10 years ago, you could build a career on one specialised skillset.
But in the new world of work, things have changed.
Organisations are increasingly searching for people who can upskill, adapt, collaborate and create new opportunities. In other words, people with the right mindset.
These are the kinds of people that organisational leaders are looking for as part of their succession planning.
But are employers really hiring for adaptability?
In my experience, many HR and hiring managers still focus too much on technical skills and experience at the first gate. It's only later they consider mindset – and that often is only a subjective assessment.
If employers continue to take this approach, the chances of finding someone with both excellent skills and the right mindset are greatly reduced.
It takes a multi-faceted approach to ensure you find people with an adaptable mindset. Here are four simple steps you can use to get you started.
1. Think more broadly about the job role
Rather looking at a job in a silo, think about how the role is likely to change in the future, and how it fits within the capability of the team.
Are you actually looking for someone who can positively disrupt the status quo?
2. Be more open-minded about the role criteria
When you write the job spec, think about whether you should be more flexible in the criteria you're looking for. What skills, strengths and experiences are must-haves, and which are nice-to-haves? What type of mindset do you need?
It might seem like you’re taking a risk, but it could have a big payoff for your team if in the end you can bring in someone with the right mindset who brings in a different perspective to the norm. Not just someone who has the right skillset, but someone who can complement and add to what’s already there and isn’t another carbon copy.
3. Use psychometric assessment
Incorporating psychometric assessment as part of the selection process will help you objectively and scientifically judge a candidate's approach to change.
At Morgan Philips Group, we use PULSE MINDSET to identify this and other criteria like approaching challenges, collaborating, creating solutions and leading.
4. Take an organisation-wide approach to workforce planning
When assessments are done on a broader scale across the organisation, you can apply talent analytics to map out the capabilities you now have.
When this approach filters down to individual roles, it can support HR and hiring managers to hire with adaptability in mind, rather than feeling like they're taking a risk by being more flexible in their must-have checklist.