Written By Susan Lamphiear
One comedian I’ve heard does a routine about going to the grocery store and being expected to check out his own groceries, who simply says, “HEY. I don’t WORK here.” Ironic that at the same time people fear losing their jobs because of technology, customers like the comedian have to learn new skills to be a customer!
Well, people, as you already know, the future is here and we’re staring at it. Some jobs have already proven in technological jeopardy like grocery store workers at the automated checkout, though we’ve all observed, in real time, live people hovering, mercifully, ready to help us self-checkout, selfie-taking customers. Newspapers, customer service workers, banking, and many other areas have already taken a hit.
Don’t despair, though, because the keynote speaker was here to offer advice on making yourself less vulnerable to technology in the workplace. There is hope.
Keynote
Though keynote speaker Stephanie Clergé confesses she has no crystal ball, she admits that studying trends can be helpful in the job search. Stephanie brings a wide range of expertise ranging from her degree in engineering to her experience as a tech manager, leadership and career coach, executive recruiter, trainer, and consultant.
Stephanie’s message to the online audience today is a focus on technology–including a discussion of what the future holds in the job market, how to prepare for it, and where to start.
Currently, as mankind finds itself in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, besides improvements in life that each revolution has created, the probability exists, as in the past, of these changes creating unemployment, at least temporarily.
- 63% of workers who lost jobs because of COVID-19 have changed industries.
- 83% of jobs paying less than $20 per hour could have substantial parts of their work given over to automation.
- 1.2 million industrial machines and robots are working across the globe and will grow as technology advances.
Though changes in technology can endanger jobs, mercifully, trends in the past indicate sometimes technology doesn’t work as fast in some areas as others. Robots have been enlisted to help patients in areas such as helping them into hospital gowns. Stephanie reminded the crowd that anyone who’s ever tried to put a coat on a toddler can attest, it’s not an easy endeavor. With patients, like toddlers, there are several variables. Inevitably the robots get help from a human, but when that happens, it confuses the robot. Robotic technology cannot take the place of every human task including empathy or making adjustments in the moment.
Even technology that works may have limits including in grocery stores where customers may be fearful of technology that can do inventory management, hazard detection, cleaning, stocking/merchandise presentation, and warehouse fulfillment. But in the case of the robot Marty, who does some of these tasks, Marty can make fewer mistakes, while working faster, more precise, saving money, and doesn’t take breaks–unless for maintenance.
Jobs MORE SUSCEPTIBLE to Automation
- Customer Service including food-service workers, sales workers, therapeutic workers like personal trainers, entertainment attendants, personal-appearance workers, and hotel/travel workers.
- Office Support including IT workers, information and record clerks, office-support workers, financial workers (procurement, payroll, etc.), and administrative assistants.
- Predictable Physical Work including fine-equipment installation and repair workers, protective services, gaming-industry workers, dishwashers, cleaning-equipment operators, food-preparation workers, and general mechanics.
The changing nature of careers including life span are already impacting work life. Gone is the era where you’d prepare for a career, stay in that career for most of your life and then retire. Children today may more easily live to age 100. According to the book, The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, living to be 100 may impact careers in the following ways:
- Length of career may span 60-70 years.
- Average tenure in a job is likely 4.5 years or in some cases, less.
- Half-life of a learned skill is 5 years (in some tech jobs this is more like 12-18 months).
Jobs LESS Susceptible to Automation
- Managing and developing people
- Applying expertise to decision making, planning, and creative tasks
- Interfacing with stakeholders
- Performing physical activities and operating machinery in unpredictable environments
- Performing physical activities and operating machines in predictable environments
Remember that humans can still do things robots cannot do. Be in touch with your three parts of your mind– thinking, feeling, and doing mind all which can be clarified via assessments. The robot only has access to one mind–the mind driven by data or experience humans give it.
Three Parts of the Mind in the Job Search of the Future
- Thinking (cognitive) What skills do I have that are difficult to automate or are related to technology? What knowledge could I obtain related to what is needed in the future? What experiences do I have/need to be an asset in the future of work?
- Feeling (affective) What do I enjoy doing? Which features of my personality are helpful in this job? What aspects of company culture/work environment are most appealing to me?
