When I think about the rough waters we’ve all navigated this past year, I keep coming back to a quote by Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”

When things get choppy, those with skills and determination will come through stronger. When given no alternative, most people will find they’re stronger and more adaptable than they presumed themselves to be. That’s when they prove their mettle and strengthen their skills, whether steering a ship, running a business, or just trying to keep up with a changing world.

With this principle in mind, I’ve added a new question that I ask all my clients these days: “How did you adjust to the pandemic?”

How did you rise to meet this moment?

Did you convert your physical workplace to accommodate social distancing?

Did you coordinate the logistics of having a team suddenly scattered to their home offices?

Did you redesign all your lesson plans to be delivered electronically, and learn new software to make it run smoothly?

Did you have to think outside the brick-and-mortar when your business model became a violation of state health codes overnight? How did you do it?

What skills did you need to become an overnight expert in to keep your supply chain running or your customers confident that your company wouldn’t become a pandemic casualty?

Whatever you did that expanded your skillset and pushed you beyond what you ever expected you’d have to do, that has to be on your résumé.

Employers don’t want to see applicants who have never faced challenges. They want to see applicants who have overcome obstacles and emerged stronger on the other side. When they ask you in an interview to discuss a time you’ve faced adversity, a shrug and “I’ve always been lucky, I guess” isn’t going to cut it. Because when luck runs out (and yes, it always, always does), what matters is how you adapt to the new landscape.

The pandemic is not over. We are not about to go back to our “before” routines. This has been a landmark event that will have long-term implications for how we work, spend, learn, play, and think. We don’t know yet what those long-term implications will be, but here’s what I’m confident of:

The most important skill is the skill to adapt. The better you can adjust to changing demands, the more valuable you’ll be to your employer, and the more prepared you’ll be to take the helm of your own vessel, no matter where the tide takes you.

The Syracuse Pen provides résumé and cover letter services. Visit our home page for more information about what we can do for you.