How to Hire Innovative Employees

What’s the Latest Development?

Certain personality types are better at finding innovative solutions to difficult business problems but how can you, as an employer, find innovative employees? Looking for a conceptual thinker who does not feel restrained by conventional boundaries can become part of your interview process. Ask prospective employees how they would assemble furniture from directions. Their response will tell you how guided by convention they are. An innovative thinker might say, “I look at the picture on the box, then begin.”

What’s the Big Idea?

Innovative thinkers are likely to be more intuitive and allow their decision process to be guided by inspiration rather than raw data. If you ask an innovative person how he or she prepares for a project deadline, they might respond, “I search the Internet for ideas then talk a long walk. I always seem to find a solution, even if it arrives just days before a deadline.” Expect an innovative person to ask you, the company’s representative, where you think the business will be in ten years. They may also ask to bring their dog to work.

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