How a Job Application Tracker Can Speed Up Your Job Hunt
11 Jun 2024
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A job application tracker keeps you focused, boosts accountability, enhances motivation, and expands your networking opportunities.
We know that it’s hard to keep spirits up when you are putting yourself out there. Not to get too personal, but as startup founders, we get told “no” a lot. Here are some ways to gain some extra positivity during your job search.
Set Realistic Goals
Sometimes, thinking about the big picture can be daunting. Break down your job search into manageable tasks and set achievable goals. Tackle one day at a time.
Stay Organized
Keep track of the applications you’ve sent, responses received, and follow-ups due. This will help you feel in control and see your progress over time. Hardly is building an application tracker to help with this! Sign up to be notified when it is live.
Skill Development
- Online courses, research, or workshops can not only make you a more attractive candidate, but boost your confidence overall.
Use Hardly’s free resume builder to quickly edit job details and enhance your new-found skills!
Exercise and Healthy Living
Regular physical activity can significantly improve your mood and reduce stress. Engage in activities that relax and rejuvenate you, whether it’s reading, meditating, or spending time with loved ones. Mindfulness practices can help reduce stress and maintain mental health. Combined with a healthy diet, it can enhance your overall well-being, keeping you energized and positive.
Networking
This one may not give you a ton of confidence, but connections can speed up your job search substantially. Reconnecting with old colleagues, attending industry meetups, or joining professional groups online can open new opportunities and provide valuable support.
Prepare Thoroughly
For each application or interview, research the company and role extensively. This preparation can boost your confidence, showing you’re well-informed and genuinely interested
Practice Interviews
Conduct mock interviews with friends or mentors to build your confidence. Feedback can help improve your performance and reduce anxiety for the real thing. If you need extra help with this, consider seeking support from a career coach or counselor. If you are ready to take the leap, Hardly has plenty of coaches who are eager to help you on your journey.
Positive Affirmations and Small Celebrations
Start your day with positive affirmations or motivational quotes. Reminding yourself of your skills, achievements, and worth can set a positive tone for the day. Celebrate small victories, like getting a callback or even just completing a day’s worth of job applications.
Limit Comparison
We know this is easier said than done, but try to avoid comparing your journey to others’. Everyone’s career path is unique, and comparing can unnecessarily diminish your achievements and confidence.
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How to Maintain Confidence During Your Job Search
20 Mar 2024
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Job searching can often be, well, soul-crushing 😣. Maintaining confidence during a job search is challenging, but it is also crucial for success. Next time you need a boost, consider these strategies:
Want a Promotion? Ditch These Bad Working Habits in 2024
18 Jan 2024
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Most of us are our absolute best work selves when we start a new job. Our boss says “jump,” we say “how high.” We show up early, over-prepared, and volunteer for every opportunity for growth. Then a couple of weeks or months go by and naturally as we get more comfortable a few bad habits tend to rear their ugly heads.
Want to pursue a lucrative career in 2024? There is a good chance that you will be hired if you pursue any of these 10 careers— all of which pay over $100,000. These are the fast-growing careers where hiring is most urgent and growth is most rapid. This data is sourced from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, so you know it’s legit.
Software Developer
- Projected Increase: 26%
- Average Salary: $120K
- Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s Degree
A software developer’s job is to design, develop, test and deploy computer software. They may work on a variety of projects, from developing new applications to maintaining and improving existing ones. A software developer must have strong problem-solving and technical skills, as well as be able to work effectively in a team.
This job also has the advantage of being highly entrepreneurial. So if you are thinking about freelancing for most of your career, being a software developer is a good option. This will continue to be on the fast-growing career list for the foreseeable future.
Medical and Health Services Manager
- Projected Increase: 28.3%
- Average Salary: $101K
- Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s Degree
The Medical and Health Services Manager career offers the security and money of a medical career, but is also ideal for those who prefer to work at a desk that is far away from sick people. You will be responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating healthcare providers’ business activities.
Your days will be filled with pushing papers in the medical office and meeting with doctors, but you’ll still have time to cash your $101K salary check at the bank.
Financial Manager
- Projected Increase: 16.8%
- Average Salary: $132K
- Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s Degree
A financial manager is responsible for the financial wellbeing of their organization. They create financial plans, direct investment activities, and oversee financial risk management. Financial managers work in a variety of industries, including banking, insurance, accounting, and financial planning.
The role of a financial manager is not a new fast-growing career, and most of this increased need is due to people retiring or leaving the workforce.
Nurse Practitioner
- Projected Increase: 45.7%
- Average Salary: $121K
- Typical Entry-Level Education: Master's Degree
The “hero career” is no surprise to remain in the fast-growing careers for 2024. You’ll bring home $121K per year and be recognized for saving lives. Nursing practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and midwives are all known as advanced practice registered nurses. Their responsibilities include coordinating patient care and providing primary and specialty care.
Prepare yourself for companies to start chasing you once you get your Master’s degree, but don’t get too excited! There is one more step to complete—obtaining your state’s license and APRN certification.
Computer and Information Systems Manager
- Projected Increase: 16.2%
- Average Salary: $159K
- Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor's Degree
The job of a computer and information systems manager is to plan, organize, and coordinate the activities of workers who design, develop, test, and maintain computer software and systems. They also oversee the installation of new systems and ensure that existing systems are compatible with new software and hardware. In addition, computer and information systems managers consult with other departments to ensure that their computer system needs are met.
You can work in a variety of different industries— including government, education, or private businesses. To read more about being a Computer and Information Systems Manager, check out this article from Chron.
Prepare yourself for companies to start chasing you once you get your Master’s degree, but don’t get too excited! There is one more step to complete—obtaining your state’s license and APRN certification.
Health Specialties Teacher
- Projected Increase: 24.1%
- Average Salary: $102K
- Typical Entry-Level Education: Professional Degree or Doctorate
Health Specialties Teachers’ job is to instruct various subjects like human anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology to healthcare students. They also prepare students for their future roles in the healthcare field.
The majority of health specialty teachers are employed by colleges or universities. Some of them, however, work in medical hospitals, trade schools, or junior colleges. Additional licenses and certifications may be required based on the field you teach in.
Information Security Analyst
- Projected Increase: 34.7%
- Average Salary: $103K
- Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor's Degree
This job is also called the “White Hat Hacker” job and reminds us of all those hacking scenes in movies. Information Security Analysts are responsible for the overall security of an organization’s information systems.