- Doing (conative) Do my instinctive strengths fit this job description? How can I communicate my instinctive strengths to the interviewer? We are all hard wired in a certain way.
In preparing for jobs of the future, be aware of your strengths and if you need to increase knowledge or experience, you can obtain certifications, training, or experience in several ways. Don’t forget the benefits of volunteering in obtaining needed experience in a changing and evolving job market. Take the free DISC assessment offered to Career Connectors attendees. Other assessments include the Myers Briggs or True Colors. Or the Kolbe A Index assessment. Only the Kolbe A Index assesses your “doing” brain that you’re born with. If you registered for this Career Connectors event, you may take the Kolbe A Index assessment free until March 19.
The Kolbe A Index Assesses the DOING Part of the Mind
Results of the Kolbe A Index Assessment provide you with information about your strengths in four areas according to how you naturally simplify, adapt, stabilize or envision.
Stephanie emphasized the importance of the DOING part of the mind, which so far only the Kolbe assessment addresses. While the first two, the thinking and feeling parts of the mind may change over time, the “doing” does not. We are each “hard wired” in the way we solve problems, make decisions, and take action. As a job seeker and employee we need to be able to communicate that on our resume and in the interview. Over time if there is not enough of a “fit” then it’s like putting a round peg in a square hole and explains why people in the long run may not be content with their job. All three aspects of the mind are important to understanding ourselves, but the “doing” part should be just as important to know about when examining our strengths.
“Kolbe Corp is hiring!” Stephanie is happy to announce.
- Customer Service and Help Desk
- Business Development Manager
- Application Developer/Programmer
For more information or to apply visit their website.
ADP
Pam Farling, Talent Acquisition Business Partner
ADP for over 70 years has been a leader in business solutions.
As a global leader, ADP provides cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solutions that unite HR, payroll, talent, time, tax and benefits administration, and offers outsourcing services, analytics, and compliance expertise.
This company has received wide industry recognition, proudly named to FORTUNE Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for 12 consecutive years.
Other industry recognition ADP has received
- America’s Best Employer for Diversity by Forbes
- Best Companies for Women by Fairygodboss
- Top Companies by LinkedIn
- Top 25 Companies for Women Technologists by Anita Borg Institute
- Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality by Human Rights Campaign Corporate Notes
- Best Companies for Multicultural Women by Working Mother
- Best Company Culture by Comparably
Some of the benefits of working at ADP include the following:
- Their culture which stresses Work-Life balance, teamwork, and diversity
- A global company
- Their career growth and brand where the company empowers employees to grow and provides resources to accomplish it, community involvement
- Other Benefits like Stock options and 401K match, Leave policy for new parents/elder care, Wellness Program, and more
Current Open Positions
- Associate Client Support Specialist
- Client Support Specialist
- Implementation Specialist
- Implementation Consultant II-Time
- Implementation Consultant II-HR
- Implementation Consultant II-Payroll
- Project Manager II
- Payroll Team Leader
- Payroll Specialist
- Manager Client Services
- Client HRBP I
- Private Equity Relationship Manager
- Implementation Executive
- Client Success Executive
To learn more about ADP visit their website or to apply for a position in Arizona, visit their website.
USAA
Jeff Shewan, HR Associate
USAA, founded in 1922, “Insuring each other when no one else would” seeks to be the provider of choice for the military community. The mission of the association is to facilitate the financial security of its members, associates and their families through offering of a full range of highly competitive financial products and services.
The company employs 36,000 and serves 13 million members in several locations including Phoenix, Colorado Springs, Chesapeake, San Antonio, Tampa, and Dallas.
Benefits that make USAA Different
- 401k Match
- 34 Paid days off in first year
- On-site Child Development Center
- On-site recreational facilities
- On-site Clinic
- Free On-site Fitness Center
- On-site cafeteria
MORE Benefits
- Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
- Short Term & Long Term Disability Insurance (full-time employees)
- Paid Parental Benefit (up to 12 weeks of pay for bonding when the child joins the family)
- Adoption Assistance Plan
- Educational Assistance Plan (eligible as of hire date, any degree, as many as you want)
- And many more
USAA prides itself on Diversity and Inclusion.
- Nearly all USAA employees sign up for at least one of their groups.
