Job Hunting Advice

Employment Outlook: The Great Rebalance Workforce Trends

March 6, 2023 by Jessica Pierce

Written by Jessica Pierce

The number of workers who are unhappy with their jobs is at a staggering all-time high, according to Gallup, with 61% of American employees wanting to leave their current jobs in 2023. The top reasons Americans are unsatisfied with their jobs is low income and not having meaningful work. During the “Great Resignation” in 2021, 47.8 million workers in the U.S. quit their jobs, with a record 50.5 million people leaving their positions in 2022. And although the resignations are slowing in 2023, they aren’t stopping.

Workforce Trends for 2023

Smart employers are instituting an excellent hiring experience to better attract, develop and retain valuable employees. By streamlining the hiring process and communicating regularly, as well as investing in the kinds of supportive training and development that encourage employees to apply for jobs and then remain a loyal employee once hired, leaders at companies are learning that they need to offer more than just simple employment. Job seekers in 2023 are interested in working for organizations that have a robust company culture, generous benefits, and those that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 86% of employees care about a company’s DEI strategy, especially Gen Xers and Millennials.

The Candidate Experience

Unfortunately for many of the unemployed and underemployed, the candidate experience involves being disenchanted; not hearing back from hiring managers (even after going through 3-5 interviews!) and left to wonder what happened to their resume or job application. This leads to a loss of integrity with the company and fewer quality applicants for open positions. Transparency and communication are vital – especially in today’s marketplace.

Learning and Development

Companies that invest in their workers implement learning and development opportunities to encourage growth – both for the company and their employees. They build pipelines, offer training, and encourage people to step up.

When leaders at healthy companies review their processes and procedures and identify gaps, they develop programs to bridge those gaps by offering benefits, including certification programs and technology courses. By reskilling or upskilling their current employees, it helps develop the kinds of employees who are more likely to stay with the organization.

Technology Investment

When companies make a tech investment like updating software, it makes it easier for workers to do their jobs. Employing Artificial Intelligence (AI) facilitates faster decisions, improves operational efficiency, reduces costs, and also helps to make current jobs easier for workers. Automating repetitive and mundane tasks allows employees to attend to tasks that require critical thinking and subjective interpretation, which can easily lead to feeling more fulfilled and having a higher job satisfaction. On average, satisfied and happy employees are 13% more productive and companies save billions when they don’t have to constantly hire and train new employees.

Work Environment

The work environment of the not-too-distant past has changed considerably amidst the recent professional global landscape. Positions where workers are able to work remotely are in high demand, with 40% of workers searching for hybrid or remote positions over in-office jobs. These kinds of jobs also often mean more flexible hours, which leads to a healthier life/work balance. This better affords individuals the chance to focus on mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and stress. When employees struggle with their health, they might only be working at about 25% capacity. It’s also imperative that employers keep open communication and inform their employees about all the wellness programs their company offers.

Almost 60% of U.S. workers suffer from moderate to high burnout, so removing the social stigma and stressing the importance of mental health benefits will go a long way towards keeping workers happy and healthy. Unhappy employees actually cost the U.S. at least $550 billion annually. For the average company, this equates to 18% lower productivity and 15% lower profitability.

How Does Your Company Measure Up?

Ensuring your organization’s core values and company culture align with your principles will lead to a higher quality talent pool that will be attracted enough to your company to apply for your open positions. It is proven that retaining your workforce is a more successful and profitable strategy than replacing it. So establishing your business as one that cares more about its workers than the bottom line will likely lead to greater successes at all levels.

Career Connectors

At Career Connectors, our vision is all about building a better community – one organization, one career at a time. And our mission is to elevate communities by empowering job seekers, employers, and service providers. Won’t you join us at our in-person and virtual events?

10 Ways Innovation May Affect Recruitment in 2023 and Beyond

March 2, 2023 by Markitors

From gamification in hiring to video format cover letters, here are 10 recruiting trends that answer the question, “What is one innovation you expect to see in job recruitment for 2023 and beyond?”

