Chapter 26: Career Research and Exploration

Conducting Career Research

Learning Objectives:

• Inventory online resources to research career information.
• Recognize current labor market trends and the changing workplace.
• Use informational interviews as a way to research careers.
• Explored professional associations as a means to collect career research and network with industry professionals.
• Examine diversity in the workplace.

Welcome to Phase 2 – “What’s Out There?” This phase entails conducting career research. Engaging in career research will provide you with additional information and resources to assist you in better understanding the world of work and where you see yourself fitting in. This unit will require online research and self-discipline to navigate several career resources. Engaging in the career research process will help you outline your career ideas and help organize the process.

As you research career information, make note of tasks, work environment, skills, job outlook, necessary training, and salary information. Analyze this information with the results you gathered from Unit 2 in regards to your interests, skills, personality, values and strengths and make connections. Start asking yourself, “Where do I see myself fitting in within the world of work?” As you research career information, you will also want to research industry expectations. This entails researching the job market and looking for open job applications and learning what the minimum qualifications are for employment. The more you know about industry expectations, the more prepared you will be to meet industry demands.

Online Resources to Research Career Information

Researching the internet for career information can be fascinating. You have so much information at the touch of your fingertips. This can be exciting, yet overwhelming at the same time. In this section, we will explore some common online tools used in career counseling. Keep a notepad nearby as you explore the different online career resources. Take notes of your findings and record information that stands out to you. At the end of this unit, you should be able to start putting the pieces together and getting closer to making some career decisions.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) – The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. Revised every two years, the Handbook describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education

needed, earnings, expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations, and links to professional associations. (link: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/)

O*Net Online – O*Net Online has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students and more. Making occupational information interactive and accessible to everyone. This site contains both summary and detailed information on occupations in the US economy as well as the ability to search for information by various criteria such as job family, industry, skills, knowledge, interests, green jobs, bright outlook occupations and several others. It is produced by the federal government, is updated frequently, and contains state and national wage information, occupational projections, related occupations and opportunities for more information from professional and trade associations. (link: http://www.onetonline.org/)

CareerOneStop – Sponsored by the U.S Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, this site provides tools to help job seekers, students, business and career professionals. Career OneStop is a comprehensive site to explore careers, find training, search for jobs, connect with community resources, and additional resources for special populations including: career changers, military and veterans, laid-off workers, workers with a criminal conviction, workers with disabilities, entry level workers, older workers, young adults, self-employed and credential seekers. (link: http://www.careeronestop.org/)

Orange County Career Cafe – A virtual career center designed to walk you through self-exploration, career research, getting experience and job search preparation. This site also includes a professional association database organized by career pathways. Full of videos, information, and tips on how to be successful in your search for a career. (link: http://www.cacareercafe.com/)

California CareerZone – A career exploration and planning site powered by Headed2, a secure career exploration and coaching platform which can be accessed from anywhere to connect learning with earning. Headed2 is an educational technology company focused on career and transition planning. Their mission is to help people explore, plan for and pursue careers that reflect their passions, skills and life goals. You may create a free account where you can save your information and come back at any point. The site allows you to discover possibilities, explore industry sectors and access personalized recommendations about opportunities for you through The Career Hub. (link: https://www.cacareerzone.org/index)

Path2Careers Pathways Pathways to Emerging Careers – This site contains career tools used to help with important life decisions – choosing a meaningful and successful career. Connecting students to resources and job market information, career fact sheets, 15 pathways to careers critical to California’s economy, jobs of the future, and YouTube Career Videos and other resources. (link: http://fcmtest.com/path2careers/student_tools.asp)

CandidCareer.com – This site provides career information and career planning help through video. The video interviews are filmed without narration or actors – just real people speaking form the heart about their career experiences. Candid Career currently features a video library of 6,000 + clips. You may search the video library by industry, career title, or major. (link: https://www.candidcareer.com/)

Careers.org – This site contains information regarding employment, job search and career education. It includes detailed information about over 1000 occupations, including wages, skills and links to corresponding college programs and career, job and educational resources for states, cities and counties in the USA as well as Canadian Provinces and international countries.

Career Coach – This site is supported through the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Career Coach allows students to discover majors, and in-demand careers and education based on their interests. The site contains career assessments, career information and programs offered in the California Community College System.

