The two things you need to be happy at work (Do you have them?)
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What do you really love about your job?
It can’t just be the nice office, the snacks or the decent vacation allowance. And it's probably about more than the salary. You can get those things at other jobs.
With your skills and expertise, you can transition into a similar role at a different company. Maybe even one with a better compensation package. Yet you don't. Why?
Because your job gives you two things that are essential to your happiness at work. Two things that are the difference between mentally planning an exit strategy and genuinely enjoying the 1/3rd of your life spent at work (most of the time anyway).
Enjoying your work shouldn’t be a luxury
Think about the work you do on a daily basis. About the parts of it that you really enjoy doing.
When I've asked people this question before, hardly anyone has come back with: Oh, I love doing admin or Checking my inbox is the best part of my day.
We are drawn to work that's a little challenging. That engages all of you. The work that sends you into that mythical state of flow (the term originally coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi).
The theory that we actually want to do challenging work we find interesting sounds incredibly pedestrian these days. It's been tested by companies like Intel and it drives the structure of tech darlings like HubSpot, Basecamp and Google.
More and more corporations are focusing on helping their teams enjoy what they do and on giving back.
Because your intrinsic desire to spend your days doing something you enjoy plays a big part in your happiness at work. And the more satisfied you are at work, the better you do.
But there’s a second part to your work happiness equation. And it’s absolutely essential to both your long-term success and the success of the company you work for.
People matter
Even the most interesting work in the world with a sizable salary tag quickly becomes soul-crushing if you don't feel comfortable at work.
Your team plays a key role in your day to day. Working alongside other driven, smart, dedicated people who want to get results is satisfying. It can make the challenging times - those frustrating days when you’re behind deadline and nothing you try is creating the results you want - and make them a little bit better.
Working with people who have your back and who want to see the project succeed makes a huge difference. Businesses know this.
That’s why Hootsuite, a company that makes social media management software, only hires people who actively use social media and believe in its power to make the world a better place. They understand that when a team is bound together by a common mission - whatever that mission is - and are willing to work hard to make it happen, people will challenge and support each other to produce better work.
It’s also why HubSpot, a CRM and business solutions software, created a culture slide deck that highlights and outlines what the company stands for.
Having the right team helps every aspect of your business.
When you are happy at work, you perform better. You treat your customers better. You spend more time thinking of ways to improve results instead of daydreaming about the day you finally find a better job.
You can help build your dream team
An awesome team doesn’t come together by accident. Companies have to find, train and nurture the right people. That’s not always easy.
One of the reasons hiring is so hard is because many potentially awesome candidates have non-traditional backgrounds and experiences.
Some are self-taught, learned skills through bootcamps, by starting a business, freelancing or working in other countries. The breadth of these experiences - and the value they can bring to a team - is hard to sum up in a traditional resume. That’s why many candidates get overlooked by the algorithms that drive a lot of recruitment.
Can machines really do it better?
Algorithms are awesome at a lot of things but is understanding what makes someone a great fit for a job one of them?
How well you do at work is about so much more than where you went to college, where you interned or who you happen to know.
It’s about how good you are at solving problems, at working with others and at applying your experience to the challenge at hand. It’s about the things you believe about yourself, the world and the people around you. And about a myriad other things that a computer program can’t grasp.
But while an algorithm doesn’t know the skills, beliefs and attitudes someone needs to succeed at the company you work for, you do. That’s why while referrals make up just 7% of applications, they account for 40% of all hires.
That’s why so many companies offer referral incentives and bonuses to their teams. As someone who’s already successful at your job, you know what it takes to do well. But making connections takes time. And time is the one thing you are short on.
That’s why we created JobFit. Instead of applying for 100s of jobs and hoping something sticks, job seekers use it to connect to employees at their dream companies. And instead of just uploading a resume, they fill in a fit story.
This story shows you how this job seeker will use their skills to help your company. It’s designed to let candidates with non-traditional backgrounds show you how they can use their skills to help make your team better.
Signing up for a culture referrer profile is free (forever) and it can help you connect with your next teammate. Plus, you’ll be helping diverse talent get a foot in the door and be in line for a (potentially) sweet referral bonus. So why not help build your company’s future?