Gamification Will Be Clearing Hiring Levels
DEI Initiatives Will Continue to Grow
Tuition Reimbursement Is Gaining Steam in Tech
More Data-Driven Sourcing and Screening Tools
Automation Streamlines the Hiring Process (Pitfalls Included)
Virtual Candidate Onboarding and Breakout Info Sessions
Augmenting Reality for a Virtual Interview
Hybrid Flexibility Will Reach All-Time Highs
You’ve Heard of ‘Quiet Quitting’ but 2023 Is the Year for ‘Quiet Hiring’
Video Format Cover Letters

Gamification Will Be Clearing Hiring Levels

Gamification—the application of game design principles in non-game contexts—has already made an impact in recruiting to engage candidates and assess their talents. I anticipate that, in order for organizations to stand out in the competitive job market of 2023, gamification is going to become an increasingly popular option.

For example, to gauge a candidate’s proficiency in programming, a software development firm might use a game-like coding challenge. The test might be structured to mimic a game, with progressive challenges and steps, all which provide near-instant feedback and analysis of the candidate’s talents. This could be useful for screening applicants and briefing them on the company’s values and work environment before making a final hiring decision.

Gerrid Smith, Chief Marketing Officer, Joy Organics

DEI Initiatives Will Continue to Grow

Organizations will drive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives forward, even amid growing pushback. DEI has long been a cornerstone of successful organizations. In 2023, I expect to see recruitment processes that are actively designed to foster DEI. These processes will go beyond traditional interview techniques such as competency-based or behavioral interviews.

Instead, recruitment processes will be tailored for every role and to the company culture in ways that ensure diverse candidates are given an equitable chance to succeed. This could include things like more structured recruitment processes, tailored interview questions, and diversity-focused feedback loops.

Asker Ahmed, Director and Founder, iProcess

Tuition Reimbursement Is Gaining Steam in Tech

While continuous learning programs have long been supported in the tech world, I’m seeing an interesting move towards undergraduate tuition reimbursement that I think will continue into 2023 and beyond. To land top talent in this competitive hiring landscape means going to the source and getting an eye on candidates early. Usually, this involves placing a source within the college environment so that exceptional students can be targeted with roles long before graduation.

But companies are instead driving candidates to them through tuition reimbursement programs. The deal is simple: A future contract in exchange for tuition reimbursement, whether partial or full. These types of programs are gaining popularity with students, who welcome the thought of secure employment and less student debt waiting for them at the end of several tough years.

Rob Reeves, CEO and President, Redfish Technology

More Data-Driven Sourcing and Screening Tools

One of the biggest challenges in recruitment over the past few years has been identifying the right candidates out of a large and growing pool of applicants. It’s just as challenging for job seekers to find the right employers, in many cases, so companies can’t always count on these top-tier applicants to find them. Personal outreach to strong applicants can help, but only if you’re reaching out to the right candidates.

Tools that can interpret job seeker data to deliver usable insights can help companies identify these best-fit job seekers and streamline their recruitment process, and this technology already exists in other areas. I anticipate we’ll see an explosion in the development and adoption of these types of data-driven recruitment tools over the next year as more hiring leaders seek out more efficient ways to identify and recruit top talent.

Matt Erhard, Managing Partner, Summit Search Group

Automation Streamlines the Hiring Process (Pitfalls Included)

Of course, we’re going to see more automation in 2023. Many of the initial steps in the recruitment process can become faster and more efficient with algorithms that browse CVs for specific keywords and phrases and identify the candidates fit for the next steps. It sounds exciting, but automation also has its challenges.

We can expect keyword stuffing from candidates who want to optimize their CVs for AI algorithms. And most importantly, processes may overlook excellent candidates who only check some of the required, automated boxes. As HR leaders, we must find ways to use these tools effectively while minimizing the potential biases and limitations that can arise from relying solely on algorithms. After all, there is still the “human” in “human resources”.

Piotrek Sosnowski, Chief People and Culture Officer, HiJunior

Virtual Candidate Onboarding and Breakout Info Sessions

The human element has been lost in hiring these past few years, evident in how companies are attempting to navigate this recruitment landscape. Nearing the end of 2022, I picked up on one practice where talent acquisition teams would host virtual information sessions with candidates. In these sessions, the team spoke on what it’s like working for the company, what sets them apart from the competition, and highlighted unique job opportunities.

