5 Steps to Developing Critical Thinking Skills

5 Steps to Developing Critical Thinking Skills 5 Steps to Developing Critical Thinking Skills Article by Sam MilamDo you react to situations based on your emotions or personal biases? Are you looking for ways to improve communicationwith those around you? Do you want to achieve more in your career?By adopting critical thinking skills, you can improve your ability to make objective, effective choices and arguments. Without these skills, your arguments can often be one-sided. Criticism can feel like a personal attack on your character rather than an opportunity to open up dialogue and communicate productively.Lets take a look at how to develop critical thinking skills so that you can walk into any situation with the tools needed to set intense emotions aside and makesmart decisions1. Become a Self-CriticThe very first and most important step in developing critical thinking skills is becoming a critic of your own thoughts and actions. Without self-reflection, you cannotgrow.You can br eak down your own thoughts by asking yourself why you believe something. When you do this, you need to clarify your thoughts by assessingyour response objectively and finding a solid logic supporting what you believe. When you self-reflect, you are able to step back and observe how you respond to situations.Important questions to ask during self-reflection include Why do I believe this? Can I think of examples in my life when this proved true or false? Am I attached to this idea emotionally? Why?Another aspect of becoming a self-critic is acknowledging your strengths, weaknesses, personal preferences, and biases. When you know this information, you can understand why you approach certain situations with certain perspectives. When you are aware of your viewpoint, you can step beyond it when necessary.2.Listen ActivelyThinking and listening are nearly impossible to do at the same time. To become a critical thinker, you need to be able to listen to others ideas, arguments, and criticis ms without thinking about your response while they are speaking. You cant properly absorb the information someone is trying to convey if you dont take the time to truly listen.Listening allows you to feel empathy. When you hear someone elses perspective, you canunderstand their stories, their struggles, their passions, and their ideas. Actively listening allows you tounderstand what someone is trying to tell you because it pushes the conversation until all parties can reiterate what the other is trying to say.3. Analyze InformationNo one thinks critically at all times. Sometimes your joy, anger, sadness, or other emotions are too great. Other times, you struggle to focus on the central issue at hand.Critical thinking requires you to carefully analyze the information before you, whether it is information in your mind or information shared by others. To analyze information, first assess what is being said and ensure you clearly understand it. Then, you can dissect and appraise all arg uments, including your own.4. Communicate NonviolentlyCritical thinking isnt much help if you cant communicate in a nonviolent, productive way. When listening to and analyzing arguments, you first need to recognize valid logic. Then, you need to communicate withthe other people involved in a productive way.The basis of nonviolent communication is compassion, observation, and collaboration. When you approach a scenario with compassion, you approach witha peaceful mindsetrather than a defensive one. When you observe, you can observe your arguments and others without judgment or emotional attachment. Collaboration naturally happens when everyone enters the process with a compassionate, open mind focused on solving theproblem at hand.5. Develop ForesightForesight is theability to predict the future impact of a decision, whichis critical for success in all aspects of your life. For example, when you move somewhere, you plan ahead to see what your job outlook is and what the neighborhood is like.Similarly, if you are moving a business, it is wise to examine the impact of that decision. Will it be too far for some of your talented employees to commute? Will you lose customers? What will you gain?Every decision should be weighed carefully, its potential impacts considered closely, before it is made.A version of this article originally appeared onSUCCESS.com.Sam Milam is a freelance writer hailing from the Pacific Northwest. Her focus is on discovering passions, developing skill sets, and honing the best, most productive versions of ourselves. She loves to travel, meet new people, and do yoga.

