The Future of Work & Strategic Job Search

The concept of the future of work creates workplace ecosystems of talented & motivated employees who perform at their best because there's a connection to the work that they do. A connection that taps into self accomplishment, passion & autonomy.

As organizations begin to embrace employee expectations, employees will opt to work in workplaces of their choice. There will be a shift in competition in the job market. Rather than a primary focus on compensation, employees will become strategic in their job search & also to look into these areas: companies' mission statements, commitment to employees expectations, word of mouth & social media. On the other hand, HR functions like recruitment will equally benefit from a significant noise reduction in screening talent pools. 

Mission Statement: 

A company's mission statement = a company's passion. The mission statement highlights a company's fixed areas of interest on its journey to success. Thus, as a candidate, a simple way to tap into what a company is about is by reading their mission statement. As an employee experience designer & happiness enthusiast, some mission statements that resonate with me are:

• Happiness as a lifestyle: 

"Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time." -Starbucks

• Let's make a better world:

"is to help people imagine, design, and create a better world. Autodesk's mission is to build software tools to enable people to experience their ideas before they are real." -Autodesk

• Employees are welcome too:

"Shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors, and ecosystem partners." -Cisco

• Employee experience impacts customer service:

"We will be the Best Run, Customer-Focused, Integrated Financial Institution, with a Unique and Inclusive Employee Culture." -TD Bank

Commitment to Employees' Expectations: 

Thanks to the internet & technology, we are able to easily access information on companies via their websites, professional blogs, social media etc. Some companies like Cisco are taking it a step further by encouraging employee blogs on their company website. These blogs allow employees share their employee & personal experiences with their peers & the public. Likewise, the public & job seekers are provided with first hand information on what it's like to work for the company. 

Word of Mouth & Social Media: 

Companies such as Glassdoor are providing platforms for employees to share their insights on the  workplace experience - the best part of it, it's reliable! My best friend recently got hired at Autodesk & she's always excited to share her workplace experience with me because it embraces her expectations of a workplace. Autodesk is rated 4.4 out of 5 on Glassdoor. James Morgan, creator of the Employee Experience Index, also ranks Autodesk as a top company for employee experience. There's consistency in the reviews. 

As the future of work encourages strategic job search, companies will benefit from a myriad of qualified, talented, passionate & aligned employees who share the common goal of creating products & services to satisfy their customers & inspire happiness in the world. 

Job search can be strategic too!