I believe companies can take this practice a step further by having breakout rooms after the information session to quickly meet with candidates via “speed networking”. You can often tell whether a candidate has potential within five minutes of meeting them, and that rule holds true both virtually and in-person. Meeting candidates like this serves as a great way to turn warm leads into hot recruitment leads and allows candidates to share their pitch out loud rather than just in their resumes.

Kelli Anderson, Career Coach, ResumeSeed

Augmenting Reality for a Virtual Interview

Since virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies have been developing rapidly, I expect they’ll start to play a role in the hiring process. VR/AR may soon be used by recruiters to immerse potential employees into simulated work settings and duties to help them decide if the candidate is a suitable fit for the position. Furthermore, VR/AR might be used by recruiters to conduct interviews and evaluate “soft skills” like communication and teamwork in a more grounding environment, rather than just through a webcam screen like we have now.

This doesn’t just have potential with office jobs. A recruiter for a construction firm, for instance, might utilize VR to recreate a worksite and test a candidate’s proficiency with various tools and teamwork. This method may be more time and cost effective than in-person interviews while giving recruiters access to more applicants.

Timothy Allen, Sr. Corporate Investigator, Corporate Investigation Consulting

Hybrid Flexibility Will Reach All-Time Highs

The flexible hybrid work model is going to reach all-time highs. Companies will look for individuals who can work remotely, but also travel when necessary. Employers will invest in technologies and processes that enable secure, remote working while still maintaining teams in both virtual and physical spaces. This new job recruitment model could lead to greater access to a larger pool of talent all over the world.

I anticipate companies valuing employees who are comfortable and proficient in both digital and physical spaces. These employees could have an edge over those who are only experienced in one or the other. The hybrid work model also enables teams to be more agile, adaptive, and responsive to rapidly changing demands from the market—all qualities any company values. The possibilities for innovation and job growth within this hybrid space are incredibly exciting!

Yaseen Shurbaji, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Prismfly

You’ve Heard of ‘Quiet Quitting’ but 2023 Is the Year for ‘Quiet Hiring’

In the second half of 2022, the theme of “quiet quitting”—the notion that workers do the bare minimum required in their jobs—dominated headlines. Sure, organizations retain people when employees “quiet quit”, but they lose their skills and talents. Smart businesses will adopt “quiet hiring” in 2023 as a method of acquiring new skills and capabilities without adding more full-time staff, turning this approach on its head.

What does quiet hiring look like? Companies will promote internally by placing staff in locations where there’s greater demand; offer staff specialized upskilling opportunities so they’re able to meet changing organizational needs; and, when hiring new staff isn’t an option, using alternative techniques to find talent already onboarded for any high-priority jobs that need doing.

Himanshu Sharma, CEO and Founder, Academy of Digital Marketing

Video Format Cover Letters

With ChatGPT and other AI text-writing programs increasingly becoming mainstream, the traditional cover letter is obsolete. I frequently hear from HR colleagues that cover letters and application form responses have significantly improved in quality in recent months and all due to the use of AI, which defeats the very purpose of requiring a cover letter. However, video content is the only media format still yet to be dominated by AI (at least, deep fakes have yet to make it mainstream like ChatGPT).

Consequently, HR teams are going to rely more and more on video as a screening tool, ensuring that only serious applicants are applying. Naturally, savvy candidates could still use AI to generate a script, but the video requirement prevents them from mindlessly applying to thousands of jobs without serious consideration for suitability. This allows application forms and cover letters to work as intended, ensuring that only serious candidates can apply for the role, which in turn improves the quality of the applicant pool.

Ben Schwencke, Business Psychologist, Test Partnership

How Leaders Run Successful Meetings: 10 Tips and Tricks

October 3, 2022 by Markitors

As a business leader, what is one tip/trick for running a successful meeting?

To help you adopt the best approach in running meetings successfully, we asked CEOs and business leaders this question for their best insights. From allowing your team to contribute in advance to using friendly communication during meetings, there are several tips that are useful for any business leader seeking to conduct successful meetings.

