Work Experience, Be Damned: Here's How to Hire the Best Problem Solvers (Infographic) Throwing curveballs during job interviews can help weed out candidates who possess valuable critical thinking skills.

By Geoff Weiss

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

How many times a day do a clock's hands overlap? Why are manhole covers round? How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?

While Google may have stopped proffering such questions in its own job interviewing process, such inquiries can actually help weed out critical thinkers, according to a new infographic compiled by the employment agency Adecco.

As opposed to traditional interview questions that tend to hone in on prior work experience and hard skills -- and which a majority of applicants have come to expect -- broaching out-of-the-box topics can reveal a candidate's unique problem-solving capacities and communication skills.

Related: Trusting Your Gut Is Never More Important Than When Picking Your Team

And once you've landed an employee that happens to excel in critical thinking, per Adecco, strive to retain them at any cost. That's because millennials -- who will soon comprise the largest percentage of the workforce -- are notorious job-hoppers.

Check out some more hiring tips in the infographic below.

Click to Enlarge+
Work Experience, Be Damned: Here's How to Hire the Best Problem Solvers (Infographic)

Related: Why You Should Hire People Smarter Than You

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

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