I've been thinking a lot about work lately, probably because we've started the hiring process for the upcoming holiday season at my job. I strangely enjoy the process because I find it really interesting. I'm always surprised by what people include and their use of language on their resumes.
This year, though, is going to be a challenge and I pushed to begin the process much earlier than usual. (For those that don't know, my other life is in wine.) The labor shortage is legit and every restaurant and winery in my area is looking for help. I'll let the pundits debate why there even is a labor shortage but one point is becoming very clear: potential employees are looking for more than just a job.
Let's give millennials credit for this. The labor experience has changed so much in the last few years and covid likely only accelerated trends that were already in motion. Anecdotally speaking, I've noticed that even the interview process has shifted. As a Gen Xer, I always default to pitching how much I bring to the potential employer. I highlight my value and my experience. In other words, I really lay into the hard sell of myself to the company.
So, what's changed? Think about work: we spend a large portion of our waking hours dealing with work. Millennials seem to have finally connected that work, therefore, can have a huge impact on mental health and overall quality of life. Work is no longer something we deal with and get home to our real lives: work is a part of our real lives. It therefore needs to be rewarding beyond financial compensation.
It's probably not a coincidence that #metoo and the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 forced many companies to do some deep soul searching. We can debate how deep the soul-searching actually went but that combination did help launch internal investigations and anti-harassment trainings. Again, this is a tidal shift because throughout my 20s and even 30s, misogyny and bias were tacitly assumed to be the norm. But the attention paid towards men behaving badly, institutional racism, and mental health awareness have resulted in this much-needed change: What does the company bring to you? Why should you join them? What value will it bring to your life?
Consider interviews to be two-way. The potential employer is interviewing you, but you're interviewing them as well. Consider how mistakes are handled. What are the expectations? How are employees evaluated? Is the company punitive, or does it take mistakes as the opportunity to retrain? (Most mistakes happen due to poor training or unclear expectations.) Do supervisors check in just to see how employees are doing in general? Or is the only communication about problems? As so many positions have moved to being remote, these are really important things to pay attention to.
Finally, this may sounds contradictory to the above but keep in mind: it's just business. No job should have your loyalty above your friends, family, and self. I've seen friends agonize over leaving jobs for better opportunities because they didn't want to burn bridges. But how can a good employer begrudge anyone for moving to a better opportunity? It might be a bummer, but wouldn't you want the best for good employees? And, if the company hit hard times and had to make cuts, they'd lay off anyone they need to. It's just business. It impacts our lives but we can't let it become our lives.
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