As those of you who have followed a&dc recently will know, we recognise the value of a resilient workforce. We hold regular resilience training days and my colleague, Pip Clarke has also touched on the subject in her blog. It might not come as a surprise to find out that our social media followers agree with us! In a survey of our 700+ LinkedIn followers we found that 62% saw resilience as an integral part of both candidate assessment and staff development. 27% of those surveyed felt resilience was important for helping candidates develop, while a further 11% indicated that they felt it’s important for assessing candidates.

Resilience has long been a buzzword in the HR and business arena and it’s certainly encouraging to see that organisations really do perceive it as a valuable trait. And as we continue to operate in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) environment, having a workforce that is able to adapt well to change is increasingly becoming a business imperative.

However, it shouldn’t be underestimated just how important it is to identify and assess this attribute at the initial recruitment stage. While it’s an element that should be developed in all staff, it’s vital to understand how resilient an applicant is when deciding which candidates are more likely to be best suited to the role. Using online tools such as Resilience Questionnaires enables HR teams and resourcing managers to assess an individual’s capacity to adapt positively to pressure, setbacks, challenges and change, so that they can identify candidates who are better able to achieve and sustain peak personal effectiveness.

Do you value resilience in the recruitment and development processes? Let us know by commenting below…