Sixty nine percent of hiring managers say adaptability is the most important soft skill they screen for. It makes sense: to stay competitive today, your company needs to be able to adapt to a changing economy and business needs. That means you need employees who can adapt as well, and high-potential people often have this ability.
Here are some of the most popular questions to ask:
1. Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before. How did you react? What did you learn?
2. Describe a situation in which you embraced a new system, process, technology, or idea at work that was a major departure from the old way of doing things.
3. Recall a time when you were assigned a task outside of your job description. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?
4. Tell me about the biggest change that you have had to deal with. How did you adapt to that change?
5. Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a colleague’s working style in order to complete a project or achieve your objectives.
How to asses candidates’ adaptability skills?
– The onboarding process requires employees to adjust to new team members and different working styles. Candidates who describe how quickly they’ve onboarded in past positions are likely to be successful in their new role.
– For candidates who are considering a significant career change, ask what drives them to make that move and how confident they are with unfamiliar procedures and tasks.
-Keep an eye out for people who consider all possible scenarios before making a decision. These candidates are more likely to adjust to unplanned circumstances.
-For senior-level positions, look for candidates who value flexibility, are open to new ideas and have solid change management skills.
-If the position requires participating in multiple projects and collaboration with various teams/departments, opt for candidates who prefer mixing up their daily tasks instead of a routine.
Flexible people who can adapt to a variety of changing conditions (new tasks, colleagues, teams, challenges) are the best employees. Test their ability to adapt with some of the questions above, and do not hesitate to make them uncomfortable in the interviews, to surprise them with a role play, test, or an unexpected question. Once you do it, you should get a good idea about their adaptability…