Are We Still Talking About Remote Work Vs. Back-To-Office?

iStock | rfranca

The remote vs. back-in-the-office movements continue to be a tug-of-war between employers and employees. For jobseekers, the landscape can be confusing because there are no absolutes. Some companies require employees to be in the office again and some have given up and acquiesced to remote work demands. There are half-empty office buildings across the country and 25% of employees would rather switch jobs than go back to the office.

Meanwhile, many project the push-and-pull is over and by the end of 2024 you will either be in the office or out of a job. Is your dream of remote work over? Not necessarily; remote vs. back-to-the-office is still fluid. If you want to work for a giant tech company like Google or Meta, you’ll have to accept their drives to get workers back in the office and the strict monitoring to ensure the required participation. However, if working remotely is your number one priority, there are over 18,000 listings when you search “remote working” on LinkedIn.

At this stage, it’s fair to say that you can approach remote work on a case-by-case basis. Here are some things to think about if you’re considering remote work in the current labor market:

1. What kind of work do you do? The type of work you do impacts your remote opportunities and the likelihood you can find a position that’s fully remote or hybrid if that is an option you would explore. For example, if you’re in technology, then you may have a better shot at being fully or mostly remote. IT  traditionally had a very high percentage of remote workers before the pandemic so it logically follows that would remain the case. If you are in a field that lends itself to remote work there may not be an office to return to and if there is

2. How valuable are your skills? If you have a specialized skill set and are very good at what you do, you may be in such high demand that you have the leverage to take jobs on condition you would be allowed to work remotely regardless of whatever company policy is in effect. Proceed with caution and do your homework. Don’t let ego take over and assume you fall into this category. Do an honest self-assessment of how valuable you are to potential employers.

3. How committed are you to working remotely? If you are 100% committed to working remotely you need to be ready to accept its various trade-offs. As previously mentioned, there are thousands of remote jobs, but even in that large pool the one you really want may not be available unless you’re ready to hang your hat in a cubicle. If you are willing to compromise exactly what it is you do, your opportunities will expand. Conversely, due to personal circumstances, remote work may be the only kind of work you can do. For example, perhaps you have a young child, no support system, and do not have access to or resources for child care. Remote work may be a lifeline and your flexibility will open up more opportunities to you.

4. How ambitious are you?  The term “office politics” may have negative connotations to some, but the word “politics” is derived from the Greek polī́t, which means “citizen.” To be a citizen of an office means you are engaged in the operational functionality of a community and the best way to lead a community is to be an active part of it. If you work from home and your community is your two cats and a Chromebook, chances are you’re not going to be one on the top of the corporate ladder. If you’re ambitious and believe in “working your way up,” working remotely may not be your best course of action. Not being in the office compromises your visibility.

5. Are you willing to make less money to work remotely? One of the positive factors of working remotely is that your cost-of-living decreases through savings in fuel, lunches out, and potentially cheaper housing (depending on where you choose to live). In an era of spiking gas prices and inflation, that can be a powerful motivator. However, the opposite is true. If your company is based in Los Angeles but you’re working from North Dakota, your compensation will align with North Dakota instead of the ultra-expensive California.

6. Are you willing to pay to work remotely? Many companies now allow remote work but require periodic time in the office in exchange. For example, Smucker’s will trade two weeks of remote work for two weeks in the office. Some jobs may want you to be in the office just once or month or even a quarter, but travel and lodging to be there isn’t a company expense. If you need to fly from Fargo to Los Angeles once a month, are you willing to pay for your travel and lodging expenses to work remotely?

7. Do you want to be mentored? It’s hard to learn from other professionals if you’re on your laptop while doing house chores. Remote work is, by nature, isolationist. There is a reason pre-industrial society was based on a master and apprentice relationship. If you want to learn from professionals with more experience than you, you need to be in the same building with them. If you’re at the beginning of your career, a remote job may not be the best pathway to mastering a craft.

8. How entrepreneurial are you? If you want to be the master of your fate, there is no better way than starting your own business and being your boss. Negotiating a remote work schedule is much easier when you’re negotiating with yourself. If you have the chops, you can build a business that is designed to allow you to live and work from wherever you want. Good luck!

9. Nothing lasts forever. Even if you find a dream job that allows you to work remotely, keep in mind that company policies and circumstances can always change. One day you’re working remotely and the next you’re given an ultimatum to return to the office or risk termination. Be prepared for that contingency.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

To Test, Or Not To Test, In A Job Interview?

iStock | gorodenkoff

Testing applicants’ skills and knowledge during the job-seeking process has become a hot-button issue among job seekers and employers alike. Recently, a financial services employer posted on X an exchange between him and a young applicant; to be considered for an in-person interview, completing a financial modeling test would be required.

While the employer felt that having an applicant take a test to measure their qualifications was an unnecessary burden – their response: “This looks like a lot of work. Without knowing where I stand in the process, I’m not comfortable spending 90 minutes in Excel.” The employer countered with, “… well… I can tell you where you stand now.” The post produced a firestorm of responses. To the employer’s surprise, many people were on the applicant’s side.

