Include divergent thinking as a skill on your resume

Problem-solving skills are golden when you try to find employment in the modern job market. Employers are always on the lookout for candidates who can help fuel their innovations. Job seekers who have an aptitude for problem-solving have a better chance of getting noticed by recruiters. Does your problem-solving style involve divergent thinking? If so, you must definitely highlight it on your resume!

What is divergent thinking?

It is a way of using a less structured approach to finding solutions for problems. Divergent thinkers are not often called by that name alone. You’ve probably met several of these individuals at work before. Divergent thinkers are great at brainstorming. They always have an array of solutions for every problem that comes up. A talented divergent thinker can think outside the box to generate new ideas, collaborate with teams to refine their ideas, discuss options to discard the impractical ones, and plan out ways to implement the optimum solutions.

Why do employers value divergent thinkers?

Although divergent thinking feels too chaotic for a work setting at first, these individuals help organizations find the best solutions in the least amount of time. Employers admire workers who can solve their problems fast. Also, divergent thinkers are great at producing innovative ideas. For businesses in highly competitive fields, such employees are of great value because they help their employers stay ahead of the competition.

How you can include divergent thinking on your resume

Employers won’t have a chance to know how impressive your divergent thinking skills are unless you mention them on your resume. You don’t have to tuck your divergent thinking skills in a corner of the skills section of your resume and call it quits. There are several other places where you can enhance the value of this skill. The best way to grab the attention of a recruiter is to emphasize the importance of your divergent thinking skills in the resume summary, skills, and work experience sections of the resume.

When mentioning divergent thinking in your resume summary…

This is the first section that a hiring manager reads. Be sure to emphasize your problem-solving skills in the first two sentences of the resume summary. You can use adjectives to describe how you take a divergent approach to solving problems by brainstorming for ideas.

When mentioning divergent thinking in your skills section…

Instead of just listing “Divergent thinker” under the skills section, separate your divergent thinking skills into different skills. This will give the employer a better understanding of how your divergent thinking helps in all stages of the problem-solving process. Here are some keywords you can incorporate into your resume to highlight divergent thinking skills:

• Brainstorming solutions
• Questioning preconceptions
• Imagination and creativity
• Reframing problems

When mentioning divergent thinking in your work experience section…

The career summary of your resume is an excellent place to emphasize your divergent thinking skills. Mention your divergent thinking skills creatively here instead of just listing them outright. Select one (or two) of the best examples of your achievements that involved divergent problem-solving. Use solid results and data to show the employer how you brought profits or value to your previous work with your divergent thinking skill. Here’s one way of doing it:

• Led team brainstorming sessions of the production department for 6 months, generating out-of-the-box solutions which improved customer satisfaction with a product by 35%.