Here are 10 tips these leaders follow to run successful meetings:

Allow Your Team to Contribute in Advance
Pep Things Up With a Brainstorming Session
Create and Share a Clear Agenda for the Meeting
Pay Attention to Who You Ask to Attend
Engage Everyone
Kick-Off With Dialogue that Supports Team Trust
Leave Smartphones at the Door
Send Out a Meeting Announcement Early
Leave Room in Your Schedule for Questions
Use Friendly Communication During the Meeting

Allow Your Team to Contribute in Advance

To have a successful, collaborative meeting, offer your entire team the opportunity to suggest topics or ask questions beforehand. This can be done simply on a project-management task or even on a Google sheet. Start by stating the main purpose of the meeting, and then encourage your employees to add sub-topics and put forth any questions or comments they may have. This will keep everyone engaged by feeling they’ve actually contributed to the meeting, rather than just be an “attendee.”

Shaun Price, MitoQ

Pep Things Up With a Brainstorming Session

A successful meeting requires every participant to contribute to the outcome, and one way to get the adrenaline flowing is to have a brainstorming session where everyone in the meeting can share their viewpoints. In addition to adding to the energy in the room, this move will also give team members the chance to present their ideas without feeling conscious about how they’ll play out in the long run. After all, brainstorming is all about coming up with ideas, no matter how vague, so that every thought and notion can be explored.

Riley Beam, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.

Create and Share a Clear Agenda for the Meeting

Prepare and send out a clear agenda before the meeting starts. This will help the meeting stay on track and ensure that all of the topics that need to be discussed are covered. It is also helpful to provide a brief overview of each topic before the meeting starts so everyone is on the same page. Having discipline around creating an agenda for each meeting may sound like a lot of work, but that’s actually a very good thing, since it leads to fewer, but much higher quality meetings. One thing that employees commonly complain a lot about is too many unnecessary meetings and too much time wasted. So by having a laser focus on the topics that are truly relevant for the meeting, you’ll be able to get to the core of the matter much faster, and everyone will appreciate that.

Matthew Ramirez, Paraphrase Tool

Pay Attention to Who You Ask to Attend

Many business leaders spend a lot of time on setting up their meeting agenda, but give little thought to who should be in attendance, yet by making it exclusive you will have a greater likelihood of it being successful. The people in attendance can have a dramatic impact on a meeting in everything from its focus to meaningful engagement, and making it a catch-all in terms of who is requested to be there can water down the presentation’s effectiveness. Making sure those who are asked to attend have relevant knowledge, have responsibilities related to the topic, will be involved in agenda implementation, and can contribute points that add to the presentation, is as critical to the meeting’s effectiveness as any material or discussion points. By spending as much time evaluating who you want to be at the meeting as you do setting up your presentation, you will better ensure the engagement of those in attendance and its overall success.

Adelle Archer, Eterneva

Engage Everyone

Find a way to engage everybody at the meeting. No one wants to spend time at a meeting just to keep a chair warm, and if they sit there the whole time without saying a word, you haven’t done your job in leading the meeting. Everyone should have something to offer, or they shouldn’t be there. Make sure to touch base with each participant and see what they have to contribute. They’ll feel engaged and appreciated, and you won’t be leaving any valuable input on the table.

Marcus Hutsen, Patriot Coolers

Kick-Off With Dialogue that Supports Team Trust

Kick it off with an opportunity for people to share what is going well and areas they wish to take the initiative to improve to support team trust. This is the most critical element for teams to achieve their goals, so it’s important to cultivate trust in each interaction and meeting. Behaviors that erode trust include micromanaging, failure to share information, gossip, comparison of colleagues, and toxic productivity. Instead, allow your team to thrive by embodying a culture of learning, growth, and collaboration so people feel it’s okay to fail, share progress with others, and cheer on teammates’ success. When trust-building is a priority in meetings, all stakeholders can raise issues and ideas without fear of retaliation.

Tommy Chang, Homelister

Leave Smartphones at the Door

Require everyone to leave their smartphones at the door. Smartphones are supposed to be a convenient productivity tool, but I’ve noticed that they ultimately get in the way of collaboration and creativity more than they help it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve referred to my phone to aid in work, but then became sidetracked by a text or voice message, or a juicy piece of news. Meetings should only last about 30 minutes anyway: People should be able to live without their phones for that long.