They work to identify and mitigate security risks, and are responsible for developing and implementing security policies and procedures. Information security analysts must have a strong understanding of computer networks and systems, and must be able to think critically to identify and resolve security issues.
Bonus! Here are some other high-growth careers:
- Marketing Managers
- Sales Managers
- Veterinarians
- Human Resource Managers
- Dentists
- Pharmacists
- Computer Network Architects
- Computer and Information Research Scientists
- Industrial Production Managers
- Electronics Engineers
How do you know which of these is the best career for you?
All of the jobs on this list pay well, but you shouldn’t choose one of these careers solely because of the paycheck. Sign up for a free Hardly account today and you can use our tools and assessments to understand what you need and want in your career. Want to take it up a notch? You can chat with one of our coaches, who will be able to guide you through understanding yourself in the context of your career.
It is your life and your career that you will invest much time and energy into. A rewarding career choice will give you energy, passion, and joy.
Hey there! If you’re diving into the tech world and need to whip up a resume that rocks, we’ve got you covered. Here’s how to make your resume stand out:
1. Keep It Simple and Straightforward
Tech folks love things clear and concise. Your resume should be easy to skim, with no fluff. Stick to bullet points for your skills and achievements, and keep your sentences snappy.
2. Flaunt Those Tech Skills
Your tech skills are your superpowers. Don’t just say you’re into programming; name the specific languages you’re good at, like Python or Java. The more specific, the better!
3. Show Off Your Projects
In tech, what you’ve built says a lot. Got some cool projects? Flaunt them! Add links to your GitHub, personal site, or any live demos you’ve got.
4. Numbers Make You Shine
Got some achievements? Quantify them! Saying “Boosted website speed by 30%” sounds way more impressive than just “improved website performance.” This can make your tech resume stand out.
5. Your Work Experience Counts
List your jobs, but keep it relevant to tech. If you’re new to the game, any internships or even volunteer gigs where you flexed your tech muscles will help.
Need help making your non-tech jobs relevant? Use Hardly’s free resume builder to quickly edit job details to highlight tech-related skills. Suddenly, that retail job can focus on how you were detail oriented.
6. Education and Certifications Matter Too
Talk about your highest education level, and if you’ve got tech-related certifications or courses, definitely include those. They show you’re constantly leveling up your skills.
7. Make It Job-Specific
One size doesn’t fit all. Tweak your tech resume for each job you apply for. Match it up with the job description to sneak past those pesky automated resume filters. Hardly’s free resume builder template is guaranteed to be ATS friendly and you can optimize your resume to a specific job description in seconds!
8. Show 'Em Who You Are
Add a personal touch with a brief professional summary at the top of your tech resume. It’s like your own mini-ad for why you’re awesome for the job.
9. Use Handy Online Tools
There’s a bunch of online resume builders and templates out there, especially for tech resumes. They can save you a ton of time and make sure your resume looks slick. Interested in trying one out? Conveniently, we have an awesome one: Check out Hardly’s free resume builder.
Remember, your resume is just the starting point. It’s your foot in the door, but you gotta back it up with solid skills and a great chat in the interview. Keep updating your resume as you level up your skills, and always give it that special touch for each job you’re after. You’ve got this! 🚀
If you want a way to shortcut your resume to success, use Hardly’s free resume builder. In a few minutes, you’ll have a show-stopping resume that is ready for any ATS. You can also check out our recent article on resume writing tips here.
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Check out our other articles:
How a Job Application Tracker Can Speed Up Your Job Hunt
11 Jun 2024
No Comments
A job application tracker keeps you focused, boosts accountability, enhances motivation, and expands your networking opportunities.
How to Maintain Confidence During Your Job Search
20 Mar 2024
No Comments
Job searching can often be, well, soul-crushing 😣. Maintaining confidence during a job search is challenging, but it is also crucial for success. Next time you need a boost, consider these strategies:
Want a Promotion? Ditch These Bad Working Habits in 2024
18 Jan 2024
No Comments
Most of us are our absolute best work selves when we start a new job. Our boss says “jump,” we say “how high.” We show up early, over-prepared, and volunteer for every opportunity for growth. Then a couple of weeks or months go by and naturally as we get more comfortable a few bad habits tend to rear their ugly heads.
In the ever-evolving landscape of job applications, adapting to the latest trends and technologies is crucial. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have become an integral part of the hiring process, streamlining recruitment and helping employers find the best-fit candidates efficiently. As we step into 2024, it’s essential to understand the latest strategies for optimizing your resume to stand out in the digital crowd.
Understanding ATS Technology:
Applicant Tracking Systems use sophisticated algorithms to scan, analyze, and rank resumes based on specific criteria set by employers. In 2024, these systems are likely to become even more advanced, emphasizing the importance of tailoring your resume to align with their requirements.
Keyword Optimization:
Keywords play a pivotal role in ATS success. As technology evolves, so do the keywords relevant to specific industries and roles. Stay updated on industry trends, buzzwords, and the latest terminologies. Incorporate these keywords naturally, ensuring a seamless integration that mirrors the language used in job descriptions. Hardly’s resume builder helps ensure that you have the right keywords where it counts.
Formatting Matters:
While a visually appealing resume is important, ATS primarily looks for well-organized and cleanly formatted documents. Stick to simple, professional templates with standard fonts. Avoid graphics, charts, and elaborate designs, as these can confuse the ATS algorithms and hinder your resume’s chances of being parsed correctly.
Tailor Your Resume for Each Application:
One-size-fits-all resumes are a thing of the past. In 2024, customization is key. Tailor your resume for each job application by emphasizing the skills and experiences most relevant to the specific role. This not only enhances your chances with ATS but also captures the attention of hiring managers who may review your application after the initial digital screening.
Need help with this? Use Hardly’s free resume builder to quickly edit your resume for a specific job description.
Quantify Achievements:
ATS algorithms are becoming more adept at recognizing quantitative data. Instead of listing generic job responsibilities, focus on quantifiable achievements and results. Use numbers and percentages to highlight your impact in previous roles, providing concrete evidence of your contributions.
Include Relevant URLs:
In a tech-savvy job market, including URLs to your LinkedIn profile, personal website, or online portfolio can add depth to your application. These links not only provide additional context but also offer the ATS a more comprehensive view of your professional persona.
Optimize for Mobile:
As mobile devices continue to dominate internet usage, it’s essential that your resume is mobile-friendly. Use simple, legible fonts and avoid complex formatting that may not translate well on smaller screens. This optimization ensures that your resume is accessible to recruiters on various devices. Hardly’s free resume builder template is guaranteed to be ATS friendly.