(link: https://ccc.emsicc.com/)

MY NEXT MOVE – This is an interactive tool for job seekers and students to learn more about their career options. My Next Move has tasks, skills, salary information, and more for over 900 different careers. Users can find careers through keyword search; by browsing industries that employ different types of workers; or through the O*NET Interest Profiler, a tool that offers personalized career suggestions based on a person’s interests and level of work experience. (link: https://www.mynextmove.org/)

SalarySurfer – This site is sponsored by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. It is designed to help students and their families make important decisions about investing time and money in a college education. Salary Surfer provides comparative information about the earnings of recent California community college graduates who received an award in a specific program of study.  Salary Surfer uses the aggregated earnings of graduates from a five-year period to provide an estimate on the potential wages to be earned two and five years after receiving a certificate or degree in certain disciplines. This tool also provides information on which colleges offer programs in those specific disciplines. (link: https://salarysurfer.cccco.edu)

The more you learn about the world of work, the better equipped you are to make more informed decisions about the career path that best fits you and your needs!

Current Labor Market Information and Trends

Take a minute and view the YouTube video titled “How the World of Work is Changing” to get an idea of some of the changes that have taken place within the last twenty years. Understanding these changes can help you learn more about preparing for your future career.

It is clear that the world of work is changing. As you conduct career research, it is important to be aware of the current labor market trends. Understanding information, such as jobs in demand, potential job growth and changes in the workplace will help you better prepare for your future career. To research current labor market information and trends, visit the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD) site.

State of California Employment Development Department (EDD) – The California Employment Development Department Labor Market Information Division is the official source for California Labor Market Information (LMI). LMID promotes California’s economic health by providing information to help people understand California’s economy and make informed labor market choices. This site provides statistical data and reports on California’s labor force, industries, occupations, employment projections, wages, and other important labor market and economic data. (link: https://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/)

Informational Interviews

In addition to online career resources, informational interviews are another way to gather information about a career.

Informational interviews are meetings where you are the interviewer, and the person with whom you are meeting has information that you want—for example, about a specific job, organization, or industry. Informational interviews are a type of networking, but since the primary aim is to uncover information, we are including informational interviewing in the research unit.

Many job seekers treat informational interviews like an interrogation, with a long list of questions to extract information from the interviewee. We will take a more sophisticated approach to informational interviews. These interviews occur after some research is already completed, so the interview is not simply a series of questions to gain more information but rather a way to verify, refine, and test the information already researched. It is a two-way conversation, and you will be giving as well as receiving information.

View the brief YouTube video titled “Designing Your Career: The Informational Interview” for an introduction to informational interviewing.

Informational Interviews Are Two-Way Exchanges of Information

Most job seekers see informational interviews as a shortcut to research. Why not find someone who does the job, works at the organization, or works in the industry so they can give you a summary of the job, organization, or industry, instead of plowing through secondary data yourself? There are several reasons it is a bad idea to jump right to informational interviews without conducting your own research first:

• It’s harder to land good informational interviews without having done some research first. Potential interview targets are going to think it is not worth their time if you are just there to take information from them, rather than having an interesting two-way exchange.
• Just because someone does the job or is part of an organization or industry does not mean that they have an exhaustive command of the information for that job, organization, or industry. You will not get an objective, comprehensive view of your target just by talking to a few people.
• Unless your interview target is skilled at tailoring advice across a range of backgrounds, what they will share is based on their specific experience, skills, and personality. It may not be relevant to you or your situation.
• You get just the basic information because you do not know enough to ask probing questions or to confirm or refine information you gather beforehand. It is a wasted opportunity for you to get more nuanced information.
• You come across as knowing nothing about the job, organization, or industry. You wasted an opportunity to demonstrate your interest and knowledge, and therefore market yourself as a possible person to work in that job, organization, or industry.

The best informational interviews are two-way exchanges of information, more like a conversation than an interrogation. You are offering the information you have collected via your research and the interviewee is adding his or her thoughts and ideas. You come across not as the novice looking for a favor and more as a colleague brainstorming ideas. People are busy and do not always take the time to read business news, attend trade association meetings, or do the in-depth research you will be doing. They will appreciate you bringing to them the latest news. By being well researched and prepared, you do not have to feel like you are imposing on someone when asking for an informational interview. You will be giving back as well, in terms of information on breaking news, trends, or innovations.

Sample Informational Interview Questions

You want to get to know your interviewee by asking questions such as the following:

• How did you get involved in this job, organization, or industry?
• What do you like most about it? What has been most rewarding?
• What is most challenging? Was there anything that surprised you?
• What is a typical day, week, or month like?
• What skills are most critical to have, develop, and maintain to be successful?
• What personality types are most successful in this job, organization or industry?
• What do you know now that you wished you knew when you started?

Interest in their specific background establishes rapport because it shows you care about them specifically. It also gives you a foundation for questions to ask later because you know more about their experience. You want to get broader information about the industry, so you ask questions that reflect your research:

• According to my research, the top competitors are [name the competitors]. Am I missing anyone you think is significant? Is there a new player I should know about?
• According to my research, [name a trend, challenge, or innovation] is a major trend, challenge, or innovation. Is this affecting your job or organization? Is this overestimated in the media? Are there are other trends, challenges, or innovations I should be concerned about?