Asker Ahmed, iProcess

Send Out a Meeting Announcement Early

Give early notice. One important but often overlooked key to running a successful meeting takes place before it even begins. If you want to be a good host, you need to announce the meeting with plenty of advanced notice. Sending out a timely announcement and reminders about your agenda helps ensure that your attendees can be there and sets a good tone for the rest of your meeting.

Rachel Reid, Subtl Beauty

Leave Room in Your Schedule for Questions

Don’t forget to leave time for clarifications. When you’re outlining a meeting agenda, there’s internal pressure to ensure you have enough material and that you’re not leaving out anything relevant. But it’s also important to build time into that schedule for questions. Most meetings are not so clear that no one needs clarification in any area. If you fill your agenda to the brim, you risk running over and delaying people getting to their next commitment. It’s better in the long run to have that gap built in.

Vimla Black Gupta, Ourself

Use Friendly Communication During the Meeting

Meetings are typically serious affairs, especially if objectives and agendas are closely followed. To maintain a good environment and promote a sense of collaboration and relationship building, allot a few minutes at the start and end of each meeting for some small talk, questions, and other chit-chats. A serious topic can be made more entertaining and interactive by using humor. Always be kind in your communication, encourage laughter or pleasant contact, and remember that meetings are still social gatherings. Keep meetings on schedule, but provide time for personal interaction.

Shad Elia, New England Home Buyers

13 Stories: The Best Career Advice I’ve Ever Received

October 11, 2022 by Markitors

What is the best career advice you’ve been given?

To help you learn from the career advice of others to make you successful, we asked CEOs and business leaders this question for their best guidance. From being proactive in seizing growth opportunities to working to learn rather than to earn, there are several pieces of career advice that you could make your own to help you chart your course for a successful career.

Here are 13 pieces of career advice these leaders have received that help them the most:

Be Proactive in Seizing Career Growth Opportunities
Don’t Settle
Honor Your Instincts
Get a Mentor
Seek Happiness Instead of Money
No Job is Too Small
Trust Your Instincts
Focus on Living Your Dream and Not Someone Else’s
Network to Help You Advance
Learn How to Set Boundaries Right From the Get-Go
Set Aside Time for Yourself to Avoid Burnout
Be 15 Minutes Early for All Appointments
Work to Learn Rather Than to Earn

Be Proactive in Seizing Career Growth Opportunities

I entered the workforce over a decade ago with the concept that if I worked hard enough and exceeded my employer’s expectations, they would automatically reward me with raises and offer promotions. My then manager cleared this sad misconception during my very first year at that job. Upon asking why I wasn’t considered for a better-paying position at a larger branch of the organization, he responded by saying, “your career is your responsibility. Learn to advocate for yourself when you know there’s an opportunity; if there is no opportunity, create one.”

I believe his words led me to where I am now, heading my own well-established recruiting firm. So many people become successful due to stellar career management skills, even with otherwise average job skills. Offering to work on an important project or asking for a raise or promotion when you deserve one will lead to faster professional growth than waiting for an opportunity to knock at your door.

Anjela Mangrum, Mangrum Career Solutions

Don’t Settle

Don’t settle. That’s the best career advice I’ve ever been given, and it’s something that I try to live by every day. When you’re looking for a job, don’t just take the first offer that comes your way. Make sure that it’s a job that you’re passionate about and that you can see yourself doing for the long haul. Don’t settle for a position just because it pays well or because it’s easy. Challenges and obstacles are what make life interesting and worthwhile. If you can find a job that offers both of those things, then you’ve found something special. So, don’t settle – keep searching until you find the perfect fit.

Antreas Koutis, Financer

Honor Your Instincts

While advice can be helpful, you should also honor your own instincts. Be honest with yourself about what you want to do career-wise, and try not to worry too much about doing what people expect you to do or what they think you should do. This idea may sound simple, but it is a pain point for many people who feel parental or societal pressure to pursue careers in traditional fields such as law or healthcare.

Drew Sherman, RPM

Get a Mentor

Once you have been working in the field for some time and have started seeing some success, it is important to get a mentor. A mentor will help you take your career to the next level by sharing their own expertise and knowledge with you. They will also provide guidance on how you can progress further in your field and what new challenges you should take up. Having a mentor is an invaluable asset, so if you can find one, make sure to make the most of their mentorship!