How to Accept and Move Past a Job Rejection Find Your Dream Job

How to Accept and Move Past a Job Rejection Find Your Dream JobHow to Accept and Move Past a Job Rejection - Find Your Dream JobOn Day 29, you learned how to either accept or reject a job offer. But what if you apply to your dream job, interview, and do notlage get the job? Being turned down for a job is never easy, but you dont have to let it disrupt your job search. Below are a few tips on how to accept, and move on from, a job rejection. Be Upset Upon realizing you did not get a job, it is perfectly normal to be upset or angry. Allow yourself some time to feel those feelings. Find an effective way to process those emotions. Talk to a supportive family member or friend about the situation, take a relaxing bath, or go for a walk or run outside. Take some time to feel and deal with your emotions. Gain Some Perspective Spend time with family and friends to remember what is most important in your life. Consider volunteering giving back to others will help you remember what yo u have to offer outside of your job (it will also help you continue to gain new contacts). Move On Eventually, you have to let the rejection go and return to your job search. Dont think of it as going back to the drawing board. By writing a resume, conducting informational interviews, and practicing writing cover letters, you have already developed a number of tools and strategies to continue to help you with your job search. Reconnect with some of your contacts, let them know you are still looking for a job, attend another job fair, and continue job searching online. Reflect on Your Job Search Rather than dwell on a job rejection, try to learn from any mistakes you made. If you think your resume is unorganized, talk to a career coach to learn strategies for improving your resume. If you realize you had some grammatical mistakes in your cover letter, have a friend or family member thoroughly read over your next letter. If you struggled to answer particular questions in the i nterview, practice your interview skills with a friend before the next interview. By learning from mistakes rather than dwelling on them, you can improve your chances of landing that dream job. Try not to be too discouraged - job searching is hard work. Stay positive, as best you can, and the right job will come along. It might not be as quickly as youd like, but it will happen

How to Think Like a Pioneer when Hiring Pioneers

How to Think Like a Pioneer when Hiring PioneersHow to Think Like a Pioneer when Hiring PioneersTo boldly go where no one has gone before. You may recognize that quote from the opening of Star Trek The Next Generation. While its highly unlikely that youll be hiring spaceship captains anytime soon, hiring for a sttte that is the first of its kind at a company can feel like being on the Starship Enterprise with its mission to explore strange new worlds. When a position comes across your desk in a new field- one you have not had to fill before- what can you do to make the process easier? You may be skilled at filling customer service, sales or engineering positions, but filling positions in new fields such as data science, user experience design or artificial intelligence presents a challenge that requires the saatkorn pioneering approach you want your top candidates to have. Heres how to get started 1. Research existing positions in the fieldAccording to Terra Winston, principal of Int erract Consulting, Whats new to you is probably not brand new to the world. Winston emphasized the importance of networking in addition to online research. Talk to other recruiters and people in the field, she said, and ask about red flags, fluff answers and how to probe. Theres no need for you to be a lone ranger even if the part youre hiring for may be a lone ranger- an ambassador of the strange new world to the company, as Winston called such employees. 2. Create a realistic job descriptionIn an ideal world, said Kristy Stromberg, vice president of marketing at Simply Hired, the recruiter would be a strategic thought partner to the hiring manager. The job description is where you have the opportunity to make your job of filling the position easier and to help the company move forward in this new field. Stromberg emphasized the importance of identifying transferable skills from specific fields.Back when I had to build out my first digital marketing team, we identified fields in wh ich we could find candidates with strong analytical backgrounds, she said.Instead hunting for the very few current experts in the new field, cast a wider net by searching for transferrable skills, list them in the job description and look for candidates with applicable business backgrounds. Use your knowledge of the skills required by positions in existing fields to guide the hiring manager in determining which skills apply to the new position.In addition to identifying transferable skills, clarify the non-negotiable requirements for the position with the hiring manager before recruiting. Which technical skills are a must? This is where your research also plays a role. Winston cited an example of a job description that asked for six years of experience in a programming language that had only existed for four years. A quick search online will help you create accurate requirements for obscure technical skills. 3. Look for learning agility and leadership abilityHiring people in new fie lds is different in the sense that because its a new role, training can be somewhat difficult, said Avni Shah, lead recruiter at Simply Hired. Shah noted that other team members usually train new hires, but with new roles youre basically relying on a persons ability to lead their own training.Hire people who learn as they go and will act as ambassadors of their functions to the rest of the company. Winston mentioned that hiring existing genius experts- particularly those with academic backgrounds- can be risky if they dont know how to translate the value of their work back to the business objectives and evangelize it to the larger team.A combination of behavioral- and scenario-based interviewing techniques are necessary to see how the person will work with the team, how they deal with challenges and how they would go about solving business problems.You want to know what their vision is and how they imagine this new function will help your business because you dont know either, Winst on said.Like any hire, hiring for a new role is a gamble, but in this case youre gambling on their ability to build something that you may not have the ability to evaluate. Use your research to help the hiring manager determine what success will look like.Five or ten years from now that person you hired for an obscure job in a new field could be leading a whole team of experienced experts. Every new position is an opportunity to help the company grow. While it may not look like Starship Enterprise, that so-called new world will become the old world soon enough. Over the next several months well be sharing best learnings and best practices on how to adapt and thrive in this new era of changing careers. To receive articles like this by email, sign up for Simply Hireds Monthly Newsletter and Feature Articles. Read more from this series The Changing Workforce4 Pleasing Results From Hiring a Career Change CandidateDiversify with Career-Change Candidates 6 Factors to Consider6Tips for Hir ing in Emerging Fields