This is why research prior to the informational interview is so critical. You use your research findings as a springboard for conversation. You are not relying on the interviewee to think of everything and be the sole source of information. You are offering ideas, too. Informational interviews also enable you to dive deeper into what you previously researched.

Pick several research findings to test, and choose what to ask based on what level and type of experience your interviewee has. If your interviewee is very experienced and senior, you can ask broad strategy questions. If your interviewee is focused on a very specific area, say technology, focus on technology-related issues in the discussion.

You also want to get career-related information, such as salary and environment, and a candid sense of your chances in this job, organization, or industry:

• According to my research, it is customary for people in this job to make [name salary range] and experience [name lifestyle, travel, or work culture]. Is that accurate? Are there any nuances to this that are not publicized in general media?
• According to my research, the typical career trajectory is [name different titles you have seen for the job]. Is this accurate? Does this differ by company?
• How would you describe the culture of your organization? Does this vary greatly for companies in the industry?
• According to my research, it is customary for people in this job to have [name skills and experiences]. Is my background of [summarize your skills and experience] competitive? If you knew of an opening for this type of job, would you consider me or refer me?
• What about my background is most relevant to this job? What would I need to do to improve my chances?

These questions enable you to get information on the touchy issues of compensation and lifestyle, as well as candid feedback on your hiring prospects. By offering ideas, you take the pressure off the interviewee to reveal sensitive information. Instead, you give them something to react to. People will also appreciate that you have done some salary research, as they might not have time to see what is happening in the market, and they will want to reciprocate by sharing something they know.

Asking about the competitiveness of your skills and experience is not the same as asking for a specific job. You should never ask for a job in an informational interview. It is disingenuous because you asked for a meeting to focus on gathering information, not to ask for a job.

Be Polite: Common Rules of Etiquette Apply

Common rules of etiquette apply in the protocols of informational interviews. When asking for the interview, you can approach your interviewee by phone, mail, or email. There is no one right answer, but each has advantages and disadvantages:

Table 26.1 – Possible Ways to Ask for an Informational Interview and Advantages and Disadvantages

E-mail has the most advantages and fewest disadvantages and should work for most job seekers. If you are more confident in your phone approach or mail campaign, then you may want to try that as well. You might also tailor your approach to the recipient. If you get referred to someone and they tell you to call them, then call them, even if you would prefer to e-mail. You want to approach interviewee based on what their preference is.

The content of your approach, whether by phone, mail, or e-mail, should include who you are and why you are making contact. If someone refers you, mention that right away. Regarding who you are, make your introduction compelling but brief.

An elegant way to share your resume is to put your online profile hyperlink in your email signature. This way, the interviewee can easily get more information about you without having to search, but it is shared in one line rather than a paragraph or more of detail. This is a key advantage of an e-mail approach.

Common etiquette applies during and after the informational interview as well. Be on time, and do not take too much time. Ask for fifteen to thirty minutes, be mindful of the time, and offer to end the interview right after the agreed amount of time. Only stay longer if invited. Send a thank-you note—email is fastest, handwritten by mail is a classy addition, but definitely send at least an e-mail so you know it arrives promptly.

Connecting with Professional Associations

View the YouTube Video titled “Career Cafe Students” to gain a student’s perspective of how professional associations can help with career research and networking.

Professional Associations are a great way for you to connect with professionals working in the industry you may be considering. These associations are organizations where people in the same profession come together engage and connect with each other to discuss current trends in the industry. The professional associations are a great way for you to make connections and network with professionals in the field you are considering. Most professional associations have membership fees and oftentimes have reduced fees for student membership. They usually host conferences. Check to see if the association you are interested in is hosting a conference nearby. Professional associations often list a job bank with current job openings in the industry. This is a great way for you to see what industry is demanding and what skills, qualifications, and training they are requiring. The more you know now, the better prepared you will be when it is time for you to enter the industry.

Some great online resources to help you locate professional associations are:

• Orange County Career Café – this site lists professional associations by pathway (link: https://www.occareercafe.com/associations/). Find your pathway and explore professional associations.
• CareerOneStop – this site has a professional association finder. This is a great resource where you can search by industry, occupation or association name. (link: https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Training/find-professional-associations.aspx)

Changes in the Workplace

Since the global financial crisis in 2008, people have been looking at new ways of working that will not leave them so exposed to losing their income. Self-employment is not a new concept — tradespeople and creatives are old hands at obtaining work from various sources — but the emergence of centralized digital platforms selling services or products has led to the explosive growth of the gig economy. Workers are turning away from a 9 to 5 job in favor of independent work where there is no long-term relationship between buyer and seller.