Danielle Bedford, Coople

Seek Happiness Instead of Money

Entry level workers should focus on what they want to be doing. This is the start of everything, and it’s important that you enjoy the work you’re doing. We’re so driven by money, but sometimes that negatively impacts our health and we end up in a job we hate. Take your young working days to determine what you like and what you don’t like, and work on improving your skills. Your older self will be grateful you chased happiness instead of money.

Jodi Neuhauser, Ovaterra

No Job is Too Small

Right after college, I wanted to go to New York to start my career in television. But Barbara Walters told me I should ‘go local’ by working at smaller market television stations nearer my hometown and work my way up. So, I started as an assistant, getting coffee, logging tapes, and running audio. Then I worked my way up to writer, producer, and anchor. I’m so glad I took Barbara’s advice because it allowed me to make mistakes and learn from them without worrying that my career would be over before it even began. Starting small also helped me figure out what I like doing regarding news broadcasting and what I don’t like–which, I always tell my kids, is just as important because figuring out precisely what you want to do takes time.

Maria Shriver, MOSH

Trust Your Instincts

Although intuition and gut feeling are mostly subjective and hard to describe, each person knows what it’s like to trust their instincts. Having all the information and facts is undoubtedly a crucial part of decision-making, but it’s the indescribable quality of your instincts that will ultimately take you to the right place. If you start feeling into your intuition early in your career, you’re more likely to be able to count on it for the bigger decisions later on.

Igal Rubinshtein, Home Essentials Direct

Focus on Living Your Dream and Not Someone Else’s

Focus on living your dream and not someone else’s. That is the most profound piece of advice someone has ever handed down to me as a business leader in my community. It’s so common to be consumed by someone else’s success on social media or within your friendship circle or family. Instead, the principal objective is to focus on your business’s ups and downs, be present with the teachings of the hardships and celebrate your wins. You must halt all comparisons and enjoy the voyage and the place it’s taking you because someone else’s highlights are not your reality.

Anamika Goyal, Cottage

Network to Help You Advance

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received regarding my professional life was to always place a strong emphasis on networking in order to remain relevant (both technically and relationship-wise). Through our networks, we will be able to learn about new advances in our sectors and environments, new ways of thinking, and new opportunities that will help us advance in our careers. Our networks, which can include coaches, mentors, sponsors, stakeholders, and peers, are an essential component of our reputation and skill-building, as well as our overall well-being, and they serve as a foundation for each stage of our professional path.

Josh Tyler, Tell Me Best

Learn How to Set Boundaries Right From the Get-Go

There was a time when hustle and grind were in the spotlight and having little to no boundaries was encouraged. But given how unsustainable this practice is, it didn’t last long and most leaders picked up on this shift. However, traces of this culture still remain and that is why it’s crucial to have healthy boundaries and maintain a work-life balance. Although it can feel uncomfortable at first, you will soon realize the importance of boundaries for your mental well-being and the longevity of your career.

Benoit Lacroix, Portmoni

Set Aside Time for Yourself to Avoid Burnout

Make sure to take breaks. A mentor once told me about the importance of setting aside time for relaxation. As an entrepreneur, my work can feel deeply personal and all-consuming. But never putting aside time for yourself can cause major burnout, which can be detrimental to your career. Putting aside my job for a little while each day to do something I enjoy helps me stay sharp and focused when it’s time to get back to work.

Rachel Reid, Subtl Beauty

Be 15 Minutes Early for All Appointments

The best career advice I have ever gotten is to be 15 minutes early. In other words, you should make it a habit to be 15 minutes early for all your appointments in a professional setting. Keeping in mind the slogan “15 minutes early or you’re late” helps me leave the house more quickly since I have, how should we put it, an unjustifiably optimistic perception of the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B. That slogan has helped me be on time for meetings and activities at work. You will undoubtedly come into contact with several pieces of career advice as your career progresses. Consider career guidance like you would feedback. You can read some suggestions and find out what you already do well and what you should work on improving.

