Why Hiring for Adaptability Matters (And Three Ways To Identify It)

“The most necessary skill for someone to be employable in the decades to come … is adaptability,” said Indeed CEO Chris Hyams at the 2025 World Economic Forum. “It is going to become less and less important what knowledge you have because knowledge is now at your fingertips.”

Kyle M.K., Talent Strategy Advisor at Indeed, also sees hiring for adaptability as essential in an AI-driven workforce.

“AI will automate many repetitive tasks, and so the human roles will shift toward strategic thinking, creativity and emotional intelligence, which all require adaptability,” he says. “Adaptability is also linked to resilience and innovation, so this skill will help people better weather economic downturns and technological shifts.”

Companies that prioritise adaptability will build resilient, future-ready teams. But how can hiring managers identify this trait in candidates?

Think ‘Capabilities Over Credentials’

Even with a skills-first hiring approach, the tendency can be to prioritise technical skills — for example, coding ability, software expertise and industry experience — over less tangible ones, such as how well candidates learn and adapt. In an AI-driven workplace, this mindset is quickly becoming outdated.

“The biggest change will be that talent leaders will start to evaluate capabilities over credentials,” M.K. says. “How does someone learn? Are they a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner? At what speed and accuracy do they learn? Their ability to adapt and problem-solve will be crucial.”

This shift means hiring managers must rethink how they assess candidates. Degrees and experience alone will not determine success — the ability to learn and evolve will.

Hyams echoed this shift in a recent CNBC Make It interview, stating, “The more I conduct job interviews, the less I look for specific knowledge or experience.” Instead, he focuses on adaptability, asking candidates, “Tell me a story about when you were really, really sure about something and found out you were completely wrong.”

Prioritising traits like learning agility and discomfort tolerance over hard skills helps build a workforce ready for rapid change.

How to Spot Adaptable Talent?

So what does adaptability actually look like in a candidate? Here are three key traits to assess during the hiring process.

1. Look to the STARs

Adaptability is particularly evident in candidates who have successfully transitioned between industries or roles or have acquired transferable skills outside of a traditional education, perhaps even in an unrelated industry. These latter individuals, referred to as STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes, rather than a bachelor’s degree), have already demonstrated the ability to apply their skills across various environments.

M.K. encourages companies to remove barriers such as degree- or industry-specific experience requirements.

“There’s a gigantic mine of untapped talent that’s highly adaptable,” M.K. says. “For example, a bartender may not seem like a great candidate for a customer experience manager role. But if you look closer, they have honed relationship-building, multitasking and problem-solving skills, all of which transfer seamlessly.”

How to assess it: Look for career changers, gig workers or self-taught professionals (with or without a degree) who have successfully applied their skills across different domains.

2. Find the ‘Ted Lassos’

Adaptable talent is not just about handling change — it is about leading through it. The best candidates rally diverse teams, align shifting priorities and keep the long-term mission in focus. M.K. calls these leaders the “Ted Lassos” of the workplace.

“The ‘Ted Lasso’ is someone who inspires a group of people with varying skills and refocuses their energy from a feeling of nervousness to excitement,” M.K. says, “someone who can cut through the noise and keep the team centered on the goal.”

He cites Indeed’s mission to help all people get jobs: “No matter what kind of reorganisation or new technology emerge, that focus does not change. An adaptable leader motivates their team through uncertainty and realises that the long-term mission remains the same.’”

How to assess it: Look for candidates who are collaborative, communicative and emotionally intelligent. Ask how they have led teams through change or united diverse groups to achieve a common goal.

3. Spot the Swiss Army Knives

Some of the most adaptable employees seamlessly shift between responsibilities, tools and even departments as needed. These “Swiss Army knives” of talent combine versatility, resourcefulness and rapid learning, making them indispensable in an AI-powered workplace.

“We will see a growing number of cross-functional or hybrid roles where employees will switch between responsibilities or departments, much like someone in customer support might one day handle data analysis or product feedback,” M.K. says. “These employees are not just adjusting; they’re swapping mindsets and strategic thinking.”

He likens them to a multi-tool versus a single-use tool like a hammer: “A multi-tool costs more, but it is also valued more highly because of its versatility. Likewise, companies need to reflect the value these adaptable workers provide in their wages and career growth.”

M.K. warns against “quiet hiring,” where companies expand employees' roles without fair compensation. “AI is increasing productivity, so you need fewer people to do the same amount of work. But if employers expect workers to juggle multiple roles, they need to recognise that value, not just add to their workloads — or risk driving high rates of burnout, disengagement and turnover.”

How to assess it: Look for candidates who have experience successfully navigating multiple roles or responsibilities, particularly in environments where they had to switch between different skill sets or disciplines. Ask how they quickly learned and applied a new skill outside their primary role or how they managed competing priorities across different areas.

Hire for Adaptability to Future-Proof Your Workforce

Adaptability is not merely a skill — it is a mindset that extends beyond the individual to influence entire teams and organisations. Hiring for adaptability is not just about who can handle change today but who will help drive your company’s evolution to meet the demands of tomorrow.

As M.K. puts it, “AI will reshape work in ways we can not fully predict. The best way to prepare? Hire people who are ready to evolve alongside it."

Disclaimer: Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not a recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.