How to Develop Grit and Perseverance in Recruiting

Jonathan Kidder

5 years ago

If you say negative things and remain in a poor state of mind. You will fail at recruiting in the long run. You need to remain consistent with your metric goals and accept failure throughout your week. You need to accept the events you can’t control. For example, maybe you had high hopes on an candidates upcoming onsite interview! Well, maybe they don’t prepare as much as you would have hoped for and they end of bombing the onsite. Instead of reflecting with a negative response try and focus on the bigger picture. Recruiters and Sourcers will experience a roller coaster of emotions throughout there week and it’s about how you handle and push through these obstacles to hit your end goals.

We often hear how important it is to have passion for what you do, as well as hustle, motivation and vision; but, grit and perseverance are just as important. As a recruiter, these skills play a major role in your success. With responsibilities that include everything from gathering feedback and interviewing candidates, to meeting deadlines and moving past a client telling you no, success comes with determination and persistence.

While these qualities and characteristics come more naturally to some, they can be developed when given the right environment. The key lies in having a growth mindset.

Cultivating these Skills:

Carol Dweck, author and psychologist coined the term growth mindset term in her book, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.” Basically, people either have a “fixed” or “growth” mindset, and based on extensive research, individuals possessing a growth mindset are more optimistic and enjoy more success.

These findings were also found to be true by Angela Duckworth, also a psychologist and author. In her 2013 TED TALK presentation, entitled, Grit: The power of passion and perseverance, she concluded that when the growth mindset is present, an individual is also more likely to do whatever it takes to accomplish a desired outcome, i.e. grit and perseverance. Her also book highlights these skills very well below:

Here are ways to cultivate the growth mindset, grit, and perseverance:

Practice Self-Control: A common response to disappointments, interruptions, pressure and rejection is for tempers and emotions to escalate. If in the past, similar situations have caused you to give up on goals or react with a knee-jerk response, then start practicing a bit of self-discipline and self-control. The growth mindset involves the ability to resist distractions, push past hurdles, and maintain focus and motivation until you’ve achieved your goal.

Accept that Change is Constant: Setting goals is important for success, but just as important is recognizing that your goals may need to be altered or even abandoned at times. If you find yourself unable to attain that target, switch it up. It happens to the best of us and isn’t a sign of failure, rather it displays your problem-solving abilities.

Avoid Negative Self-Talk: Your hard work and dedication has gotten you to where you are today. When things go awry, instead of being hard on yourself, trust that you’ll work through the issue and find a good solution.

Recognize the Small Achievements: Whether you use an app to track your progress or choose to keep a journal, when working towards goals and overcoming challenges, recognize the importance of those “baby steps.” This is often referred to as the Kaizen principle. Walt Disney practiced it and it is a simple approach that helps you maintain focus and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing your progress little by little. After all, isn’t that what perseverance is all about?

Developing grit and perseverance takes time, and some things will be more difficult than others. As stated by Angela Duckworth: “Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking you’re your future, day in and day out – to make that future a reality.” You have good and bad days in recruting and you will need to pick yourself up from a slump and get back to the grind! Remain positive and focus on your end goals.

Within the recruiting profession, there are always an array of responsibilities to ensure clients are taken care of. Bottom line, when you put in the effort and continually work to improve your skill set, you’ll enjoy the rewards and success of being a recruiter.

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