The best state for military retirees is Florida, study says

The best state for military retirees is Florida, study saysThe best state for military retirees is Florida, study saysAfter military veterans return home from service, fights for jobs and healthcare still endure. As part of Military Appreciation Month, personal finance website WalletHub wants to make that search a little easier. On Monday, researchers released a list of the best and worst states for military veterans to retire.Florida is the best state for military retireesLooking at economic environment, quality of life and healthcare, researchersscored all 50 states and the District of Columbia on datathat included the state taxes on military pensions, the quality of VA hospitals, and the share of homeless veterans.What they found was that Florida ranked as the best state for a comfortable military retirement. Montana and New Hampshire ranked second and third.The Sunshine Statehad the fifth-highest number of Veterans Affairs health facilities per veteran, which was one of the most weighted factors. But what really helped Florida beat out the rest of the competition was its tax friendliness, which allows veterans to keep more of their incomes and pensions.Florida has no personal income tax and doesnt tax military pension whatsoever, so thats obviously a huge benefit to any typeof retiree, but certainly a military retiree. I think thats why Florida is known as a retirementstate, WalletHubs Jill Gonzalez told Ladders. It makes sense then as to why Florida has the third-largest veteranpopulation in the nation.D.C. is the worst area for military retireesD.C., meanwhile, ranked as the worst area for military veterans to retire. According to WalletHubs data, D.C. has a very high cost of living, as most places around the Northeast do, and is not as friendly towards taxpayers, Gonzalez said. D.C. also had a lower quality of VA hospitals compared to other areas.Out of all the regions, D.C. also had the fewest job opportunities forveterans. Since the average officer is 45 years old upon retirement from service, many are looking to start their next careers and are not ready to live on their pension. If finding a job is the most important factor to you as a military veteran, move to Indiana. Indiana had the highest availability of jobs for veterans.

