problem-solving skills
Analytical thinking capacity
Problem-solving skills are the abilities that help someone identify issues, analyze them, and find effective solutions.
These include critical thinking, creativity, logical reasoning, and the capacity to break complex problems into manageable parts.
The phrase appears constantly in job postings and résumés: Strong problem-solving skills required.
Like many such compound terms, it often functions as corporate shorthand—vague enough to mean almost anything the speaker wants.
- adaptabilityAbility to adjust readily
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- creative thinkingGenerating original ideas
- critical thinkingObjective evaluation of information
- trial-and-errorSolving by successive approximation
analytical reasoning · pattern recognition · connecting the dots · abstract reasoning · thinking outside the box · hypothesis testing · trial and error · strategic planning · first principles · debugging · Occam's razor · troubleshooting · logical deduction · step by step · decision-making · flowcharting · creativity · big picture thinking
problem-solving skillsmemorization
Committing information to recall
rote learning · regurgitation · rigid thinking · information retention · cramming
problem-solving skillsrigid thinking
Inability to adapt mentally
inflexibility · closed-mindedness · fixed mindset · tunnel vision · black-and-white thinking
problem-solving skillshelplessness
Lacking ability to cope
incompetence · cluelessness · ineptitude · confusion · mental block