In today’s changing jobs market, we are seeing shifts in what employers are looking for within the assessment and recruitment processes. There is a new trait that is being prioritised when hiring that will help organisations build teams to get the most out of new technologies and their employees – and that’s the Learnability Quotient (LQ).
What is LQ?
While the terms IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient) are well known today, LQ, or learnability quotient, may be a new phrase to many. Gaining increasing recognition, LQ refers to an individual’s desire and ability to quickly grow and adapt their skillset to remain employable throughout their working life.
Today, professional success is determined by an individual’s capacity to adapt to new challenges, change their mindset when dealing with different tasks as well as their willingness to take charge of their own career progression. LQ represents a new way for employees and employers alike to assess their learning styles and recognise an individual’s ability to learn new skills and adapt quickly.
LQ is becoming an important employment metric
The speed of change within the modern workplace, driven by the constant introduction of new and evolving technologies and wider market forces, is making the capacity to learn even more important. Employers want people who are agile enough to thrive in their working environment now and in the future. At the same time, employees should also be looking to learn and accumulate new skills in a bid to remain relevant and employable.
Learnability can also be a good indicator of career mobility. An individual who shows signs of being a quick learner is likely to be agile and work their way up in a company. As organisations seek to invest and develop their best talent, taking advantage of the opportunities your organisation offers to upskill will not only help you enhance your performance but also prepare for future challenges and career opportunities.
Chris Gray, Brand Leader at Manpower UK, highlights that moving forward, ‘it will be more important than ever before for employees to be able to demonstrate flexibility, as well as a willingness to learn and adapt to new skillsets, with emerging technologies increasingly influencing how we work.’
Demand for digital
Demand for IT skills is growing, and rapidly. Companies continue to need talent to support with their digital transformation process, but at the same time, tech talent is scarce. And, with technology evolving at pace, employers are trying to build a pipeline of talent ready to work with emerging technologies.
Individuals who are eager and have the capacity to learn will stand out. As even the most traditional roles are being augmented by new technologies, securing long-term employment will be less about what you already know and more about a person’s capacity to learn, adapt and grow with this progression.
There are many resources which can help candidates upskill and become better equipped to anticipate what skills will help their career as well as the companies they work for. You can even test your own LQ online. Use your CV to not only show an employer your background, but also the transferable skills which you can further develop to best meet the challenges of tomorrow.