As we step into 2024, the job market is set to become more competitive, and understanding how to navigate ATS is crucial. By staying informed about the latest trends in optimization, you can increase your chances of making it through the digital gatekeepers and securing the opportunities you deserve. Remember, it’s not just about impressing humans anymore; it’s about impressing the algorithms first.
If you want a way to shortcut your resume to success, use Hardly’s free resume builder. In a few minutes, you’ll have a show-stopping resume that is ready for any ATS. You can also check out our recent article on resume writing tips here.
Share on Linkedin
Check out our other articles:
How a Job Application Tracker Can Speed Up Your Job Hunt
11 Jun 2024
No Comments
A job application tracker keeps you focused, boosts accountability, enhances motivation, and expands your networking opportunities.
How to Maintain Confidence During Your Job Search
20 Mar 2024
No Comments
Job searching can often be, well, soul-crushing 😣. Maintaining confidence during a job search is challenging, but it is also crucial for success. Next time you need a boost, consider these strategies:
Want a Promotion? Ditch These Bad Working Habits in 2024
18 Jan 2024
No Comments
Most of us are our absolute best work selves when we start a new job. Our boss says “jump,” we say “how high.” We show up early, over-prepared, and volunteer for every opportunity for growth. Then a couple of weeks or months go by and naturally as we get more comfortable a few bad habits tend to rear their ugly heads.
A career coach is there to help you figure out what you want to do, explore opportunities for professional growth, and support you through a job search. But… It takes time and money to hire a career coach, so you should do your homework to figure out if working with one will help you reach your career goals. And if a career coach is for you, what kind of coach will be the best? Here are five reasons you might consider hiring one.
It's hard to know what to do next.
When family or friends try to help narrow down your choices, their advice may not always reflect what resonates with you; it may be based on what you’ve done in the past or what’s the “easiest” career or job. Your coach can help you consider career and job options that are different from what you’ve done previously or that you hadn’t considered.
You had a bad experience at another job
If you have or have had a job that caused you anger, sadness, or anxiety, you may be trying to move on from that experience. A lot of people think the next job will fix their negative attitudes, but it doesn’t work like that. A career coach can help you move past those repeated unpleasant experiences and review your assumptions, which may not only impact your job search but also your daily motivation and family life.
If you are unsure that you should leave your job, check out our article on 10 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Job
Creating a simple, yet substantive resume is challenging.
To qualify for a job at the level advertised, resumes must demonstrate the correct skills and abilities. It’s important to position your skills in the context of a potential role – particularly transferable skills that don’t match perfectly with the job description. Despite how great an accomplishment may be, not every accomplishment belongs on a resume. By focusing your resume and LinkedIn into one message, a career coach can help you better position yourself. This will help you attract recruiters’ attention by determining which experiences are relevant to the job for which you are applying.
If you want a quick fix that isn’t as thorough, look for tools like Enhancv— which will automatically scan your resume and suggest updates.
Interviews have gone well, but you haven't landed the job.
Not making it past the recruiter screen? You may need assistance when it comes to connecting your experience to each job. Otherwise, you may continue to make it to the next round but you won’t get past the hiring manager. Practicing with a career coach will help you polish your executive presence, answer common questions, and prepare you for interviews.
You’re not moving up in your career.
A career coach isn’t just for finding a job. There are lots of coaches around who can help you figure out why you’re not advancing. You can work with a coach to conduct an objective evaluation or review your performance feedback to determine which behavior you should change to move ahead in your career.
Hardly gives you free tools to answer your big career questions.
Career coaches can be extremely helpful, but that one-on-one time comes at a cost. Before you take the leap and pay, test the waters with our interactive quizzes and forum-style career coaching. That way, if you do choose to meet with one of our career coaches, you’ll have your motivations, priorities, and career path ready to be discussed.
How a Job Application Tracker Can Speed Up Your Job Hunt
11 Jun 2024
No Comments
A job application tracker keeps you focused, boosts accountability, enhances motivation, and expands your networking opportunities.
How to Maintain Confidence During Your Job Search
20 Mar 2024
No Comments
Job searching can often be, well, soul-crushing 😣. Maintaining confidence during a job search is challenging, but it is also crucial for success. Next time you need a boost, consider these strategies:
Want a Promotion? Ditch These Bad Working Habits in 2024
18 Jan 2024
No Comments
Most of us are our absolute best work selves when we start a new job. Our boss says “jump,” we say “how high.” We show up early, over-prepared, and volunteer for every opportunity for growth. Then a couple of weeks or months go by and naturally as we get more comfortable a few bad habits tend to rear their ugly heads.
Top 10 Fast-Growing Careers with Salaries above $100K
13 Jan 2024
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Want to pursue a lucrative career in 2023? There is a good chance that you will be hired if you pursue any of these 10 careers— all of which pay over $100,000. These are the fast-growing careers where hiring is most urgent and growth is most rapid.
Nailing Your Tech Resume: A Guide to Standing Out
10 Jan 2024
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Get ready to give your tech resume a winning edge! This guide breaks down the essentials for creating a standout tech resume. From spotlighting your tech skills to tailoring your application for each job, we’ve got the insider tips you need.
Navigate Your Future: ATS-Optimize Your Resume for 2024
13 Dec 2023
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In 2024, optimize your resume for ATS success with strategic keyword use, clean formatting, and tailored content to stand out in the digital job market.
We’ve all been there. When Sunday evening rolls around and you suddenly feel your eyes rolling back in your head. The dread of going to an unfulfilling job is something that makes us all feel isolated and unified, simultaneously. But in the world of the great resignation, you have choices! It’s never been better to be on the hunt for a new job, or even a new career. That’s why we have some handy questions that you can ask yourself to find out if it’s time to say “sayonara” and look to new horizons.
Sign #10: You've been asking for a promotion... for years...
You may love your company, so it’s time that you hear some tough love. If you’ve been talking to your manager for years about a promotion or a change of role within the company, you are not getting it. In their mind, you are glued to a specific type of position and they will never see you differently. If you are certain it is time for a change, you’ll be more likely to get it somewhere else.
Sign #9: All your work BFFs have already left
Once upon a time, you were surrounded by an amazing group of friends at work, every day. Slowly, those have trickled away finding jobs somewhere else. The new coworkers? They are fine, but you know how work used to be.
You’ll always be comparing your current coworkers to your former work-BFFs. Always. And no one deserves to live in the past like that. It’s time to update your resume, and get going. Plus, doesn’t it mean something if everyone is leaving? If you need a way to track your happiness at work, check out our article on Career Journaling for Success.