The Chronicles of Resume 2017

The Chronicles of Resume 2017 The Nuiances of Resume 2017 Take note of these items you may include in your resume for 2017. Not only are you going to look bad, but it will haunt you down the line with other future prospective employers. 10 points is actually great for the primary body of your resume. If you still must save mora space for other info, which you want to add to your resume, single line spacing is an excellent decision in your case. What is Really Happening with Resume 2017 Organizing your resume is at least as critical as formatting it. You may also download completely free templates from our Resume Library to get going on your best resume. Do you need a skilled and efficient design template for your CV Look at an absolutely free CV template prepared to print. But What About Resume 2017? If you dont understand what you ought to start with, it is a really very good concept to pick aresume 2016 templateand make your evening easier. Thus, you should understand that functional resume 2017 is a superb selection for you only in that instance, if your skill-set is actually strong. Try to remember, landing the interview is the very first step to receiving the position that you truly desire Kursmark says there isnt anything wrong with taking a bit from assorted samples to ensure it is simpler to construct your own resume. Because the primary purpose of any resume is to provide you with a call and an invitation for an interview. Its possible to communicate you have the fruchtwein suitable experience utilizing challenge, action, result statements. Because you should win a competition. It isnt uncommon for job applicants to ask what things to devote a resume, particularly if they are rather new to the world of earning resumes for employment. Recruiters will figure out if it isnt. These resumes are excellent for job applicants that are applying for creative positions. In the USA and Canada, theres a huge difference between a CV and a resum e. As youve already understood writing an outstanding resume isnt an effortless job that you can do. Getting the most of timelines in your resume makes it simpler for the prospective employer to learn what you have been up to in previous years and what your prior jobs were. Begin with your latest job and degree first. Resume 2017 Options Among the substantial differences which you may come across is that some EU employers wish to observe photographs on your CV. In some instances, you may use your American resume with hardly any changes. Youll still have to set your education on your resume. Things You Wont Like About Resume 2017 and Things You Will You need to always tailor your resume to coincide with the data in the work description. You may also have to include specific info. A reference list nowadays is not quite as common as it looks. Below, you will locate a list of resume examples that may aid you with your work search. The Resume 2017 Stories Bear in mind, your on-line presence may also strengthen the odds of you getting that interview invite. Today, putting social networking links on your resume has begun to turn into a trend. A resume thats too long could also hurt your odds of being chosen. The very first thing you ought to do is make sure a prospective employer knows whose resume theyre taking a look at In truth, its not that hard as it might appear to be. If you own a lot of experience, it might be a very good alternative. The very last thing that you want to do is receive a job that you cant do. New Step by Step programm for Resume 2017 Read your revamped resume with an important eye to make certain it reflects you. From the info it is possible to gather here, you will see it isnt as challenging to understand how to compose a resume as you might have thought. After youve written the correct content, select a design which best shows off your specific capabilities and fits the position youre seeking. Pay attention to the resu me format you opted to pick, as you want to reveal your skills, depending on the format you made a decision to pick.

Employees need training to fill skill gaps

Employees need training to fill skill gaps Employees need training to fill skill gapsPosted October 9, 2012, by Mike KermodeThirty seven per cent of executive managers consider their management and leadership skills as average or below average, according to new figures. The survey, conducted by Leadership Management Australasia (LMA), involved 3000 participants from 32 industry sectors and included executives/senior managers, middle managers, frontline managers/supervisors, and employees. On several criteria, including planning, personal leadership, training and development, time management, goal-setting, mentoring, personal productivity, and other facets of management, a large proportion of participants found their own proficiency and skills wanting. Supervisors were the highest self-doubters at 53 per cent, followed by middle managers and employees at 47 and 42 per cent respectively. The numbers suggest a substantial amount of uncultivated talent in the workforce, with organ isations spanning multiple industries missing out on potential employee performance and productivity. LMA Chief Executive Grant Sexton says its a wake-up call for companies that might not be getting bang for their buck. Theres a huge opportunity here to achieve mora with the people weve already got, says Sexton. Its not that people dont want to be highly productive, its just they dont know how to be. In addition to mentoring, coaching and buddy programs, Sexton suggested companies should be looking to encourage formal training to boost employee skills. Fill their skill gaps and who knows how much improvement could be addressed, though I think a 10 per cent to 15 per cent increase in productivity is realistic and realisable, says Sexton. The figures come as IBISWorld Research releases their market research report into erreichbar education, which reveals the online education market has grown by over 18 per cent in the last five years to total around $5 billion. The company su ggests this growth is largely driven by the attractiveness of online study for those seeking to retrain or augment their existing skillsets while still retaining their jobs. Enrolments in Open Universities online courseshave grown by around 30 per cent per annum, with almost half of students over the age of 30. If you, too, would like to gain skills to help improve your professional performance and potential, see our full range of online courses. ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice Administrator CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineMike KermodeRelated ArticlesBrowse moreCAREER ADVICEShar ing EconomyTop 12 Sharing Economy AppsSave money, make money and share stuff. From home cooked meals to designer heels and gardening tools, behauptung 12 sharing economy apps have got you coveredCareer progressionCoworkersHow To Ask Someone To Be Your Mentor An Email TemplateAsking someone to be your mentor is serious stuff but that doesnt mean you should shy away from it. Heres how to ask someone to be your mentor - and how to convince them that its worth their while.WORKFORCE TRENDSStudy to get ahead during the GFCThere are two ways of looking at the current recession as a problem, or as an opportunity.