What is Grit?

"Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals"

Quoted from a TED Talk by Angela Lee Duckworth 

Grit can also be defined as having the stamina to stick with your future constantly while shouldering short-term setbacks, essentially treating their goals as a marathon rather than a sprint. 

Why is Grit Important? 

Evidence can be shown in a study conducted by Angela Lee Duckworth.

The study involves 139 undergraduate students majoring in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. 

The average SAT score of this participant pool was 1,415, a score achieved by fewer than 4% of students who take the SAT.

Results show that gritty students outperformed their less gritty peers, making grit scores associated with higher GPAs.

How can Recruiters Spot a Gritty Candidate?

1. Discuss with candidates as much about their failures as their successes

Usually, gritty people tend to have encountered numerous setbacks in their career, whether it is not getting the dream job they wanted or getting laid off from their previous job. 

If they manage to stick through this setback, they would experience post-traumatic growth, causing a positive shift in their mentality. 

Through this discussion, it could reveal the strengths possessed by the candidate.

2. Ask candidates regarding their outside pursuits 

To identify how passionate is a candidate which is also a key component of grit and one of the ways is to talk about their hobbies.

A passion project or a hobby requires you to be proactive and involved like playing a musical instrument or creating video content.

Through this discussion, it can reveal how they lean into delayed gratification, goal-setting, and risk-taking.