Soft Skills in 2022 is considered equally important by Australian employers to a candidate's knowledge, experience or technical skills (and some feel more important) and one trait; GRIT is a strong predictor of high achievement.

Zeroing in on GRIT as a trait you want to hire for will make it easier to find candidates who actively seek challenges, optimise themselves, and embrace mutual success.

GRIT is the combination of passion (a deep, enduring knowledge of what you want) and perseverance (hard work and resilience), and moving in a direction with consistency and endurance (having a clear inner compass that guides all your decisions and actions).

Through years of research, psychologist Angela Duckworth found GRIT to be a stronger predictor of high achievement and thriving than intelligence, talent and other personality traits. Angela delivered a TED Talk on GRIT, which has become one of the most viewed talks with over 26 million views to date and also released a book by the same title that became a New York Times bestseller.

"Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals," Angela says in her TED Talk. "Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint."

Angela's research found GRIT to reliably predict whether military recruits graduate from rigorous elite training programs, whether salespeople stay in their jobs, whether high-school students graduate on schedule (even in the most challenging school districts) and whether adults earn their graduate degrees. She won a 2013 MacArthur Fellowship for her time and effort, known as the "genius grant".

"In all those very different contexts," Angela says in her TED Talk, "one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. And it wasn't social intelligence. It wasn't good looks, or physical health, and it wasn't IQ. It was GRIT."

Research suggests there are 4 "psychological assets" behind grit:-

1.      Interest: loving what you do;

2.      Practice: focusing on improvement no matter what;

3.      Purpose: believing strongly that your work matters to yourself and others. This usually happens only after years of cultivating your interest and honing your abilities from practice; and

4.      Hope: the expectation that your efforts can improve your future and believing that you can work things out and overcome your challenges. Hope works hand in hand with all 3 previous components above to determine how you respond to failures – if you get up and keep going or stay down and be defeated.

Let's look at how companies can unfold if a candidate possesses GRIT and who will thrive:-

1.      Ask candidates as much about their failures as their successes:

People experience serious disappointments or setbacks in life, and people with grit learn through the experience. People with GRIT persist past mistakes, rather than being discouraged, and show humility and adaption in the face of failure. Someone striving to appear perfect is a serious red flag.

Ask the question:
“Tell me about your most significant professional failure and what you learnt from the experience?”

Listen for:

(a)   Owning of failures, rather than passing the blame;

(b)   Self-reflection on what went wrong; and

(c)    A clear sense of doing things differently after that.

2.      Ask candidates about pressure and when to give up:

Another critical component of GRIT is working things out, overcoming your challenges, and having a clear direction towards a goal. Ask for stories that reveal when the candidate held it together under pressure. Equally important are times that they didn't hold it together and how they responded, and times that they stopped pursuing a goal.

Ask the question:
"Tell me how you hold up under pressure, a time when you lost it, and how do you decide to stop pursuing a goal?"

Listen for:

(a)   Did they learn a lesson for next time;

(b)   Do they have poise and perspective about it now;

(c)    Careful, objective considerations of the pros and cons of giving up and alternative solutions.

3.      Ask candidates about their pursuits:

A key component of grit is passion, and one of the best ways to uncover a person's passion is by looking at their goals (personal and professional) and what pursuits they invest their time into. A tip is to look at the last section in their resume – their hobbies. A candidate's hobbies or passion project can reveal how they lean into delayed gratification, goal-setting, and risk-taking.

Ask the question:

“Tell me about a goal or passion project that you're working toward, personally or professionally. How's it going?”

Listen for:

(a)   Thoughtful, advanced planning that demonstrates organisation and interest;

(b)   Concrete steps they've taken;

(c)    Motivation and perseverance.

Tips To Attract Candidates with GRIT

1.      Don't under-sell the job description

Employees with GRIT do not shy away from hard work, and the associated stressors, because they're experienced with trying, failing and emerging more prepared and determined. Be clear with the challenges of the role and see if they flinch. People with GRIT love a clear and realistic challenge and will find it all the more appealing.

2.      Offer continuous learning

Candidates with GRIT have a growth mindset. They want to get better and improve over time. This is a win-win for you and the candidate. Show them that your company has the tools and willingness to back an employee to develop themselves.

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