- 20% of their employees are military veterans.
- While not in the military, Jeff tells the attendees he’s learned so much via one of the company’s available groups, VetNet.
Types of Positions in Phoenix
- Property & Casualty (P&C) includes auto and property, underwriting, insurance including auto and property, new member acquisition–For example Entry Level Sales Insurance Professional
- Federal Savings Bank includes deposits, credit card, consumer lending, and real estate–For example Entry Level Bank Sales and Services Contact Center Representative
- Others including Information Technology, Risk Management, and Audit/Compliance
- Internships
Safety of Employees and the Pandemic 2020
Prior to last year (2020) USAA remote workforce was 6000. When the Pandemic hit, within 10 days, USAA had transitioned 30,000 employees to remote work. Safety of employees, Jeff emphasized, is always BIG. Currently, 94% of their workers are remote with no time scheduled when they’ll go back in person.
For more information about USAA, or to apply, visit their website.
Jeff adds tips for using the USAA website.
- Search by city.
- Notice that some full-time jobs are REMOTE anywhere.
Carvana
Daraleigh Lasseter, Senior Manager, Talent
Carvana commits to changing the way people buy cars by providing them an online car-buying solution that’s fun, fast, fair and powered by technology. Carvana says it is disrupting the car industry.
- Founded in 2012, Carvana is now ranked as Arizona’s most valuable corporation.
- 100% online car buying experience. No dealerships. No commissioned sales.
- Carvana sold 200,000 cars online in 2020 and now plans for 450,000 cars in 2021.
- Premium cards, 150-point inspection, no hidden fees.
- 7 day money back guarantee, risk-free.
- Consumers can also sell their vehicle to Carvana without making a purchase.
Open Positions at Carvana
Leadership Roles within Customer Care
- Team Lead, Customer Care
- Team Lead, Registration
- Manager, Customer Care
Customer Care Support Roles
- Quality Control Specialist
- Quality Assurance Specialist
People Operations
- Junior Recruiter
- Talent Development Coordinator
- HRIS Specialist (Workday)
At the time of the presentation there were 163 open positions in the Phoenix area and 900 throughout the country.
Apply today by visiting their website.
WealthWave
Jason Wiseman, Senior Marketing Director
WealthWave and its network of leaders call themselves the HowMoneyWorks Company. All independent business owners, they are shaking up the status of the financial industry to shift the advantage in favor of families all over North America. Their goal? They intend to create a financially literate world.
WealthWise consists of licensed professionals with turnkey solutions, ownership, digital marketing/media, start part-time, no layofffs or furloughs, hands on training and mentorship, and a long history of helping families.
Jason emphasizes not a single person has been laid off since he’s been with WealthWave. During the Pandemic, however, 15 million people were unemployed. Jason is convinced it didn’t have to happen that way if people were educated in finances. Today, 62% of people say they’d like to be their own boss except for the hurdles.
- Only 21 out of 50 states require high schools to teach at least one class in personal finance.
- Financial illiteracy is the number one Financial Crisis in the world. More than 5 billion people around the world can’t answer basic questions about money. Can you?
To learn more about WealthWave, or to apply, visit their website or contact Jason Wiseman.
Resources and Closing
CEO/Founder of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce closed the formal part of the online meeting. She reminded all in attendance of the many resources available online including career advice, webinars of the online events since the Pandemic started, urging everyone to please visit the website where you can take the DISC assessment for free, receive free head shots courtesy of Gordon Murray Flash Photo and other free resources.
Jessica thanked the 125 Career Connectors volunteers and anyone who’s donated to Career Connectors. Bloggers are needed who attend events, take notes, and work with Sheila to get the recaps posted on the Career Connectors Website.
Click for the Events Schedule for more information about special events such as the Tempe Virtual Jobs Fair March 16.
Jessica turned it over to Director of Operations for Career Connectors Sheila Coulam to explain the Breakout Rooms process where attendees are welcome to meet in smaller online groups to chat with the keynote speaker, hiring companies, resume experts, and LinkedIn coaches.
Special for you if you read to the end of this blog. Remember the promise of the flying car? Humanoid robots? Here are the highlights I discovered as I got side tracked thinking about jobs and other technology issues in the future. Enjoy.
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