Some Thoughts on the Changing Workplace

Judit Price
MS, IJCTC, CCM, CPRW, CDFI
Berke & Price Associates
www.careercampaign.com
MA , US
(978) 256-0482

One of the most thoughtful leaders on the changing workplace is Liz Ryan, an HR consultant who works closely with company leadership to improve their ability to "attract, retain and mobilize talent in the virtual, diverse, global and connected workplace." She has some cogent comments that I want to share with you because I believe they have relevance to the career building process.

Despite discussions about a weakening economy, many organizations are having difficulty attracting talent. As a result, many firms are beginning to revamp their hiring processes in a number of ways. As we have noted in previous articles, hiring new employees is complex, cumbersome, lengthy and in many ways aggravating for both parties. Good people are often swept up in a bureaucratic nightmare between recruiters, HR, hiring requisitions and an interminable interviewing cycle that too often enables a bad fit for good people.

Recognition of this problem has prompted a number of companies to try a better approach in two ways. One approach is through revamping the entire hiring process itself by creating a more positive encounter that adds some value, with less emphasis on the adversarial attitude many firms exhibit. In addition, the administrative procedures, the paperwork and the lengthy reviews and delays in response are all being examined with an eye to streamlining, less paperwork, more positive interaction, and fewer steps.

The second change has even greater implications for the job seeker. Companies want to rely more on employees and their referrals than in the past. In fact, according to Liz, firms are formalizing and strengthening programs that encourage employees with, hopefully, a greater receptivity to their referrals in a more formal systematized manner.

Of course this is enormous in terms of the implications of networking. In the past networking has been a matter of just uncovering a new or emerging opportunity. Once it is uncovered you are basically on your own to make the contact to pursue the lead. However, if companies who have created these programs can be identified, the networking target becomes more than just a lead. In fact, good, aggressive networking alone could potentially put a candidate on an interview track.

The trick is in uncovering the opportunity, but confident networking has always been a key part of the job search mix. One very important tool is the networking website community, such as Linked In, yahoo 360 and others. Joining and actively participating in these cyber communities is no longer an option. These are not substitutes for the face-to-face networking so important in meeting the right contacts and uncovering opportunities. But they are essential components in marketing yourself and establishing your unique brand.

The resume is also changing. Too many people simple think that the use of clichés like "results-oriented professional" combined with a laundry list of responsibilities that reads like a job description, constitutes a good resume.

As Liz points out, and as we have noted many times, a good resume has to reflect your brand. That means the resume must speak with a human voice that communicates to the reader who you are, what you are, and what you have accomplished. The implication of this is a much greater emphasis on how you made a difference with focus on the positive results of your actions.

Clearly, in areas readily quantifiable such as operations or sales, it is easier. But the fact is companies hire employees to "do" things with contributions that have consequences and add value to the organization. The resume must articulate that value in clear, concise English.

Finally, the work-life balance is changing. In the past, companies had a fairly rigid approach to what people do, understanding that the company was obliged to provide the resources that enabled the employee to get the job done. Many firms are now taking a more collegial approach, working more closely with the employee to determine what the employee can deliver and developing a more flexible time frame. As more and more employees work remotely, this can be a better method of management.

Company priorities must prevail, of course, but when those priorities can be managed in a more cooperative manner, both the employee and the company win. Or, at least that is the theory. What is new is that good employees are apparently looking to employers to consider work life issues, and many firms are responding positively.