Adaptability and open mindedness

adaptabilityBusinesses are constantly changing and adapting to suit their customers, clients and industry needs. You will therefore have to learn to adapt to different ways of working, no matter what career path you choose to follow. You'll need to stay focused and committed to delivering the highest quality work.

For this reason, you must be able to think on your feet and adjust to many different situations, without compromising on standards. You'll need to keep an open mind and be logical enough to work out the best way forward if you are suddenly landed with a last-minute deadline or additional set of tasks.

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You should already have some evidence of your ability to adapt and be open-minded to change. Maybe you've covered for work colleague's shift at short notice, or stepped in at the last minute to take over a team role in the absence of someone else? You may have had to deal with an unexpected deadline change for a piece of college work.

If you have completed your Duke of Edinburgh award(s), or a similar scheme, in which you have been placed in a completely new and unfamiliar role/environment and had to quickly adapt to give your best in the situation, then you'll have a good example to use for this type of question.

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On the final Review worksheet you should try and come up with examples of as many of the following questions as you can.

When have you:

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  • stepped in to do something at short notice?
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  • tried something new outside your comfort zone?
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  • taken on increased responsibility?
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  • adapted to changes?
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  • been able to see something from another’s point of view?

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This page is adapted from http://read.pwc.com/i/391324-employability-brochure.