Sign #8: You aren't learning anything
Nothing sucks your soul out like stagnation. If you don’t feel challenged on a regular basis, or you feel like you are a hamster on a wheel going nowhere, it’s time to ask for reassignment or a new challenge. If management doesn’t listen to you, then it’s time to leave your job.
Sign #7: You don't believe in the mission of your company
Of course, everyone relates differently to their company’s mission, and this is more important to some people than others. But for most professionals, their values need to align with their company. A mission represents where company leadership steers to in the future, and you want to be moving forward on the same road, right?
Want to see if your values align with your organization? Try our free quiz here.
Sign #6: You are overworked, tired, and relief isn't coming anytime soon
This one makes me tired just thinking about it… For years, I was stretched so thin that I couldn’t breathe. Some days I had to hold my pee for hours because there wasn’t time to run to the restroom between meetings. Don’t wait until you burn out like I did. It took me a solid year of depression to drag myself out of the rut I put myself in. If you are overworked, you’ve expressed how little time you have to your manager, and patiently waited for them to do something about it, NEWS ALERT: they aren’t. And it will probably take you leaving for them to realize how much was on your plate. If you are a manager, check out our other blog post on improving employees’ wellbeing.
Sign #5: Company management has unnecessary rules
Some rules are put in place just to express power. If you’ve ever been chastised for breaking a rule that shouldn’t exist in the first place, consider what other unnecessary tasks they have you doing without your awareness. For example, no one should be controlling your free time. If your company has a rule that you can’t leave during your lunch break or you can’t watch funny youtube videos while eating lunch at your desk, time to leave your job. You’d rather roll-out than get controlled-out.
Sign #4: Your new manager is your arch-nemesis
I think everyone has a story like this. You’ve spent a few wonderful years at a company and maybe even outlasted a few of your managers. Company leadership didn’t loop you in at all when they interviewed your new manager, and lo and behold, your new manager is a Karen. Not just a Karen, but a controlling, micro-managing Karen who makes your skin crawl when you see them.
You’ve paid your dues there and if they didn’t feel like they should loop you in on the new hire, they obviously don’t respect you or your contribution to the company. Time to leave your job.
Sign #3: You are passionate about your job, but no one else is
You show up every day energetic and with fresh ideas, and you tackle every challenge with your full heart. You don’t understand why everyone else is dragging their feet or not as excited as you.
This is a sign you are too good for your company. Passion is priceless! Your determination should not be wasted on others that don’t see the value you bring. Leave your job, and don’t look back
Sign #2: You don't trust management to have your back
Speaking of not looking back… Your manager is RIGHT BEHIND YOU.
Just kidding. They aren’t (at least we don’t think so).
But seriously, you spend 33% or more of your time at work. If you don’t trust your manager or company leadership to take care of you behind closed doors, that’s a sign that you should leave your job for better opportunities. At the end of the day, you need to look out for yourself, but it’s best if you can trust that your boss isn’t going to screw you over.
Sign #1: You’ve given feedback and no one is acting on it
We put this at Number 1, because this is sadly what we hear all the time. You filled out a survey, expressing your feedback to management. You also told them the same feedback at your yearly review. And maybe you’ve mentioned it to others at the holiday party. Every time you express your feedback, you are met with nodding heads and complete agreement, yet no one is doing anything about it.
Leaving in these circumstances can be the most freeing! You’ve tried your best, and that is all you can do. Take your great ideas to another company that aligns to your vision of the future, or better yet, create the company you want. Because if the past couple of years has shown us anything, it’s that you have no time to waste on someone else’s bulls*&#.
In the 21st century, “work-life balance” has become a buzz word. ADP states “the term was first introduced in the 1970s and 80s as stressed baby boomers strove to achieve a balance between career, family and other areas of their lives.” Now, work-life balance is promoted as the antidote to burnout. Taking vacation days and leaving work at work used to be a sign of this balance but now, with flexible hours, remote offices, and more opportunities to work in a field one is passionate about, it can be hard to define what work-life balance looks like for each of us. It can be even harder to determine if we are achieving it. While Hardly acknowledges there are a variety of work to life ratios that feel healthy depending on your work personality, here is a list of common barriers to attaining the balance you are looking for:
24/7 access
Regardless of what your work style is, giving colleagues and clients 24/7 access to you can make it impossible to create work-life balance. The scary thing is, most of us don’t even realize we are doing this. While I love the creation of smartphones, one of the huge downfalls is that my work email and slack are always attached to me. I could be at dinner with the family or on a weekend trip with my friends and I still feel the pressure to keep tabs on work because notifications are flying in. Now if you are a person who likes to work on the go, having your work email on your phone might be a godsend, but that doesn’t mean you have to be available all of the time. Instead, make a habit of turning off your notifications for at least part of the day and creating a 48 hour reply rule so that others don’t expect you to be on demand all of the time.
Priorities & planning
Intimately tied to setting access boundaries, understanding that most things are not urgent is crucial to maintaining work-life balance. Setting priorities and having a plan for executing them will help you keep your boundaries consistent. If your goal is to never work past 5pm, you have to be able to determine tasks for the next 24 hours versus what can wait until the next morning. This way you are confident in your decision to stay offline. Similarly, effective weekly planning will help your boss and colleagues feel comfortable not contacting you while on vacation. It is when they feel out of the loop that panic arises and we are unable to detach.
Job insecurity
This next one is more of a mindset rather than a clear obstacle. Either consciously or unconsciously many of us identify work as our primary source of value. If we earn a high salary or work for a prestigious company it in part identifies us and our accomplishments. While understandable, thinking you are your job can be hugely detrimental to work-life balance. Even if work is not attached to your identity, 99% of us need a job to have financial security. If your job feels like it is all you have, you will live in fear of jeopardizing it. So when your boss asks you to take on more, your natural reaction is to say yes without question. Next thing you know, friends, family, hobbies, and mental health can all fall to the wayside. Combat this by keeping your resume and cover letter updated, networking, and knowing your capabilities. Have confidence in your ability to get another job and that your life is full outside of work to prevent your boundaries from being bulldozed.
Company culture
Another prominent boundary to achieving work-life balance is your company’s culture. While many companies now boast ideals that support employee mental health and encourage time away from work, the reality can look very different. Many times, our bosses and colleagues set the tone for expectations at work so if they aren’t taking a break, we aren’t either. Similarly, if we see that others are praised for staying late or working on weekends, we are likely to follow suit. While we don’t have control over other people’s habits, we can seek out environments where our style of work-life balance is encouraged and at the very least have a candid conversation with our superiors about how our desired balance can be supported.
