There is a very good and effective way to recruit. Hire good writers. Those who can express their thoughts well on paper usually have their ideas organized in their minds as well. If you understand what they have written, what they are writing about, and find it interesting to read, then those are exactly the people you need.
I once had a wonderful employee. Smart. Capable. It turned out she wrote beautiful poetry. Nobody knew about it. She wrote for herself. However, her intellect was ahead of half the office.
Look around you. Worthy people always write well. Fortunately, it’s easy to check that now. Everyone has email.
I don’t think it’s necessary to make candidates write essays, but if you can’t decide between a couple of candidates, then go with the one who writes better.
Moreover, it doesn’t matter who you hire: a salesperson, designer, engineer, accountant, or programmer. Their ability to write and edit well will indicate that they will also excel in sales, design, projects, bookkeeping, and coding.
The ability to write well is not just a skill. It means that people know how to convey their thoughts and how to be understood. They can put themselves in someone else’s shoes. They know what to say and what to leave out. They think clearly. And this is exactly what you need in your work.