they answer shows they know how to analyze situations well.

Candidates should also be able to effectively communicate their answers. Even if they understand complex issues, not being able to express that understanding aloud could cause communication issues within the team. It can also be helpful if they give specific examples or describe past situations that answer the question well.

Performing analytical skill assessments

Some companies include candidate testing as part of the hiring process. You can use tests to analyze personalities, soft skills, integrity job skills and more. These tests give you a concrete way to evaluate desired characteristics, and you can compare how the job candidates stack up to one another.

Analytical skills tests challenge candidates to complete tasks requiring reasoning, logic, problem-solvingand other analytical skills. Online testing using a multiple choice format is an easy way to administer the testing and get quick results. Ensure all candidates you’re considering complete the testing to create a fair hiring process.

It’s also important to look at all the evidence rather than only relying on a test. Each method of assessing analytical thinking gives a better idea of how the employee approaches work. It’s also important to look at other skills and qualities that can help the candidate perform the job well.

FAQs about hiring for analytical thinking

Is analytical thinking a hard or softskill?

Analytical thinking is a soft skill, which is a personal characteristic or way of doing things. Hard skills are job-specific skills or abilities. You can also think of them as technical skills or specialized knowledge for the job. Both soft and hard skills are important.

What types of jobs are good for analytical thinkers?

Analytical thinkers usually do well in positions that use concrete data, involve decision-making and require regular problem-solving. Some examples of jobs that require analytical skills include accountant, data analyst, software programmer, economist, criminologist and chemist.

Can you teach analytical thinking skills?

Some people are naturally analytical thinkers. People who aren’t can improve their analytical thinking skills. Simulations that involve analyzing situations or brain-teaser games could help employees hone their analysis skills. You might assign tasks that require these skills. If an employee has difficulty with it, consider assigning a mentor or trainer to walk them through it.