Not knowing what to do
Lastly, one of the largest barriers to work-life balance is 100% in your control: not knowing what to do outside of work. It is hard to justify time away from your desk when life outside of work lacks purpose or excitement. As adults we often forget the value of having hobbies that don’t bring in money or we aren’t excelling at. Not everything has to be a side hustle for it to be important. Spending time with friends, family (pets included), and nurturing interests outside of work makes you a whole person. Valuing your home life will help you respect it and make work-life balance a priority.
How a Job Application Tracker Can Speed Up Your Job Hunt
11 Jun 2024
A job application tracker keeps you focused, boosts accountability, enhances motivation, and expands your networking opportunities.
How to Maintain Confidence During Your Job Search
20 Mar 2024
Job searching can often be, well, soul-crushing 😣. Maintaining confidence during a job search is challenging, but it is also crucial for success. Next time you need a boost, consider these strategies:
Want a Promotion? Ditch These Bad Working Habits in 2024
18 Jan 2024
Most of us are our absolute best work selves when we start a new job. Our boss says “jump,” we say “how high.” We show up early, over-prepared, and volunteer for every opportunity for growth. Then a couple of weeks or months go by and naturally as we get more comfortable a few bad habits tend to rear their ugly heads.
If you’re anything like me, the hardest part about applying for a new job is writing a cover letter and preparing for an interview. It’s not the writing or the talking per se, but trying to remember the crucial aspects of my work experience. When it comes time for my yearly review, I sometimes struggle to come up with my successes, professional goals, or what I would have done differently.
The good news is there’s a solution: career journaling.
A career journal is not simply a diary about work. While documenting office gossip might be entertaining, the point of a career journal is to keep track of your good ideas, contributions to projects, and expectations. For this reason, many find career journals to be the least expensive and easiest form of career development. Hardly recently rolled out a new feature on our app: the Time Capsule, which makes career journaling easier than ever. Below are some tips on how to use it to your advantage.
STAR stories
One of the most important aspects of a career journal is logging your STAR stories. The Muse states that the STAR method is used for behavioral interview questions. These are questions that usually start with “tell me about a time when…” or “what do you do when…” and center around how you handled a situation in the past. Often answering these questions on the spot can result in rambling or a tangent that misses the mark. The STAR method enables you to answer these questions in a compelling and clear way so that your story hits the nail on the head. So what does STAR stand for?
Situation: Start with a situation. Here your goal is to set the scene and give just enough details so that the interviewer can paint a picture in their mind.
Task: Second, discuss what your role or responsibility was in the situation you just described.
Action: Third, it’s time to shine. Talk about how you reacted and give a play-by-play of how you addressed the situation.
Result: Share what your actions achieved. This will wrap up your story in a perfect bow and drive home the point you are trying to make.
This method will make your answers to these questions focused and signal to the interviewer your thoughts are well-organized which helps you come off prepared and polished. By journaling these stories in this format you will become intimately familiar with them. The more familiar you are, the more confident you will become telling them. Not only do STAR stories help you prepare for interview questions and yearly reviews, but they also keep you positive about your progress. Sometimes it is hard to recognize our strengths daily or remember times when we really nailed it. Reflecting on these wins can provide a morale boost when the going gets tough. I promise, writing and reviewing these stellar stories is the key success.
Lessons learned
The next set of items you should keep in your journal are lessons you’ve learned. This is a place where you can dive into opportunities for improvement or take note of why you excelled. Lessons can be learned in a variety of work areas from technical aspects of the job to relational ones. They can come from both positive and and negative experiences. Taking the time to analyze the “why” of successes and failures can provide a playbook for acing the task every time and help you avoid repeating mistakes in the future. The less time you spend relearning lessons, the more you can set yourself up for greater professional success.
#GOALS
We all know keeping track of our professional goals is important, but do we actually do it? Probably not as frequently as we should. Many of us are encouraged to write smart goals right around our yearly review but other than that, we have little idea if we are getting closer to where we want to be or staying stagnant. Maintaining a career journal can jolt us into thinking more broadly about our careers. So often we can get sidetracked or fall into what is comfortable instead of pushing ourselves. Many of us also get weighed down in the minutia and can’t remember our purpose for work.
Goal setting can help increase our intrinsic motivation and prevent burnout. By journaling, you can connect the work you are doing now to what you want to do in the future. An article referencing Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky states that spending 20 minutes a day writing a narrative description of your best possible future self can help cultivate optimism and an overall sense of happiness. Journaling your goals will not only document where you want to go, but how you are going to get there. This is hugely helpful when looking for a new job position and thinking about whether the position you are applying for will propel you forward or not.
Good advice & good ideas
My husband always talks about how midshipmen at the Naval Academy are taught to keep a reflective journal noting the words and actions they like and dislike of officers. The purpose of this is to encourage those in training to become the officers they would want to be led by. Similarly, your career journal can serve as a place to keep wise words of mentors and good ideas of your own. Being able to remember the valuable advice of a boss or colleague is priceless. Referencing their words can serve as inspiration and even be passed on to a mentee of your own someday.
Additionally, there is nothing worse than racking your brain trying to recall the great idea you had when you need it most. Your career journal is a convenient way to keep track of solutions that come to mind as you lay in bed and share them with your boss or team the next day.
Our time capsule
On the Hardly app, you can easily document all of the above as well as your experience at work. The Hardly career Time Capsule allows you to organize and search your work stories so that they are easy to access for interviews and yearly reviews. It also allows you to flag certain entries to be emailed to you in the future so you can gain perspective on how far you’ve come in your career journey. Lastly, the Time Capsule will take your career journaling to the next level by serving as a more personal place for you to reflect on your work-life balance, reflect on what’s going right in your career, and vent about your current workplace frustrations. Documenting your work experiences can actually be a great form of self-care and reduce stress according to the HECEC at Cornell University.
Let us know what other functions you would find helpful as a part of your career journaling toolkit and try our Time Capsule out for yourself at app.hardly-work.com.
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Most of us are our absolute best work selves when we start a new job. Our boss says “jump,” we say “how high.” We show up early, over-prepared, and volunteer for every opportunity for growth. Then a couple of weeks or months go by and naturally as we get more comfortable a few bad habits tend to rear their ugly heads.
