True Grit

Recently, I read an article talking about the most important characteristic that employers are seeking in job applicants nowadays — grit.  Grit is described as that enigmatic quality that some people possess making them resilient no matter the adversity they face.  While this quality can be learned, it is not something that can be taught in a class — unless you are attending the School of Hard Knocks.  This quality is highly valued by many modern organizations, but unfortunately, it can be a tough trait to uncover.  To find these gritty folks, employers have devised specific questions to try and find those with this quality such as:

• How have you turned a dream into a reality?  This question is designed to find those that have the guts to challenge themselves and take calculated risks.
• Tell me about a time that you had to deal with failure.  This question tries to find those candidates that can succeed even in the face of adversity.  This question helps weed out those that may wilt when the going gets tough.
• Tell me about your hobbies.  Are you still pursuing them?  On the surface, this may seem like a silly question, but actually it is a window into the personality of the interviewees.  The thinking goes that if they quit things they enjoy then likely they will quit on the company, too.

Due to some unfortunate life circumstances, I feel I’ve become very gritty.  Numerous times, for one reason or another, I’ve felt like I was kicked straight in the teeth, but I’ve always managed to pull myself up by my bootstraps, dust myself off, and get back at it.  In the past year, I’ve dealt with deaths and cancer in my family, getting laid off, and other events.  In all cases, I have only become more hardened, more resilient than I was before.

As my career progresses, I am sure that I will face new seemingly insurmountable hurdles.   As I have done many times in the past, I’m sure I’ll just eat my crow and forge ahead.

“Grit – the raw endurance, perseverance and passion that keep you going no matter the obstacles.”  – Source unknown