Will They Be Ready?

At UT I designed a Competitive Personality Profile as a basis for developing questions to ask recruits. A growing number of employers are using similar methods of behavior-based interviewing to screen job candidates. The premise behind this type of interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. In a traditional job interview, the candidate can get away with telling the interviewer what he or she wants to hear. In a behavioral interview, any story that is not totally honest will fail to hold up under a seige of probing questions designed to get at specific behaviors.

In an interview with the New York Times, Accenture CEO William Green, described how his company uses this method of screening candidates. "Essentially what we're looking for is, have you faced any adversity and what did you do about it? Have you shown intuition? Have you shown the ability to synthesize and act? Have you shown the ability to step up and make a choice? Have you dealt with the hand in front of you and played it out?" He told a story about hiring a college graduate who had worked most of the time that he was not attending classes over others who brought with them the usual padded portfolios. " I mean you sacrifice and you're a victim or you sacrifice because it's the right thing to do and have pride in it. Simple thing. Huge difference."

As an educator it helps me to focus on the qualities that our students will need to thrive in their first job. Most of them will be fortunate enough to receive ample outside support with test prep, resume building, and key contacts to gain admission to an outstanding secondary school and a prestigious college. The same network can be used to land a plum job after college. At this point the moment of truth arrives. The advantage of an external support system disappears. Does our former student possess the character traits necessary to compete?

Important life lessons can be learned through athletics that complement what students are learning in the classroom. In a world where increasingly the only constant is exponential change, qualities like adaptability, resilience, and collaboration are crucial to success in the workplace. Middle School students are at a sensitive age for developing these characteristics. In athletics and in physical education classes at Trinity, we conduct frequent discussions revolving around our 3 pillars.....Respect, Teamwork, and Perseverence. We also work to cultivate four key relationships: player to school, player to team, player to coach, and player to self. If we want our students to charge into the world hungry to take on challenges, they will have to be equipped with a strong sense of self and the ability to collaborate with others. The Uncomfort Zone awaits them. Will it be viewed as a land of opportunity?