When I interviewed for my first job at a market research firm in D.C., I distinctly remember them asking questions around ‘culture fit.’ My future boss asked me to take a personality test, while the HR manager asked which values I shared with the company. I later found out that my boss and I were both ENFJs, and the Vice President of HR said she felt like I would be a great fit for that team and the office. Everyone on the team, including my boss and the HR Manager, was a Caucasian female who seemed to have a direct but friendly demeanor. They all enjoyed team lunches and happy hours outside of work but also worked overtime and felt the need to go above and beyond. My only difference was that I am Black. We were a culture fit and 90% of the time we worked well together.
Recently, there has been an uptick in articles exploring the ways in which ‘culture fit’ actually perpetuates bias in the workplace. The worry is that in industries that are struggling to diversify, searching for candidates who fit the current culture leads to more of the same: i.e. white men. But I’m curious, is there an inherent problem with the idea of ‘culture fit,’ or just the implementation of it? If so, how can we improve and change the narrative?
Perpetuating biases
According to Jeremy Turpen, executive recruiter in Silicon Valley, ‘culture fit’ creates a clan mentality where hiring managers only seek out their own kind. This mentality focuses on nurturing the already existing tribe and therefore fails to bring in diverse people. He finds this evident in how hiring managers have been trained to scan for ivy league schools and markers of privilege. Even if you are a diverse person who makes it through this initial scan, you can be weeded out during the interviewing process if you aren’t able to quickly create rapport with the interviewer over shared experiences.
The Intercept highlights this particular kind of situation in an article about a Black woman who applied for a position at Facebook. Even though she was exceptionally qualified, she was passed over for the job and the company told her they were looking for a strong ‘culture fit.’ In the article, she adds that she felt the company did not prioritize her application and that the only other Black person she saw at Facebook was the receptionist.
In a Medium article, Stephanie Barnes goes so far as to say “Culture Fits Only” is the Jim Crow 2.0 “Whites Only” sign. She states that ‘culture fit’ has been a way for companies to hide racism. But race is not the only basis on which ‘culture fit’ potentially discriminates. It can also perpetuate sexism, homophobia, ageism, ableism, and more. This twisted version of culture fit becomes clear when hiring managers state that the candidate had the right skills or had great references, but they just wouldn’t fit with the team. When asked to elaborate, they can’t come up with a clear answer as to why they don’t match the company culture, it’s just kind of a feeling.
An alternative viewpoint
These articles are clear examples of how ‘culture fit’ has been distorted. But could it be used effectively to weed people in rather than weeding people out? ‘Culture fit’ often brings up ideas around being of the same ethnic culture, socioeconomic status, personality type. Overall, people think of it as hiring who you’d want to grab a beer with. However, this definition is skewed because it focuses on individual cultural values rather than company ones.
Fortunately, the articles mentioned above provide some hope by illuminating a similarity in companies that use culture fit inappropriately. Most of these organizations don’t have defined values. When companies do not define their culture clearly, they risk perpetuating a homogenized culture. In other words, if recruiters aren’t clear on company culture, they revert to their personal culture to find a match.
As Stephanie Barnes states, “the purpose of company culture is to ensure that everyone is on the same page in terms of mission, values, goals, attitudes and practices in an organization.”
What if instead of asking themselves “do they look like me or have the same college experience as me?” hiring managers asked “does this person thrive in a company that encourages outside-the-box thinking or an entrepreneurial spirit?” Effective culture fit is about helping candidates decipher if this company will help them flourish based on the work-related values.
The alternative is that companies solely hire based on skills. What happens when company culture is implicit rather than explicit? If you’re very capable and hardworking but prefer structure and instruction, will you excel with a hands-off managerial style? Plenty of companies pride themselves on hosting quarterly company outings and offering unlimited vacation. But if you prefer educational stipends and performance bonuses, will you stay there for long?
Hardly’s social impact
What if ‘culture fit’ was not only neutral, but actually worked against prejudiced hiring practices? Hardly stands firmly against homogenization in the workplace and strives to promote diverse perspectives and inclusion. The difference is, we believe ‘culture fit’ could help us in the fight against perpetuating bias in the workplace.
Hardly’s platform uses blind hiring practices until after the candidate and company match. While we are still figuring out the balance between hiding too much or too little, the goal is for employers and employees to match without revealing factors such as age, race, gender and even which university you attended, which often lead to bias hiring. Unlike LinkedIn which requires a picture of oneself, Hardly allows users to express themselves in a more robust way. Instead of focusing on ones background, user profiles showcase their future. The platform utilizes assessments to analyze work-related values. Values link to organizational structure preferences, management styles, priorities, and more. This ultimately helps candidates and companies select one another based on complementary factors. The goal is for them to align on values, goals, and expectations rather than on superficial markers.
There’s one more factor that differentiates Hardly’s use of culture fit from companies who select only like-minded people. We help hiring managers focus on who is complementary rather than the same. While we do believe candidates and companies should share overarching values and goals, differences can be advantageous. That is part of being the right fit too! For example, it’s important to balance out risk-takers with risk-averse individuals in an organization. If you lean too much in one direction it could cause problems. It’s better to have both.
Conclusion
Let us know what information you would want disclosed or hidden, and how you think companies can fight workplace bias. We invite you to tell us stories of how the hiring process has included or excluded you in the past. As always, your feedback is an important part of our growth and development!
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Last month, we talked a lot about motivation: What type of motivators there are, how companies can keep employees engaged, and what works best for you. We quickly realized understanding motivators is only part of the equation when it comes to finding a company that fits your individual values. Another important aspect that determines whether or not you’ve found your match is your definition of work-life balance. In other words, do you like your work and personal life to bleed together or be kept separate? Lastly, there is the matter of organizational culture. Do you lean towards an individualistic model of management or a collective one? These three aspects combined make up one’s work-life values.
Recently, Hardly’s consumer insights have pointed towards four different work-life value profiles. Based on consumer research, we found many people fall into one of the following categories with slight variations based on where they are in their career trajectory:
The Discoverer or Trailblazer
If your work is also your passion, you are probably in this category. Discoverers and Trailblazers think outside the box and want to be on the cutting edge of their field. They find themselves motivated at work simply because of internal desires. They love the challenge without a need for additional rewards. Therefore, they allow their work to permeate throughout their lives. While everyone needs money to live, these curious employees are more concerned with whether their work is engaging and purposeful.
Visually, their work-life balance is like a swirl with work and play mixed together. You might find discoverers and trailblazers talking about work with their friends over dinner or reading articles on the topic just for fun. As one survey participant described, work-life balance is “being self-employed, having a daily blend of life and project work.” Others might burn out from a lack of delineation, but members of this group are energized by this style of work.
