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What traits should managers look for when recruiting forward-thinking/innovative employees? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Charlene Walters, PhD, Business Mentor, Consultant, Corporate Trainer & Author, on Quora:
Organizations are lucky to have forward-thinking, innovative employees today. That’s why I often recommend that people focus on developing an entrepreneurial mindset whether they are an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur. Similarly, leaders can provide this type of mindset training for their team members as well.
But, at the same time, looking for more innovative employees can begin with screening for some of the telltale traits during the interview process. Here’s what you should be looking for:
- Resilience. Ask the interviewee about a time when they had to draw on their ability to bounce back from a setback. Innovators rank high in terms of resilience.
- Curiosity. Take note of the questions that the interviewee asks and how much research they did prior to your meeting. How curious are they? The more curious, the more likely they are to come up with novel solutions.
- Creativity. Ask the potential candidate whether or not they can make a connection between two unrelated things (your choice). Creativity and innovation go hand in hand.
- Ability to get unstuck. Question your candidate about what they do when they encounter a problem on the job and how they get themselves unstuck. You have to fail before you come up with that next disruptive thing.
- Big ideas. Ask interviewees to come up with a pie-in-the-sky idea involving a set scenario. Innovative people tend to dream bigger than those who are less innovative.
- Balance. Try to probe about what work-life balance means for the individual that you’re talking to. Innovation is higher for those with more balance.
- Brainstorming. Determine how much the person relies on brainstorming when solving problems and if they are able to add value during a mock brainstorming session.
- Optimism. Optimists tend to be more innovative because they have the belief that things are going to work out as they are meant to.
- Playfulness. When you play, your mind wanders. Ascertain whether the candidate engages in any creative thinking activities or plays games or musical instruments on a regular basis. Those who do are more innovative by nature.
This question originally appeared on Quora – the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.