“Tell me about a time when you failed, and what you learned from that experience.”

Think of the most successful employees you’ve ever worked with, or the individuals you’ve mentored who excelled the most, or the leaders you’ve studied who seem to achieve every goal they set for themselves. Undoubtedly, a common thread between all will be that those individuals have the strength to learn why they failed, what to do in the future to succeed, and the willpower to get back on the horse and try again.

In the senior care field, grit and resilience are especially important. The job can be stressful, often requires flexibility and adaptability, and employees at all levels may find themselves facing burnout. Maintaining adequate staffing levels and delivering quality care can become a challenge.

That’s why Aspen is focused on matching your organization with those people who will try and try again, even when others fall away.

Success and Talent

What causes an individual to experience significant success? The obvious answer: success is about talent. Successful people can do something – hit a golf ball, dance, trade stocks, write a blog – better than most anyone else. This answer begets another question: What is talent, anyways, and where does it come from?

The problem is that a major contradiction exists between how we measure talent and the causes of talent. Think of a sports team tryout, often filled with drills of short duration and high intensity. Similarly, interviews often are high-pressure situations that don’t necessarily reflect the reality of day-to-day work.

Instead, professional success requires sustained performance, spending hours upon hours perfecting your craft, deliberately and methodically staying the course during times of frustration or exhaustion. That will to succeed is what today’s senior care organizations need most of all: a passion for the work and a dedication to achieve, under both easy and hard circumstances.

Interviewing for Grit

A segment of the workforce is made up of smart people who aren’t high achievers, and others who achieve a lot without having the highest test scores.

In one study, psychologist Angela Duckworth found that smarter students actually had less grit than their peers who scored lower on an intelligence test. This finding suggests that people who are not as bright as their peers “compensate by working harder and with more determination.” And their effort pays off: The grittiest students, not the smartest ones, had the highest GPAs. It’s not just about innate “talent,” but about resilience and a willingness to work for it – something that professionals in senior care and long-term care can definitely relate to.

So how can we start to understand an applicant’s or an employee’s grit? At Aspen, our interview process is tailored to the unique needs of each role, including qualities like resilience, determination, and grit. Some questions might include:

  • Tell me about a time when you stayed with an idea or project for longer than anyone expected you to.
  • Tell me about some of the obstacles you have had to overcome to reach your present position.
  • Give me an example of a time when you had to finish a job even though everyone else had given up.
  • Describe a time when you were asked to complete a difficult task or project where the odds were against you. Were you successful? What did you learn from the experience?
  • What goal have you had in your life that took you the longest to achieve? What did you learn from that experience?
  • Give me an example of how you have taken control of your career.

At Aspen Associates, we understand how important it is to have determined, driven talent leading the way in senior care. With tens of thousands of individuals in our talent network, plus a thorough, industry-specific process, our priority is finding those leaders with grit who can navigate challenges and opportunities to drive a great work environment and maintain quality of care. Reach out to us to learn more!