Discoverers and Trailblazers fit best with a company culture that values adaptability and agility over rules and tradition. Given the freedom to try new things, they love to be a force of change for the greater good. They prefer to be given more freedom and flexibility to make changes as they see fit. When their boss offers them the opportunity to do things differently, they thrive.
This work-life style’s favorite perk is flexible dress codes, business travel, and employee outings so they can continue to blend work and play.
So what’s the difference? Discoverers are still novices. They like to try new things but aren’t necessarily leading the pack with their new ideas. Trailblazers are a bit more seasoned and are innovating at a higher level and willing to take more risks to make their vision a reality.
The Apprentice or Captain
This group holds the most “traditional” work-life values. Apprentices and Captains are happy to pay their dues in the beginning and earn the benefits that come with being at the top. Their motto is “work hard, play hard.” They separate their personal life from their professional one, believing turning their passion into a paycheck would ruin it. Apprentices and Captains believe structure and clear expectations are required to be productive. They value efficiency and are more inclined to push themselves when stimulated by external benefits, rewards, praise, and above all, respect. Having their hard work acknowledged by other people and/or in exchange for something quantifiable sustains their engagement.
They value giving their all to their job when they are present. Then, checking out completely when it’s time to enjoy friends, family, and hobbies. As one participant stated, work-life balance is when “work stays as work, and my time off is respected.”
Apprentices and Captains fit best with a company culture that respects level of rank and responsibility. They value a chain of command and specific processes. Apprentices and Captains prefer organizational cultures that care less about face time or hours online and more about accomplishing tasks. In addition, praise from the boss goes a long way. The best perks to entice this group are early Fridays, milestone gifts, and performance bonuses.
The difference between the two is that Apprentices are still at the bottom of the totem pole but are eager to climb the corporate ladder. Captains have already worked their way up and are role models for those they manage. To the Apprentice, a Captain’s success represents a promise that hard work pays off in the long run.
The Collaborator or Mentor
Collaborators and Mentors are a bit more nuanced. They are motivated by outside forces, but they don’t mind if their personal and professional lives become intertwined. A survey participant nailed this idea when saying, “[work life balance is…] enough sleep, eating healthy, time to workout/hobbies, but paid enough.” Their balance comes from their sense of duty to others and being able to complete personal tasks throughout the day alongside work.
Collaborators and Mentors don’t mind answering emails on the weekends or entertaining clients in the evening. But, their high level of productivity is dependent on others acknowledging their accomplishments. In addition, they like to pursue goals as a team rather than individually. Their motto is usually “we win together, and lose together!”
Collaborators and Mentors match well with a company culture that functions like a large family or tribe. They love to be surrounded by like-minds and want to make sure there is consensus among colleagues before moving forward with new ideas. Believing each person is a valuable member of the team, they don’t want to feel like they are competing against their coworkers. They flourish at a company where getting to know one another holistically is encouraged and rewards are intertwined with collaboration and socializing outside of work. Their favorite perks are wellness programs, free social outings after work (hello, trivia night), and employee discounts on everything from gym memberships to meals.
Earlier in their career, Collaborators work well with those at the same level as them. On the other hand, Mentors are more focused on facilitating interdisciplinary work across the company. They lead their teams while fostering open dialogue amongst employees of all ranks. Many times, Mentors are protective of their younger Collaborators and invest a lot of time in nurturing their growth.
The Striver or Challenger
Strivers and Challengers are highly motivated by internal feelings of autonomy, mastery, and connection to their projects. However, they still value separation of church and state (metaphorically). Feelings of accomplishment and purpose at work drive intrinsic separators, and they like to detach from work and experience these same feelings from friends, family, and hobbies.
Their work provides a great amount of fulfillment in their lives, but it is not everything. They are at their best when they can compartmentalize the two as they see fit. As one participant stated, “my ideal work-life balance would be the ability to have a complete disconnect between work and personal life. I’m fine with talking shop outside office hours with other folks, but I want to be able to control when and where.” Strivers and Challengers are most productive when they are able to dive deeper into their specific interests and have a designated workspace to concentrate.
People in this camp fit best with companies that foster a bit of competition. Strivers and Challengers are very self-motivated and prefer to work for organizations that focus on achievement at an individual level. They typically have tunnel vision when working on a project and hold themselves to a high standard. In addition, they want to work for companies that stress individual accountability and self-promotion. They appreciate it when their boss offers them a challenging assignment and respects their free time. This work-life value profile’s favorite perks are professional development stipends, unlimited vacation time, and stock options. They also value companies that promote employees based on individual performance.
While both prefer working solo, Strivers are still trying to prove their individual value to a company whereas Challengers have most likely either reached the top where they get to call the shots or have gone out on their own. For example, Challengers make excellent solo-consultants, writers, artists, etc. Basically, the more they can tie their own work to their success, the better. Both tend to be successful at entrepreneurial endeavors due to their ambition and intrinsic motivation.
Conclusion
These four work-life value profiles are trending but are not yet set in stone. We would love your input to get a better idea of what other buckets exist and which work-life values are most popular. Click here to check out our app and take the survey to find out which work-life value you’re most aligned with. We look forward to incorporating your answers!
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How to motivate employees and keep them engaged is a question management teams continue to ask themselves. Long gone are the days when Joe joined the firm right after graduation, was promised a pension in exchange for loyalty, and stayed for 20+ years at the same company. Now, the reality is searching for jobs has become more like a dating game. It’s not enough for a job to offer a livable salary and standard medical benefits. Employees ask themselves whether the brand matches their values, what the company culture is like, and how the organization will contribute to their personal and professional growth.
However, figuring out the best practices to motivate employees isn’t just about getting the best talent to choose your company over others. A Forbes article states highly-engaged teams are on average 21% more profitable and have 59% less turnover. Earlier this month, we explored how employees could motivate themselves intrinsically and extrinsically. Here are some tips on how companies can motivate employees by celebrating milestones effectively.
Make sure the connection is clear
While my motto has always been the more celebrations the better, the event must be linked to a specific achievement or mission in a work setting. It’s like when you tell children, “Good job!” without telling them what it is for. They don’t know which behavior to repeat. So, it’s mucho importante to make sure whether it is a gift, party, or pat on the back, you provide a clear explanation to go along with it.
