Grit Trumps Smarts Image ID: 188832419

An individual’s grit—the ability to persevere despite adversity, boredom, or distractions—is a greater indicator of success in the workplace than intelligence or talent. New research tracked measurable milestones such as graduating from Westpoint’s summer cadet basic training or winning the National Spelling Bee. The results showed that success was more tied to perseverance than intelligence. In school-related tasks, the research concluded that hard work was a better predictor of GPA than IQ. In the workplace, employees with the ability to stay motivated on long, difficult projects were the highest achievers, the research found. From TLNT.com

US Millennials’ Skills Under Par

Compared to their international counterparts in Europe and Asia, more than half of U.S. millennials lag behind in reading and math skills, according to a report by testing giant ETS. In literacy, US millennials scored an average of 274/500; the average score was 282. However, numeracy skills were far worse. The United States, Spain, and Italy were in a statistical race for last place, according to an article in The Atlantic. Based on the report findings, the authors forecast a greater divide between workers at the high and low ends of the economic scale, which will threaten U.S. competitiveness in the global market. From The Atlantic

Legwork Leads to Prestigious Summer Internships

Wall Street firms traditionally target students from elite campuses for their choice summer internships by sending recruiters to hunt for candidates during the fall. This puts students at campuses not on Wall Street’s list at a disadvantage. However, between sending hundreds of e-mails, fierce and relentless networking, and boning up on investment banking concepts, some go-getters from not-so-tony schools landed the internships. Since these summer jobs tend to lead to lucrative positions post graduation, that’s quite a coup. From The Wall St. Journal

Emotional Intelligence Pays at Work

The ability to read others’ emotions, or “emotional intelligence,” is a skill that reaps dividends, according to a study published in The Journal of Organizational Behavior. The research found that emotionally perceptive workers earned more than those who were less adroit at reading emotional cues. The researchers noted that emotional intelligence in the workplace involves an aptitude for navigating the office playing field rather than having personal attributes such as personal warmth or compassion. From Entrepreneur Magazine