The employer, the applicant, and those responding to the post all have credible positions. An employer has every right to require testing to find the best candidate and an applicant has every right to decline and move on. Let’s talk about testing during the job application process and the different ways it can be approached from both perspectives.

The first thing to ask is, “Who has the leverage?” Leverage swings back and forth between employers and applicants depending on the state of the job market. When applicants have the leverage, there is less of a chance they will be asked to jump over additional hurdles to get the position (or in the case above, even an interview). When employers have the leverage, they get picky and can afford to tighten the recruitment requirements.

There is no power equity between employers and job applicants, and the interview process is not symmetrical, meaning employers set the rules, and job seekers must follow those rules if they want the job. Testing is a recruitment requirement employers use as an extra level of insurance that their time and effort to find the right candidate will pay off. Tests can range from as simple as a couple of questions that must be answered to digitally submit a resume, up to highly complex (and intense) “whiteboard tests” or business proposals and presentations that applicants deliver during in-person interviews with a panel of decision-makers as an audience. The applicant must be willing to put in extra time and effort with no guarantee that they will advance in the process, and even risk being ghosted by the company to which they’ve applied, or they can expect to hear, “… well… I can tell you where you stand now.”

As a job seeker, your only power is to decide what makes sense to you. Your time and effort are valuable, especially if you are engaged in multiple job processes with multiple companies. In other words, employers can throw whatever testing requirements they want at you, but you have the right to move on. If you believe time-consuming testing isn’t in your best interests or you should be compensated for your time, cross that company off your list and focus on the next potential employer.

From the employer’s perspective, it’s reasonable to ask a potential employee to demonstrate their skills. On the other hand, in this digital age, recruitment efforts are no longer an internal matter. Every action a company takes can (and often does) end up online for public consumption. Employers requiring applicants to go the extra mile without even giving them the common courtesy of a notification of their status, it’s going to end up on Glassdoor, and savvy candidates that you may want will skip over you when they’re deciding where to apply. Ultimately, employers may want to consider that the time and effort of their applicants are just as important as theirs and offer compensation for people’s time and write it off as recruiting expense, or at least guarantee that applicants completing time-intensive testing are guaranteed an in-person interview to discuss the results of the test and hear their pitch for why they are the best candidate for the job.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Six Reasons To Be On Your Best Manners During Salary Negotiations

iStock | kentoh

It may seem self-evident to be collaborative during salary negotiations, but even the best of us can forget to be mindful of our attitude and behavior when the conversation turns to money. Everybody involved wants to get to “YES!” Then somebody mentions money and, somehow, reason and decorum are sacrificed. 

If you’re the interviewee (i.e., the one hoping to get the job), here is a quick hit list of reasons you should remember to act in good faith with extra special civility during salary negotiations. 

1. You’re not the one with the money. You have minimal leverage. Your potential employer has the money and you don’t. They are agreeing to give it to you for an expectation, not services rendered. They are taking the bigger risk. They aren’t obligated to give you anything and can move on to the next person for no good reason at all. If you paid them then you could pester them with all sorts of questions and demands. You don’t, so it’s important to play nice (or at least be civil).

2. Compensation is determined by committee. Even if you interview with just one person and they have sole authority to hire, chances are layers of people will be involved in finalizing your offer (i.e., compensation). Most positions have a predetermined salary range and your experience, skills, and likeability will be weighed to reach a consensus of where you fall in that range. If come across as greedy, entitled, or ungrateful you risk losing the offer outright.

3. Second impressions are just as important as first impressions. You did an amazing job during your interview process and everybody involved in the hiring process believes you may have hung the moon. Then the conversation turns to compensation and you turn into An American Werewolf from London. If a recruiter or hiring manager reports you displayed a distressing lack of enthusiasm over the offer, or have transformed into a bestial nightmare, it doesn’t help your cause or bottom line.

4. Honey works better than vinegar. You’ve heard the stories. You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but who wants to catch flies? Manners help; the sweeter the nectar, the more people will advocate for you. 

5. Remember – you’re playing the long game. You’re about to enter a new job, which is like a marriage. You will spend a significant portion of your day working. It is in your best long-term interests to establish an exceptional working relationship with your future work spouse. If you employ a scorched earth policy to get what you want in the short term you may sacrifice an important degree of professional happiness and coworker/manager goodwill in the future.

6. It’s a small (work) world after all. If you are difficult during the final and all-important compensation phase of the job process and get the job, that’s never the end of it. People talk and if they don’t have something nice to say about “the new guy” or “new girl” they talk a lot. Don’t make the transition into your new job more difficult than it needs to be. If co-workers whom you have yet to meet have a negative impression of you before they’ve laid eyes on you, you’re walking uphill in the snow in both directions (yes, lots of clichés today). Your reputation precedes you.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.