Learning agility: the secret to thriving in a changing workplace

When you think of the modern work environment, no matter the industry, change seems to be the only constant. I mean, if we had a penny for every time something changed at work… we’ll spare you the cliche, but you get the picture. What does the constantly shifting workplace mean for hiring teams? It means you have to find candidates who can keep up. One indicator of this is learning agility. Individuals who demonstrate this skill can easily adapt and innovate, even when faced with change, whether it be a new campaign that your boss wants rolled out in the next 24 hours or the current elimination of some work-from-home policies.

Learning agility is a high-value skill

Everyday, in nearly every setting, we take in information, process it, and use it to inform how we complete tasks. This informs how we perform the same or similar tasks in the future. We learn, unlearn, and relearn constantly, and our ability to do this quickly and effectively is known as learning agility. In a nutshell, it’s the ability to take experiences and lessons gained in one setting and apply them to a different setting.

If you break it down further, learning agility is made up of multiple facets, each of which informs an individuals’ overall skill level.

• Cognitive agility

• People agility

• Change agility

• Results agility

• Self-awareness

Like any skill, everyone has different ability levels when it comes to learning agility. But why, as a hiring professional, should this matter to you?

The correlation between learning agility and job performance

What’s consistent in the research surrounding learning agility is that it is a skill that directly correlates with job performance. Having strong learning agility indicates adaptability, a highly valuable skill in today’s work environment where change is constant. Teams with agile learners pivot and adapt as unexpected changes happen, leading to greater successes and better business outcomes.

The correlation between learning agility and age

Let’s think about this logically. If you’ve been in the workforce for a long time - say a few decades - it makes sense that you have more relevant experiences to draw on than someone who’s just starting their career. These longer-term experiences typically correlate with high learning agility, and the research backs this up. Studies indicate that those aged 42 and older typically score more highly in this area because they have years of experiences to draw on when it comes to honing their adaptability skills.

This type of data is helping dismantle the stereotype that older candidates bring less value to the workforce. On the flip side, younger candidates who score highly in learning agility could be a source of untapped potential.

Hiring teams should not be swayed towards employing more individuals on one end of the age spectrum versus the other. Instead, teams need a tool that minimizes bias in the hiring process through de-identification. Removing identifying factors from the hiring process will help surface candidates who score highly in skills like learning agility, regardless of factors like age or education.

Measuring learning agility

If you want to accurately measure a candidate’s learning agility, you need the right tools, and your average applicant tracking system isn't going to cut it. Luckily, CLARA is here to shake things up. We understand that modern hiring tools can’t overcome these types of challenges, so we built a tool that accurately assesses candidates on their ability to be agile learners.

Remember those five facets we mentioned? Our AI-powered platform assesses candidates on all of these traits so hiring teams get a complete picture of an applicants’ potential for adaptability. Plus, CLARA integrates with the ATS you’re already using. This means no onboarding a new system, no overhauling your processes, and no changing your workflows. Wins all around.

The result is a tool that dives deeply into candidates’ experiences and reveals hidden potential, rather than using outdated methods (looking at you, keyword-matching) to skim the surface of a resume.

CLARA measures a candidate’s potential and fit for a role, so you get a clearer view and more qualified folks. Learn more about the research behind our learning agility construct, plus other qualities we measure to unlock the potential in candidates. Get your copy of the research here.