If you are determined and resilient you won’t give up, be put off or stop trying when things aren’t going your way. Your boss wants to know they can trust you to keep trying, even if you don’t get it on the first try.
Why is determination important?
If you’ve been asked to apply for a job, submit extra material, and prepare for an interview (or two), then chances are your potential employer is already assessing your determination.
Turning up prepared and on time is essential – if you can’t do that then the interviewer knows you’re not really determined to get the job. But there’s more to determination than just being persistent.
When you have the drive to succeed at something – no matter how small – you will put in maximum effort, using your initiative and persistence until you reach your goal.
- You won’t walk out and leave them without staff when the training or the job gets a bit hard
- You can be relied on to ask for help when you need it, without waiting until a situation goes from bad to worse
- You’ll work hard and meet the goals and expectations you’ve been assigned
- You’ll display a positive ‘can-do’ attitude that fosters effective collaboration and can increase morale (and productivity) in the workplace
- Determination to succeed is a great quality, and a high predictor of future success
- And… determination is a great leadership quality, and it shows you have potential to grow within a business
The benefits of that to you, are the potential for a long term career with promotion prospects, and for your employer that their investment in your training will be fruitful in both the long and short term as you will be a valued and productive team member.
Highlight your determination skills
In the Skills & Attributes section of your CV remember to mention your determination; here’s a few ways you could phrase it:
- Goal oriented and future focused
- Determined and decisive approach to achieving tasks and objectives
- Use initiative to problem solve
- Self-driven in setting goals and meeting targets
Once you’ve stated how determined you are, you need to demonstrate it too. Good examples include:
- Setting yourself a physical challenge, i.e. to run a marathon or swim competitively, and then show how you achieved those goals
- Aim to improve your grades, get tutoring, spend more time doing homework and provide examples of how your grades got better
- Set a savings goal for a new bike, phone or experience (it could be bungy jumping, travelling or anything), and get a job, run errands and take on extra chores to accomplish it
- Learn a new skill; it could be a different language, a craft or an activity
- Set a goal to raise money for donating to a cause you believe in
Using examples, like those above, make it easier for a potential employer to choose you over your competitors, so make sure you impress your future boss and stand out at the application and interview phases of the job seeking process.
Watch out for our next blog – we’ll talk about team work.
