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Critical Thinking Means Business
Did you know critical thinking was rated the NEW #1 workplace skill? Download our paper: Critical Thinking Means Business
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Pearson's Critical Thinking Blog
Critical thinking, strategic thinking, creative thinking, blog, resources, videos, links
Wishful Thinking vs. Cynical Thinking: Which is Better?
Let’s first start by defining Wishful vs. Cynical Thinking. Wishful Thinking (according to Wikipedia) is the formation of beliefs and making decisions according to what might be pleasing to imagine instead of by appealing to evidence, rationality or reality. Cynical Thinking (which is NOT the same thing as Critical Thinking) is thinking that is predisposed to doubt and lack of [...]
New Study Finds Link Between Critical Thinking and Unemployment
In January of 2011 we told you about the new book “Academically Adrift” which followed 2,322 students during their 4 years in college and found that these students are not improving their critical thinking skills. In fact, in the first 2 years, 45% of students showed no improvement in critical thinking skills, and after 4 [...]
Critical Thinking Interview Questions
Krishnan Anantharaman from the Wall Street Journal wrote an interesting article about the new trend of asking questions designed to elicit critical thinking abilities in candidates. Initially, I was pleased to hear that recruiters are trying to measure critical thinking ability given the fact that only 28% of college graduates are rated as having excellent critical thinking [...]
Top Jobs for Critical Thinking
Not every job requires you to be a great critical thinker, but most do! Of course doctors and judges need above-average critical thinking and problem solving skills, but did you know critical thinking is just as important for archeologists and school counselors? Athletic trainers, sales managers, and real estate appraisers also need to know how [...]
Just Teach Me To Think, Please!
One complaint I have about my MBA program is that it felt like a bunch of disconnected courses and assignments that didn’t gel together (at times). I wanted more help “seeing the big picture” that drives success. For example, how companies choose an HR strategy to win talent in their specific industry and why. Or which [...]
Preparing for the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Assessment
Are you scheduled to take the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal assessment for training or selection and looking for a practice test? Then I have bad news for you. Because the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal assessment is the most widely known assessment for measuring critical thinking skills and is most often used to select employees, therefore you will [...]
Candidate vs. Recruiter: Whose Experience is More Important?
If you’re currently searching for a new job, I have tremendous sympathy for you. Unemployment is high, the job market is full of overqualified candidates, and unfortunately the candidate application process isn’t made to suit you. If you haven’t looked for a job in the last 5 years, let me update you on the 2012 [...]
Pajama Pants Prohibition and the Decline of Critical Thinking in Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Do you ever read a news story and just shake your head in total bewilderment? Prepare to start shaking your head now. My friend Jessica Miller-Merrell of Blogging4Jobs brought the following news story to my attention: Louisiana Official Moves to Ban Wearing Pajamas in Public Here are a few excerpts from the news story: “Michael [...]
I Disagree So That Makes You an Idiot
I follow a lot of brilliant bloggers who write compelling content and stimulate fascinating discussions. One of those people is Laurie Ruettimann who writes at http://thecynicalgirl.com. But what happens when someone disagrees with the perspective of a blogger? Sometimes there are valuable learning experiences for everyone involved, but often it looks like this: This outrageous comment [...]
New Year’s Resolution: Think Better
Did you just read that title and groan? Why do so many of us find talk of New Year’s resolutions so loathsome? Perhaps it’s because so often New Year’s resolutions are made over and over again (meaning we didn’t really commit to them in previous years). How many years in a row have you made [...]
What Happens When No One is Watching? Answer: Nothing Good
It’s Christmas eve, and if you celebrate Christmas, then I really hope you have all of your shopping done. I waited until last night to do my shopping and it was BRUTAL. On 3 separate occasions I heard mothers screaming at their children saying “Santa is watching and he’s not going to bring you any [...]
Now You’re Thinking with Heather Ishikawa on DriveThruHR
In case you missed the last 2 BlogTalkRadio interviews by John Maketa and Heather Ishikawa (co-authors of Now You’re Thinking), then be sure to listen to DriveThruHR today (Dec 23rd) at Noon CT. Heather Ishikawa will be chatting live with DriveThruHR hosts Bryan Wempen and William Tincup about the value of critical thinking in the [...]
Best Critical Thinking Posts of 2011
We wrote 149 posts on this blog about critical thinking in 2011. We’ve covered everything from Devil’s Advocates to eating walnuts. We’ve analyzed decisions by Southwest Airlines, Zappos, Panera, Lebron James and many others. We’ve even covered the latest books and assessments on critical thinking. With only 10 days left in 2011, we thought it [...]
What is the Cost of Poor Critical Thinking?
Each year around this time HR pros write blog posts about the real cost of a bad hire (meaning someone who is ineffective or even destructive to the organization). The latest statistic I read was covered by Lance Haun at TLNT.com. In his post, Lance talks about the meaning behind the numbers in an [...]
A little magic can improve your critical thinking
Guest Post by Heather Ishikawa- author of Now You’re Thinking. This weekend I had the pleasure of attending a magic show by the magician Alex Ramon (www.alexramonmagic.com). During the entertaining show, he joked about how most people expect to be tricked by magicians. Therefore, they don’t naturally trust everything that the magician says or does. [...]
The Critical Thinking – Credit Score Link
Can you predict anything about a person’s critical thinking ability based on their credit score? According to a new study, researchers have found that individuals with lower credit scores have a greater need for immediate gratification which impacts decision making. This isn’t really shocking, though, right? I’m generalizing significantly here, but it isn’t a surprise [...]
Beware of Creative Thinkers
Everyone loves a creative thinker, right? Sure they tend to be great problem solvers and excel at handling difficult tasks, but what is the downside to hiring a creative thinker? It turns out that creative thinkers are better at cheating than people less skilled in creative thinking. It appears that creative thinkers have a [...]
Night Owls Win the Intelligence Battle!
Benjamin Franklin may have believed that “early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” but it appears he was wrong. At least that’s what researchers who have investigated the correlation between intelligence and circadian type (morning person or night owl). It appears that those who label themselves as night owls [...]
What We Need to Get Rid of is Critical Thinking
“What we need to get rid of is critical thinking.” That statement made by Patrick Finn during a TedX speech nearly made me lose my lunch. Who says something like that? Who could possibly believe that it is logical and rational thought is a bad thing? Well, Patrick Finn, a professor at the University of [...]
What Gets Me Thinking: What Has the Web Done With My Job!?
Just 20 years ago, desktop publishing was a hot career skill, salespeople looked up prospects in the yellow pages, and financial advisors had market information that you and I didn’t. A lot has changed since then – about markets and our jobs! Ask a friend if they know any good marketing people and they might [...]