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A recent LinkedIn study focusing on key hiring traits found that 74% of talent professionals agree adaptability is crucial trait in a hire and “very important to the future of recruiting”1.  This makes sense as adaptability allows employees to adapt to new technology, assume multiple roles in a startup/small business, and overcome unforeseen challenges. 

Technology continues to develop at an ever-increasing rate, and many believe we are on the cusp of the next great leap: AI2.  To correctly implement new technology a company must adapt, and to do this they need adaptable employees.

Small businesses and startups not only value adaptability, but also rely on it.  This is because their employees need to perform tasks that they may not have experience in.  The ability to adapt and learn will allow these employees to better succeed within their new role. 

Volatility and change seem to be the only constant today, and with the COVID 19 crisis and looming technological revolution, the ability for your business to adapt and stay competitive is more of an imperative than ever. 

Knowing the importance for adaptability is great, but how does one identify an adaptable candidate? Here is a list of five key traits that signal adaptability: 

  1. What was the biggest change you had to undertake in your professional career, what is your opinion on this? 
  2. Describe a new strategy or technology you adopted at work, what changes did it make and what caused you to adopt it?
  3. Describe a time you had to either edit or rework a colleague’s work, what did you learn from this?
  4. Describe a time you were asked to do a new task that you had no experience in, how did it go, and what did you learn?
  5. Retell a time in which you were assigned a task outside of your job description or expertise, what was the outcome? 
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Kevin Sheridan

Kevin Sheridan is an internationally-recognized Keynote Speaker, a New York Times Best Selling Author, and one of the most sought-after voices in the world on the topic of Employee Engagement. For five years running, he has been honored on Inc. Magazine’s top 101 Leadership Speakers in the world, as well as Inc.’s top 101 experts on Employee Engagement. He was also honored to be named to The Employee Engagement Award’s Top 100 Global Influencers on Employee Engagement for three consecutive years, as well as being designated as a Senior Fellow at The Conference Board. Having spent thirty years as a high-level Human Capital Management consultant, Kevin has helped some of the world’s largest corporations rebuild a culture that fosters productive engagement, earning him several distinctive awards and honors. Kevin’s premier creation, PEER®, has been consistently recognized as a long-overdue, industry-changing innovation in the field of Employee Engagement. His first book, Building a Magnetic Culture, made six of the best seller lists including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. He is also the author of The Virtual Manager, which explores how to most effectively manage remote workers. Kevin received a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in 1988, concentrating his degree in Strategy, Human Resources Management, and Organizational Behavior. He is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded and sold three different companies.

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