GROUP 4

YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING A JOB AS A CRITICAL THINKER.

The topic as self explanatory as it is expects us to elaborate on the chances of getting a job as a critical
thinker. This therefore will include pinning down the characteristics or skills of a critical thinker that
will determine if his chances of getting a job would be high or low, since “chances” is defined as a the
possibility of something happening. The question challenges us to battle out what makes it possible
for a critical thinker to get a job, and would those traits enhance a higher chance of job acquisition or
a low chance of job acquisition. It would be wise of us to elaborate the identity of the individual
involved, and that is answering the question, who is a critical thinker?
A critical thinker is an individual with the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or
what to believe in. These abilities includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent
thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following :
I. Understand the logical connections between ideas
II. Identify, construct and evaluate arguments
III. Detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning
IV. Solve problems systematically
V. Identify the relevance and importance of ideas
VI. Reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values

These a a few of the traits of a critical thinker.

Now coming down to the topic on discussion, “ the traits of a critical thinker that will determine
his/her chances of acquiring a job” and these will include the following.

Curiosity

Curiosity is a core trait of many successful leaders. Being inherently inquisitive and
interested in the world and people around you is a hallmark of leaders who are critical
thinkers. Instead of taking everything at face value, a curious person will wonder why
something is the way it is. Curiosity forces you to keep an open mind and propels you to gain
deeper knowledge. Curiosity exists to help us gain a deeper understanding of not only the
world surrounding us, but the things that matter within our experience of that world. Effective
critical thinkers remain curious about a wide range of topics and generally have broad
interests. Because critical thinkers are curious by nature, opportunities to apply critical
thinking skills are all around them every moment. They are always alert for chances to apply
their best thinking habits to any situation. A desire to think critically about even the simplest
of issues and tasks indicates a desire for constructive outcomes. To this end, critical thinkers
ask pertinent questions such as:

i. What’s happening? What am I seeing?

ii. Why is it important? Who is affected by this?

iii. What am I missing? What’s hidden and why is it important?

iv. Where did this come from? How do I know for sure?

v. Who is saying this? Why should I listen to this person? What can they teach me?

vi. What else should I consider?

vii. What if …?
viii. Why not?

Effective critical thinkers don't take anything at face value, either. They never stop asking
questions and enjoy exploring all sides of an issue and the deeper facts hiding within all
modes of data.

Creative thinking

Effective critical thinkers are also largely creative thinkers. Creative thinkers reject
standardized formats for problem solving -- they think outside the box. They have a wide
range of interests and adopt multiple perspectives on a problem. They’re also open to
experimenting with different methods and considering different viewpoints. The biggest
difference between critical thinkers and creative thinkers is that creativity is associated
with generating ideas, while critical thinking is associated with analyzing and appraising
those ideas. Creativity is important to bringing in novel ideas; critical thinking can bring
those ideas into clearer focus. Creativity has unquestionably defined itself as a requisite skill
for having in the collaborative modern workforce. Critical thinking in business, marketing,
and professional alliances relies heavily on one's ability to be creative. When businesses get
creative with products and how they are advertised, they thrive in the global marketplace. The
shift in valuing creativity and its ability to increase revenue by enhancing product value
echoes in every market segment. Creative people question assumptions about many things.
Instead of arguing for limitations, creative minds ask "how" or"why not?" Creativity is
eternal and it has limitless potential, which means we are unlimited as creative people. If
creativity is within all of us, then we are also limitless.

Effective communicators

In many cases, problems with communication are based on an inability to think critically
about a situation or see it from different perspectives. Effective communication starts with a
clear thought process. Critical thinkers can coherently build their thoughts and express them.
Critical thinkers rely on following another person’s thought process and line of reasoning. An
effective critical thinker can relay his or her ideas in a compelling way and then absorb the
responses of others.If communication is defined as a meaningful exchange of information,
thoughts and feelings between two living creatures, critical thinking is the engine that
provides this meaning. Communication starts with a thought, a feeling and an emotion. The
mind builds on this thought before putting it out to the receiver. Critical thinking, quite
simply, is the tool to coherently build our thoughts.Effective communication starts with a
clear thought process. An effective critical thinker can think rationally, provide sound
reasoning and develop a coherent argument. When individuals think critically and
communicate clearly, they are also able to eliminate ambiguity in communication.
Communication is as much about listening as it is about delivering. Listening involves a
careful interpretation of what is being said, not said, the meaning behind it and the intent. It
requires an individual to consider arguments from others, elicit alternative perspectives and
distill facts. Critical thinking allows a leader to exercise restraint while listening and helps in
following the thought process of the other party. Critical thinkers are able to respond
effectively in a given context rather than reacting.

Compassion and empathy.

Having compassion and empathy may seem like a negative for critical thinkers. After all,
being sentimental and emotional can skew our perception of a situation. But the point of
having compassion is to have concern for others and to value the welfare of other people.
Without compassion, we would view all information and situations from the viewpoint of
cold, heartless scientific facts and data. It would be easy to allow our cynicism to become
toxic, and to be suspicious of everything we look at. But to be a good critical thinker, we must
always take into account the human element. Not everything critical thinkers do is about
detached data and information- it’s also about people. As we seek to gift our learners with
these indispensable skills, we must not forget that they embrace the emotional and instinctual
as much as the intellectual. Effective critical thinkers act as much with their hearts as they do
with their minds. The world is full of enough judgment and segregation, much of it from lack
of a clear understanding of one another's secret history of perseverance through often
unimaginable suffering.

Objectivity

Good critical thinkers are able to stay as objective as possible when looking at information or
a situation. They focus on facts, and on the scientific evaluation of the information at hand.
Objective thinkers seek to keep their emotions (and those of others) from affecting their
judgment.

However, it’s impossible for people to remain completely objective, because we’re all shaped
by our points of view, our life experiences and our perspectives. Being aware of our biases is
the first step to being objective and looking at an issue dispassionately. Once you’re able to
remove yourself from the situation, you can more thoroughly analyze it.

Identifying biases

Critical thinkers challenge themselves to identify the evidence that forms their beliefs and
assess whether or not those sources are credible. Doing this helps you understand your own
biases and question your preconceived notions.

This is an important step in becoming aware of how biases intrude on your thinking and
recognizing when information may be skewed. When looking at information, ask yourself
who the information benefits. Does the source of this information have an agenda? Does the
source overlook or leave out information that doesn’t support its claims or beliefs?

These are a few of the traits possessed by a critical thinker, that allows him to fit easily and be
on a very high chance of acquiring a job, since these are positive traits that can enhance and
improve on society and development. Employees look out for these traits in the people they
wish to employ and will be very glad to get a critical thinker as an employee and hence the
critical thinker stands a great chance of getting a job. These traits are known by employees by
just interacting with the individual, getting to know their point of view of various issues and
hence are able to know if the individual is perfect for a job and not. As a critical thinker, such
traits are easily noted and hence employees will easily get to know and pick out best people
( critical thinker) for the job.