Akber Zaidi, WeLoans

Work to Learn Rather Than to Earn

The best advice I’ve been given was by Robert Kiyosaki in Rich Dad Poor Dad. The advice is to ask – “are you working to earn, or working to learn?” Society teaches us to chase the big paycheque. Everyone’s rushing to earn the biggest number they can, mostly so they can feel better when comparing their salary or net worth to others their age. Chasing a bigger salary can often lead to working stressful jobs, with bad management and a poor path upwards.

Instead, working to learn is much more fun, and often leads to a higher level of financial success further down the line. By pursuing opportunities to expand your skillset you’ll naturally become much more valuable. Instead of going down one path, you can end up combining several different skill sets and be uniquely valuable in a specific niche. This can lead to some incredibly unique and exciting opportunities. Which are far more fulfilling than rushing down a traditional route, not to mention often more lucrative in the end too.

Craig Galloway, Tech Detective

How to Answer “What Can You Bring to The Company?” In a Job Interview

October 3, 2022 by Markitors

As an interviewer, what is one way a candidate should respond to your interview question “What can you bring to the company?”

To help candidates respond to the interview question “What can you bring to the company?”, we asked recruiters and hiring managers this question for their best tips. From showing that you’ve done your research to providing examples of professional success, there are several responses that hiring professionals look for when asking “What can you bring to the company?” in an interview.

Here are 13 tips for responding to “What can you bring to the company?” in an interview:

Show that You Have Done Your Research
Bring A New Perspective
Focus On Controllable Inputs
Be Yourself
Focus On Who You Are as a Team Player
Talk About Why You Love This Career Path
Show Your Coachability
Highlight Your Experiences That Uniquely Fit The Role
Show Preparation and Insight
Bring Diversity, New Knowledge, and Good Environment
Show a Passion to Improve Lives
Center Your Response Around the Company’s Objectives
Provide Specific Instances of Your Professional Success

Show that You Have Done Your Research

From my experience in HR, when interviewers ask candidates what they can bring to the company, they ate looking for more than just a list of skills and qualifications. In my experience, this question gives you the opportunity to show that you’ve done your research. For example, you might say something like, “I’ve read about your company’s commitment to sustainability, and I’m passionate about working for a company that is making a positive impact on the environment. I know I can contribute to your efforts by…” By indicating that you’re familiar with the company’s mission and values, you show that you’re a good fit for the team and leave an impression on the interviewer.

Antreas Koutis, Financer

Bring A New Perspective

While you may be tempted to take the same old route and talk about the strengths and expertise you bring to the table so that it aligns with the job description, it doesn’t help you stand out from the crowd. If you really want to leave a mark, talk about your unique and fresh perspective and how that can pave the way for new innovations and strategies. The fact that you can see things in a new light and offer suggestions on the way things already work makes you an asset to any organization that’s committed to growing and evolving.

Harry Morton, Lower Street

Focus On Controllable Inputs

A candidate can respond by saying they will bring a relentless drive to discover the key levers of success for the business and then apply them to grow the company. In isolating the controllable inputs that lead to success, the candidate can focus on what they can do to improve performance, demonstrate alignment with the company’s vision, and add value.

Matthew Ramirez, Paraphrase Tool

Be Yourself

The candidate should try to come up with something unique. If they give an answer that they believe the interviewer wants to hear, this will be obvious. The candidate should ultimately be honest about their strengths and how they can utilize these strengths to benefit the company. For example, even if the candidate is an introvert, they may be very organized. So, they can say that they can offer their keen attention to detail and organization to keep the company running smoothly. Being yourself when answering this question is essential.

Drew Sherman, RPM

Focus On Who You Are as a Team Player

Focus on who you are as a team player. The hiring manager wants to determine if you’re a good cultural fit along with your skill level. Are you always willing to help others complete projects on a tight deadline? Share an example of how you’ve done that in the past and how you intend to do it for the company. Not only will they be able to determine your work ethic, but who you are as a colleague as well.

Natália Sadowski, Nourishing Biologicals

Talk About Why You Love This Career Path

Talk about your dedication and goals. When I ask “What can you bring to the company?” during an interview, I’m always compelled by the candidates who respond with their personal connection to the role. For example, if they tell me a story about the first time they realized they wanted to be in fashion, and how our company plays a part in realizing their dreams – I want that person on our team. By sharing their goals and love for the job during the interview, I can see how they’ll be dedicated to the company and add great energy to the team.

