GRIT: Courage and resolve; strength of character.
The traits that are valued in young hires vary from generation to generation. At the end of the last millennium, people valued someone with loyalty, looking to stay in one place. Then, it was pedigree – educational background and the institutions a person attended.
Today, employers are placing a high value on ‘grit.’
Why the Shift?
Pedigree was important in a world with fewer networks than the one in which we live today. The internet, high-speed travel, and instant communication even up the playing field between someone with an Ivy League education and the hardworking college opt-out.
Employers aren’t looking for people who think they are owed a job. They’re looking for people who can roll up their sleeves and do whatever it takes.
Look for Grit, not Pedigree
That is not to say that all Ivy League graduates have had it easy. But you’re not hiring for them because they’re Ivy League. You’re just looking for a great manager.
One of the single most important characteristics for success is grit. Hire for grit. Hire the person who will be excited about massive challenges and working incredibly hard. The gritty employee is one who can get through your tough projects, no matter what unseen challenges arise.
You want to hire someone who is capable of doing the job and capable of showing up, just as determined as ever, when things go wrong. You want the ambitious worker who needs to get ahead, and will put their heart and soul into the project, someone who won’t be deterred by setbacks in either their personal or professional lives.
How to Spot Grit
One way you can test for a candidate’s grit is by giving a very difficult assignment as part of the interview process. If candidates give up and withdraw their application, you can bet that they don’t have grit. If, however, they do their level best and can admit that the assignment was hard given the constraints, you’ll have the confidence to move them on to the next stage of the process.
If a candidate is getting by on their pedigree and their credentials alone, they’ll have a harder time under pressure than somebody who possesses the determination and attitude to complete projects regardless of what they are. You need someone who is flexible and that won’t get hung up on their prestigious diploma.
A gritty employee is brilliant for startups where they may need to be very flexible about their role and face knockbacks without becoming discouraged.
Grit is stamina, diligence, indomitability, and determination. Remember grit when you are looking for new hires and you will see for yourself how valuable it is.