Secondly, when celebrating an individual, team, or everyone in the organization, connect the dots to how their actions fulfill the mission. Oftentimes in the daily grind, we lose sight of the big picture, but zooming out reminds employees why they do what they do. By mixing the extrinsic motivation with intrinsic feelings of being part of a greater purpose, you keep your employees doubly engaged.
Celebrate personal milestones
Another way to motivate employees is to show you see them as whole people, not just workers. The best way to do this is to celebrate personal milestones.
Try congratulating them on anniversaries, baby showers, and accomplishments related to their hobbies. One time at work, my boss took the team out for lunch to celebrate a colleague who had just run a marathon. Doing this shows your employees they are valued and cared for in more ways than one. Additionally, well-rounded employees who have a healthy work-life balance are less likely to burn out, break down, or quit. Celebrating non-work-related achievements, even in small ways, is a great way to encourage this balance and implement a company-wide “life first” policy.
Don’t go big or go home
As a manager, you might feel overwhelmed by the idea of having to make a grand gesture every time a team member does something celebration-worthy. However, when it comes to motivating employees, the level of thoughtfulness is more important than the level of extravagance.
Something as simple as buying an employee’s favorite breakfast sandwich and leaving it on his or her desk with a note goes a long way. Want to celebrate the whole team but don’t have the budget for an office party? Give them an early Friday as a way to say thank you for their hard work.
Encourage colleagues to celebrate one another
Remember, as a manager, it’s not all on you. The best strategy to motivate employees is to create a company culture of gratitude. By encouraging employees to celebrate their colleagues’ hard work and achievements, appreciation becomes woven into the fabric of the company. This creates a breeding ground for productivity, high performance, and loyalty. Just like in the Olympics, many athletes give it their all for their teammates. What drives them is not wanting to disappoint one another. They encourage one another to be their personal best.
While these tips are sure to motivate employees to continue doing great work, there is a bonus. Celebrations offer an opportunity for colleagues to connect in new ways and even become friends. In a recent meeting, a leader at Hardly expressed that one of the keys to having a happy and healthy work-life was comradery within the company. So remember, colleagues that play together, stay together!
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In elementary school, I planted trees; cleaned up the beach; and made recycle, reduce, and reuse posters every Earth Day. After a month of learning about “going green” and estimating our own carbon footprint, I remember telling my parents they couldn’t purchase an SUV, and we needed to stop using plastic straws and be more sustainable.
Since then, my environmental awareness has taken a nosedive. However, this spring, I have been thinking about whether remote work supports sustainable living. Are we all sustainable superheroes now that we don’t commute in our pollution producing cars? Or, have we become extra energy consumers working from home?
From one office to thousands
While the future of work is unknown, we can all agree that going back to a commute would be tough. Eliminating daily commutes to work in gas guzzling cars is a major point for the affirmative side. No commute means better air quality, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and less consumption of fossil fuels. Sounds like sustainable living to me!
Highway vehicles alone put out almost 35% of the total nitrogen dioxide and contribute to the 3.3 million world-wide deaths due to poor air quality every year. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the USA came from transportation in 2017. Conversely, remote workers in the United States avoid emitting 3.6 million tons of greenhouse gasses every year, which is the equivalent of planting 91 million trees.
Sustainable living in a singular office
While getting to one office might have had a negative impact, working in one might have been positive. Companies were making huge efforts to reduce their carbon footprint before the pandemic. Fast Company shared how Shopify launched a sustainability fund in 2019, committing to invest at least $5 million every year into technology and projects to fight climate change. Since then, they have offered remote work to all of their employees indefinitely.
Whereas before they could control their sustainability by making environmentally friendly choices for one massive building, they are now dealing with “more than 5,000 offices scattered around the globe. All these offices have different heating systems, different energy grids, and each employee making different decisions now that they’re untethered from a central office.” Therefore, sustainability is not only less controllable but also less trackable. Without clear data, the jury is still out on which is better for the planet.
Different region, different impact
In addition to the inability to track everyone’s home energy usage, where you live and work complicates the questions of whether working from home is having a positive or negative effect on sustainable living. BBC brings up two important factors.
The first factor is workers in other countries, such as Norway, were using electric vehicles at high rates. Therefore, the lack of a commute is far less impactful there than in other countries that are highly reliant on petroleum, including the US and UK. In other words, sustainable living practices were already in place.
Additionally, cities where public transportation is used at large to get to and from work might not see any major changes in energy consumed since buses, trains, and metros are still running.
Where you derive your energy matters
Secondly, where your energy comes from plays a role in determining whether working from home positively contributes to sustainable living. For example, if you live in Iceland (where a significant amount of clean geothermal energy powers commercial buildings), virtual work is not scoring you many brownie points. Conversely, if you live in a U.S. city where coal power is the main source of commercial electricity but many homes have solar power, remote work could have a positive impact.
Similarly, the temperature varies greatly across the U.S. and the globe. In places like Florida where the heat is treacherous, fossil fuels are pumping from every home all day and required in large office spaces. Therefore, cutting out the cooling of big buildings could be beneficial. Versus if you live in San Francisco where the weather is mostly mild, heating or cooling systems might be turned off when leaving the house so the change is negligible.
Small habits or big changes
Do the small habits of individuals or the big changes at the corporate level make the difference? I don’t have the answer, but here is some food for thought:
Let’s take the use of paper and plastic. I don’t know about you, but I print various things when I’m at work, using someone else’s printer. Every time there is a meeting, we receive a paper agenda, which everyone throws in the trash on their way out, and a paper copy of the Powerpoint presentation (even though it was emailed to everyone the night before). But, when working remotely, I let the digital version suffice. Who wants to pay for all of that paper and ink?
On the other side of the coin, I see plastic Starbucks cups on everyone’s desk at the office, a product of getting their morning vice on the way to work. Yet, my guess is most drink the energizer from a reusable mug when working from home.
Also, what about the lights? In my apartment, I get great natural light all day so I don’t use much electricity, while my office is required to power overhead lights from 7am to 5pm.
More Sustainable? The takeway
Not everyone is environmentally conscious. Therefore, minor habits might not hold a candle to the millions of dollars that corporations can put into environmental efforts. For example, Zapier offset 647 tonnes of carbon through reforestation and Microsoft charges an internal fine of $15 per metric ton of carbon emission to encourage its departments to be as sustainable as possible.
At Hardly, we are striving to be environmentally conscious on all fronts. From our commitment to the sustainable packaging of products to our CEO’s use of S’well bottles, Hardly is making sure we do our part as a company of remote workers. Are you doing yours?
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