Karim Hachem, Sunshine79

Show Your Coachability

When you start a new role with a new company, you will not know everything. However you need to be open, willing to listen and learn from others. You always need to have the ability to be coachable. Coachable employees are excited learners and they are willing to learn how to improve their performance. They are open to new perspectives and ideas from their peers. Coachability means employees have a level of self-awareness and the desire to achieve new heights within the organization.

TK Morgan, Tuesday At 1030

Highlight Your Experiences That Uniquely Fit The Role

When asked this question, the candidates more likely to get hired all answer with a similar structure. They highlight their work experience and then explain what makes them uniquely fit for the job.

Chances are, at this stage in the interview, the resume has already been discussed, so the highlighting of experience should be brief. The key is the explanation as to why they’d be the perfect candidate for the role. This explanation usually has the candidate mention skills and proficiencies, but always mention soft skills and how they’d fit into the company.

The candidates who do research into the company will mention how the company culture is a perfect fit for them as they’d be able to thrive in that environment. If a candidate is able to do all of that confidently and convincingly, they usually end up on the shortlist and are invited to a final interview, granted that they’re the type of person the company wants.

Iohan Chan, Clark Staff

Show Preparation and Insight

I regularly am active in the hiring process of our company whether it’s hiring for our lab, office, or marketing department. The one thing that always impresses me is when interviewees should that they took the time to research your company or position that they applied for.

I had over 40 college students apply for an internship in our marketing department and the ones that stood out right away were the ones that came with suggestions or a plan for the position. When asked “What can you bring to the company” they had real suggestions or knowledge of the company in discussing the answer. It’s clear to distinguish between those who are just pulling answers out of thin air versus those who looked at our website and social media channels and give real input. I had one interviewee show me a video that she prepared for an ad for us and discussed optimizing our TikTok channel. I was very impressed and she got the position. Give real suggestions!

Seth Newman, SportingSmiles

Bring Diversity, New Knowledge, and Good Environment

It’s never easy to answer some questions when we need to go to job interviews.
I already did a lot of job interviews and one of the questions that is always present is “What can you bring to the company?” Most of them answer this question with the same responses. They are fast learners, or they want to bring organization to the company.
The best way to answer this question is by saying that the person will bring diversity in working methods, new knowledge as a fresh mind and improve the great environment in the company. Bringing diversity is always a good idea, because companies are always improving and learning new things to be on the top. A person who can answer this question with this answer will be a great hire for the company.

Stanislav Baciu, BuzzLogic

Show a Passion to Improve Lives

While every company requires a candidate to be passionate about their jobs and careers, some companies require candidates to be passionate about the impact their roles create too. In the health and wellness industry, individual drive and dedication are the cornerstones of each position. Even if their positions are relegated to behind-the-scenes, without individual passion, no employee can contribute the extra effort that our company needs to impact lives. So the first thing we need from our candidates is a genuine passion to change and improve lives.

David Northup, InShapeMD

Center Your Response Around the Company’s Objectives

The answer should center around the company’s objectives and long-term goals. The interviewee should have researched the company through its website, projects, undertakings, etc. For example, if the company looks for team players, you can say that you will bring a sense of unity and oneness amongst the people working under you. If the company is research-oriented, you promise on focusing on getting government grants and good projects for the company. The answer should integrate your own as well as the company’s objectives.

Chris Heerdegen, OnDemand Painters Midwest

Provide Specific Instances of Your Professional Success

Answering this question, candidates generally need to relate how their skills, experience, and personal qualities will be an asset to the company, and a good fit for the organization’s values and goals. It is also important to be specific when responding to this question, and to avoid using generalities. In essence, a candidate should bring up actual instances where they’ve exhibited these desirable qualities in their professional life, without having to be prompted by the interviewer for these specifics.

This is a sure-fire way for the candidate to demonstrate to the interviewer that they know the dance. They can additionally show that they value the interviewer’s time; by relating the information straight away in the desired format. Practical demonstrations of skills and values, and relating the results of these real-life case studies, are always going to be more useful than just stating that you possess the desirable attributes, and hoping for belief from the interviewer.

Alex Ugarte, London Office Space