Common Sense, Not Book Smarts, Will Get You the Job

Common Sense, Not Book Smarts, Will Get You the Job

When I graduated, I had the feeling I did not excel in one particular domain. I managed to pass the exams, but I didn’t like to go to school at all. My teachers noticed, so they were constantly telling me I would not go very far in life if I didn’t change the way I worked and start to focus on my studies. Yet I found very few courses enjoyable enough to make an effort.

Not that I was lazy. As a student I was already a hard worker. I liked (and I still like) working, so I temped as a dishwasher, served on events, worked behind the bar, helped out in a video store... By the time I graduated I knew what it meant to work hard. Because of the financial crisis I applied for a broad range of jobs, prepared to take any offer available. At that moment only I discovered the world and what it was all about.

The world is about having an open mind. Schools were too limited for me. Everything was planned and had to go accordingly. There was no room left for interpretation, ideas, debates… I’m not saying that schools and learning are not important. But our schooling system at this moment is made for people with cognitive skills, setting aside other talents.

This is why a lot of students leave school like I did: thinking they are worth nothing. In reality, they may have what it takes to become an excellent leader or a visionary person that can start up a successful company. It’s a shame how much talent gets lost because of the focus of our schooling system. Life isn’t about being the smartest in the office. To be successful, you (also) need other skills. Both in life and on the work floor, the higher you move up the corporate ladder, the more important your social skills become.

A big part of your professional life depends on your social skills, your curiosity, your will to succeed, your persistence and humility towards life. Since I learned that, I try to recruit differently. Now I focus on guts. Is a candidate willing to try new things? Is she open for change (as change is the only constant thing on the work floor)? Does she show the eagerness to learn? Is she loyal? Does she care about the company, the colleagues and the customers? And last, but definitely not least, does she show common sense?

Maybe that’s what I lacked most when I graduated. And I've met a lot of people, freshly graduated or not, that had that in common with me. Of course common sense is not something you can study for at school. But if you have it, you might know better than your teachers what you are really worth. And if your teachers show common sense as well, they might be able to look beyond your cognitive skills.

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