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Persistence is a personality trait that is characterized by the determination to achieve a goal despite the obstacles and delays that you may encounter. Many successful people tend to persist in their endeavors until they accomplish what they set out to do. They never give up.
So, if you’re a job seeker who wants to showcase your true grit and persistence, stay tuned. This article will cover what it means to be persistent, as well as persistence skills examples.
Key Takeaways:
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Persistence is the ability to prevail through through challenges.
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You can improve your persistence by articulating your vision, learning to work hard, being an effective communicator, and thinking critically.
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Persistence is a soft skill that is important for professionals because your ability to overcome challenges will give you confidence, endear you to your coworkers, and open up new opportunities.
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Persistence can be developed, so don’t feel bad if you think you are struggling.
What are persistence skills?
Persistence skills are all abilities and qualities that enable you to endure and overcome challenges in the workplace.
As an employee, you should be the kind of person that is known to persevere. That’s because employers tend to look for people with personality traits that enable them to weather adversity.
10 Examples of how to improve persistence as an employee
You can improve your ability to persevere in the face of adversity, but you will need to train yourself to have a more positive mindset. You also need to acquire soft skills that enable you to cope with obstacles and delays.
Here are the ways you can become someone who perseveres:
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Articulate your vision. Vision is your future destination in personal life and career. Articulating it involves identifying current and future needs, setting goals, and defining success. Outline strategies, metrics, and performance tracking for achieving your vision.
Without a vision, actions lack intent and motivation, causing goal difficulties. So, ensure you break down the vision for long and short-term goals, set milestones to make them manageable and approachable.
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Begin to work hard. Hard-working individuals invest physical and mental energy to overcome challenges and achieve success. Academic and career diligence demonstrate persistence. Learning and excelling require mental effort, signaling persistence.
Effective work includes contributing ideas, completing tasks, and aligning with organizational goals and objectives. Assisting team members enhances project completion. A strong work ethic portrays you as proactive and reliable, leading to positive recommendations.
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Learn the art of persuasion. Persuasion shapes actions as you influence others. To foster persistence, mastering persuasion is key. For example, convincing people amid obstacles requires rapport building and positivity. Listen, avoid constant criticism (instead opt for constructive criticism), and show genuine interest.
Persuasion is vital for roles like sales, where income hinges on convincing customers. In these cases, having the right expertise, mixed in with a helping of persistence, can really go a long way.
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Embrace effective communication. Effective communication exchanges information, preventing misunderstandings. Vital for conflict resolution, it can overcome goal-related barriers due to poor expression.
Improving communication can require a lot of persistence, but yields faster results in interactions. Active listening and clear articulation are crucial. Mastering body language aids nonverbal understanding and self-presentation. Practice, even if initially uncomfortable, refines skills.
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Open yourself to learning. To persist to the point of success requires a teachable spirit. You must be willing to acknowledge that you don’t know something. Then you must learn what you don’t know.
Even if challenging, strive for competence in soft or technical abilities, as this will improve your persistence and employability at the same time. Embrace constructive criticism for growth, as learning from your failures enhances problem-solving on the path to success.
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Stay committed to the course. Commitment is vital for unwavering persistence, especially during challenges and setbacks. It’s a key aspect of being a persistent person and impacts goal achievement.
For instance, routines and time management sustain commitment; even mundane tasks contribute to progress. Adaptability and accountability bolster perseverance, while mentors provide guidance and fresh perspectives. With commitment, setbacks become opportunities that bring you closer to your goals.
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Start to think critically. Critical thinking involves analyzing, evaluating, and making informed decisions. All of which require a will build a healthy amount of persistence.
Enhance this skill by participating in skills-training courses, workshops, and online lessons. Cultivate an open-minded approach, seek evidence, ask questions, and collect data using proper methods. Trust your intuition when appropriate, and don’t be afraid to embrace your unique creativity to develop innovative problem-solving strategies.
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Develop a self-confident attitude. Self-confidence is the ability to trust in who you are and value yourself. Your imperfections and other people’s opinions of you don’t affect how you view yourself. Self-confident people tend to trust their own decisions.
Some challenges can be mentally and physically taxing. They can make you question everything you know about life and work. You will find it difficult to maintain an optimistic attitude after experiencing failure continuously.
Self-esteem is what will give you the willpower to continue. It enables you to plow through an impossible situation knowing you will find the solution at some point because you are capable.
If you don’t trust your instincts and abilities, then it’s almost impossible to be persistent. At the first sign of trouble, you will quit.
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Surround yourself with the right people. Being around positive and supportive friends, family members, and co-workers will help you avoid quitting when things get tough. The right people will always support you in being more persistent, and sometimes that’s all you need to push through a challenging situation.
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Improve your emotional intelligence (EQ). Emotional intelligence is the understanding, use, and self-management of one’s emotions positively.
People with a high EQ are empathetic and can identify and relieve their stress. They are also good communicators. And they have the insight into other people’s emotions that enables them to resolve conflicts.
Emotional intelligence is a desirable interpersonal skill. It can enable you to express yourself in a way that solves some of your work challenges. A high EQ also provides you with the knowledge that you need to lead projects and resolve conflicts along the way.
Example of being persistent at work
Being persistent at work, or providing examples of your persistence on a resume can be easier when you know what to look for. Luckily, we’ve provided valuable examples of what it means to be persistent at work:
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Despite facing numerous setbacks and challenges, Sarah remained persistent at work. She consistently tackled complex projects, even when they seemed insurmountable, and wasn’t afraid to rework her ideas when they fell short.
Through her unwavering dedication, she sought alternative solutions, collaborated with colleagues, and kept refining her approach. Her persistence paid off as she successfully completed the project, showcasing her determination and commitment to achieving the desired outcome.
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Despite facing multiple rejections for his project proposal, John remained persistent. He revisited and refined his proposal based on feedback, highlighting its potential benefits. Through consistent communication and effort, he ultimately gained the support he needed, successfully turning his initial setbacks into a well-received project.
Persistence skills FAQ
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What are examples of persistence?
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Is persistence considered a skill?
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What are the qualities of persistence?
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Why is persistence an important skill?
Examples of persistence can be pulled from everyday life. Imagine when you last had to deal with a setback. For example, maybe you were working on the computer when the power went out and you lost all your work. Persistence would be the ability to get back on the computer and finish everything you lost.
Another example of persistence would be handling rejection. Many famous writers were rejected by a lot publishers before one finally accepted them. These writers are only known because they persisted and were willing to continue with their goal regardless of the rejection they faced.
Yes, persistence is considered a skill. Persistence is a soft skill which means it is non-technical and relates to your work abilities. Persistence is also transferable and can be applied to multiple situations. Since it is a soft skill, that means you can always work on improving it.
Persistence is an important skill every professional should have because challenges and set backs are inevitable in the workplace. The best professionals are the ones who can adapt and overcome to setbacks.
The top qualities of persistence are confidence, adaptability, and determination. It also helps to be organized, energized, and communicative. Persistent people combine these qualities together to motivate themselves into overcoming challenges.
Persistence is an important skill because it improves your ability to complete tasks and accomplish goals. This effect in turn helps you build your confidence when approaching future projects. In the workplace persistence is a particularly important skill because if you can successfully overcome setbacks, then you will feel confident about the work given to you.
Your coworkers and supervisors will also appreciate your ability to adapt and overcome, which can lead to more professional growth opportunities.
Final Thoughts
It takes a variety of personal qualities and skills to turn you into a persistent employee that stands out to hiring managers. So, endeavor to develop and improve those qualities. And don’t forget to include them in your resume and job application emails.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
