Showing grit—the ability to persevere despite obstacles and distractions—is a term that is tossed around a lot. There’s a reason for that: It’s the number one people skill employers look for when hiring.

As companies struggle to stay afloat in the ever-changing economy, an employee who demonstrates the willingness to work through difficulties to meet a goal is likely to be retained when firms are forced to make staff cuts—and will get hired in the first place.

Take the story of a young applicant who responded to an interview question about her past work experience by explaining how she peeled shrimp three hours a day at a seafood restaurant. Although restaurant experience had nothing to do with the job she was going for, the hirer knew a hard worker when he saw one—anyone who has shelled shrimp knows that it’s a tough job. The recruiter admired her work ethic and the candidate nailed the interview.

Every employer wants people who work hard, but being able to illustrate that trait goes a long way to convincing the interviewer that the claim is real. Therefore, when interviewing, candidates should be ready to talk about how they have overcome failure, how they’ve adapted to the changing needs of a situation, and how they have gone above and beyond what was expected. Bringing up the ability to maintain focus during a long-term project is another situation that requires grit, and employers will respond positively to the applicant who can speak to that issue, too.

Future employers will also respond to hearing about how a candidate has dealt with high-pressure situations and whether they view a challenge as a chance to grow. They’ll also want to know that the job seeker has goals and the plans to achieve them.

If during an interview the concept of grit has not come up, one hiring pro advises interviewees to bring it up themselves and provide an example of how they persevered through a tough situation to complete a goal. Every hiring manager or recruiter will want to hear about that!

Discussion

1. What experiences have you had that can demonstrate your ability to push through difficult situations?
2. In the current job climate, why do you think grit is such a desirable trait to possess?
3. Can you explain why employers link grit with passion in the workplace?

Smith, M. (2024, February 14). The No. 1 trait employers are looking for right now—and how to show you have it, according to 19-year hiring pro. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com

When researchers at Carnegie Melon University set out to study how students learn and how fast they acquire skills, the scientists made an interesting discovery: Although differences in initial student performance were found, the rates at which students were learning were “astonishingly similar.”

This shocked the researchers who had gone into the experiment using their own experiences that led them to believe that some students learned faster than others. But the scientists discovered that this was not the case.

The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed 7,000 adults and children who used instructional software to measure their achievements. Participants were given initial instruction and then completed practice problems or exercises online. During the practice, the software provided feedback as well as allowed students multiple tries to attain the right answers. The feedback differed: Sometimes learners were given basic comments, (such as The answer is incorrect), and other times it offered guided practice to help the student ultimately master the concept.

At the beginning of learning a piece of knowledge, students’ work showed vastly different accuracy rates. But by the time they repeated the work seven or eight times, 80 percent of the students reached mastery of the subject or concept. This repetition was key to the experiment’s outcomes. Also imperative was that the students put in the effort to practice enough to attain mastery.  A gift or knack, however, was not required to attain mastery. The scientists later realized that learning conditions and positive interventions made the difference. The student learners were not slower or faster; they experienced better or worse learning opportunities.

But what about students who appear to easily learn algebra or a language and those who struggle to get a “C”? The researchers discovered that such instances are the result of misinterpreting prior knowledge for learning speed. “Students are starting and ending in different places, but they’re making progress at the same rates,” noted a cognitive psychologist from Carnegie Mellon’s LearnLab, where the research took place.

The researchers concluded that some students already know something about a topic before the teacher gives a lesson, giving them a head start. They gave an example of grade school children learning fractions. If some of the students had baked with an adult using measuring cups and utensils, they had a leg up on children who had not. So when the children appeared to learn fractions more quickly than other students, they had actually just been exposed to the concept and had practiced it, while the others had not.

The consistency of the data allowed the researchers to conclude that all learners needed practice to learn any new ideas or concepts, but that all students made progress at the same rates.

Discussion

1. Why is feedback integral to learning?
2. How do you think instructors can alter their teaching practices in light of this research?
3. Why is practice on its own sometimes not enough to master skills or acquire knowledge?

Barshay, J. (2023, November 27). A group of scientists set out to study quick learners. Then they discovered they don’t exist. KQED. https://www.kqed.org

Koedinger, K. R., Carvalho, P. F., Liu, R., & McLaughlin, E. A. (2023, March 20). An astonishing regularity in student learning rate. Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, 120(13). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2221311120

Experts in career advising agree that planning for a satisfying work life begins long before an actual career. This strategizing often begins with choosing an appropriate major in college, says Kurt Kraiger, chair of the management department at the University of Memphis College of Business.

In his position, Kraiger sees many college students who have never worked, which makes the choice of a major to gain skills for a job path difficult. However, many campus career centers provide testing and other tools to help students chose an appropriate major, in addition to one-on-one coaching.

For those who may not have access to individual counseling, free tools are available to help guide soon-to-be workers to the right field. These tools not only provide information about how to proceed toward a career path—they can illuminate paths users may have never considered.

Below are some of those tools.

• Indeed.com: Indeed’s downloadable career mapping template is an excellent resource for students who have not yet identified a way toward a rewarding career. It contains a wealth of materials and questions to help users dig into their psyches and determine a starting point, final goal, and potential connections between those two points.
• The US Labor Department: The government agency has also developed free career mapping O*Net is a database containing information on more that 1,000 jobs, including the mandatory skills and knowledge required for each position. It also contains data on any job’s economic potential. CareerOneStop contains self-administered tests for users to assess the best occupations for them with resource links to certification programs, apprenticeships, and scholarships.

Whichever tools you use, it’s never too early—or too late—to prepare for a gratifying career path.

Discussion

1. Can you identify the resources your college offers to help students prepare for the world of work after graduation?
2. Why do career counselors suggest networking with professionals who are actually working in a particular career path before students commit to that path?
3. What are the benefits of planning for a specific career instead of taking any job?