Sharp Analytical Skills Can Land You a Job
Have you ever found yourself at a loss for words when being interviewed?
Many people have this experience when going through the process of a job interview — and it may be due to a lack of analytical skills. When handed a problem, a number of people have trouble formulating an answer on the spot. Without a quick enough wit for these types of situations, you may freeze up and let’s face it — bomb the interview.
Companies are looking for the most talented hires. So, if you are not able to answer their questions with real life experience, with a thoughtful analysis, your resume may just be tossed to the side.
Employers hire people who have specific well-developed skills. Situational interview questions will often test a potential employee’s analytical skills by forcing them to analyze a problem to come to a solution. Employers can draw conclusions from the decisions you make when structuring a solution.
Leslie Kwoh, a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, conducted an interview with Russ Hagey, chief talent officer of Bain & Co., “ one of the nation’s Big Three management-consulting firms,” about the conduct of their hiring process.
During the interview, Kwoh posed a question regarding the biggest mistake that interviewees make. Hagey answers that analytics causes a problem for most people. He states:
“We’re not expecting folks to do analytics where you’d need a calculator, but we certainly expect you to do things with pen and paper. Also, you need to be able to get to a point of view and stand by that with a reason.”
Brushing up on analytical skills will only benefit you in your job hunt. There are a number of ways to practice. Chess and other analytical games can be beneficial to the mind, and helping an analyst to recognize patterns.
Practicing other technical skills, like Microsoft Excel, can help train your brain to think in a more analytical way. Programs like Excel allow users to forecast trends and recognize patterns in data.
The more you practice Excel, the more you realize how powerful computer applications can be, making tedious tasks more manageable for companies.
If you bring these skills to the table, you’re going to be a more memorable candidate than your competitors.
References
Kwoh, L. (2012, November 1). Business Education: How to Win a Job at Bain & Co.: Learn Analytical Skills. The Wall Street Journal, J, B6. Retrieved from http://ll3md4hy6n.search.serialssolutions.com.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Business+Education%3A+How+to+Win+a+Job+at+Bain+%26+Co.%3A+Learn+Analytical+Skills&rft.jtitle=Wall+Street+Journal&rft.au=Leslie+Kwoh&rft.date=2012-11-01&rft.pub=Dow+Jones+%26+Company+Inc&rft.issn=0099-9660&rft.externalDocID=2803534241¶mdict=en-US
Valchev, M. (2017, June 6). Analytical Skills Examples| How to Improve Them: Guide. BusinessPhrases.net. Retrieved from http://www.businessphrases.net/analytical-skills/.