To understand the scale and motivations of the growing independent workforce, the McKinsey Global Institute conducted a survey involving 8,000 workers across the US, the UK, Germany, Sweden, France, and Spain. McKinsey finds that independent work is becoming more mainstream with digital platforms creating large marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers who can communicate in real time. McKinsey’s analysis of their survey data (2016) and existing data found 20 to 30 percent of the workforce across the US and EU-15 countries were involved in independent work. Buyers can search with keywords or scroll through seller listings to find a service or product to suit them.

Buyers can be instantly connected to an innovative solution. Uber, Lyft, and Deliveroo offer car-sharing and delivery services, Airbnb opens up homes for rental, and Etsy lets creatives sell their creations. For people looking for local services in the home or office, TaskRabbit and Airtasker make light work of everyday tasks.

For workers who can deliver via the internet, digital platforms have opened up global markets, creating a surge in home workers offering services to startups or businesses needing a more flexible workforce or specialized skills for one-off projects. On platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and People Per Hour, freelancers provide creative services that include website design, content creation, coding, and consultancy. Even legal services are being transformed through platforms such as Lawyers on Demand and Lawpath, making the legal process of setting up a business easier and cheaper.

Why are more people choosing to join the gig economy?

Flexible working. Independent work offers flexibility to students funding tertiary education, to parents caring for young children, and to Millennials and Gen Y looking to swap a corporate career for a portfolio career. Freelancing also offers a top-up income for people already in part-time or full-time jobs.

Greater control

Freelancers control their work and pricing. They may also choose who they work with to match their skills, experience, interests, and values. This gives greater rewards, not limited to or even necessarily financially but in terms of job satisfaction.

Workplace freedom. Freelancers have greater choice over where they work. This flexibility helps provide an improved work-life balance, especially relevant in the U.S. where employees receive only two weeks annual leave and the corporate culture can involve long hours in the office to show commitment. This misguided culture breeds chronic stress with the potential for lower productivity, ill health, and sickness-related absence.

Protection from prejudice and politics. Home-based working environments give freelancers protection from office workplaces that can be toxic, especially in large corporations with a vertical hierarchy and one-way communication rather than an open, collaborative culture. Promotion can be influenced by favoritism in the form of the halo effect or by prejudice based on gender, sexuality, race, or disability.

Motivation from direct responsibility. In traditional workplaces, people can feel removed from the end user, which impacts job satisfaction. Freelancers deal directly with clients and on team projects, they collaborate with colleagues on an equal footing. Knowing that the outcome relates directly to their performance, independent workers can be more motivated to produce high-quality work.

McKinsey’s survey found that workers who are choosing freelance work as their primary income reported higher levels of satisfaction than workers choosing traditional jobs. But while there are myriad benefits to be gained from the growing gig economy, the freelance marketplace is not without its problems.

What are the challenges of independent working and drawbacks of centralized platforms?

Gig workers face issues with income security, employment rights, and credit availability that can deter people from making the switch from permanent employment.

Financial insecurity

Self-employed workers have traditionally charged a higher rate to offset the lack of paid leave, paid sickness absence, pension contributions, and training provided by permanent employers, as well as to cover non-chargeable time. But some clients take a while to pay up or they do not pay up at all and legal proceedings are costly. Digital platforms provide a more secure option because the platform holds the buyer’s payment in escrow until the seller completes the work satisfactorily, but it can take can take two weeks for a buyer’s payment to be made available to the seller. If there is a dispute, sellers may not get paid.

With a low-cost, low-skill entry, the pool of workers competing for gigs on these platforms has swelled, causing a race to the bottom on pricing with workers often accepting below minimum wage rates. Fiverr now has a FiverrPro section that differentiates sellers who provide a professional service and charge a higher fee. Either way, earnings are unpredictable with gaps between gigs making it difficult to meet living costs. Self-employed workers may also be denied access to financial products, such as mortgages, personal loans, and personal pensions.

Data security

Centralized digital platforms are vulnerable to data breaches and cyber-attacks that could make order history, client communications, and outstanding work and payments unavailable.

Lack of transparency

Centralized digital platforms focus on maximizing short-term profit for the platform. While feedback from users is invited on some platforms, policy and process modifications are underpinned by corporate interests. For example, sellers are not given a clear indication of how to rank well in the search algorithm and seller status levels can be affected by order cancellation frequency (even if it is mutually agreed) and review ratings (fair or not).

High fees

Buyers and sellers contribute significantly to centralized freelancing platform success, yet some platforms charge sellers up to 20 percent in fees. While freelancers have a showroom for their business complete with user profile, gig, and administrative facilities, the lack of transparency and excessive control on these platforms is problematic.

Social isolation

Freelance working can be a lonely business with associated risks for mental health. Communication and relationships between buyers and sellers are often short-term and there is no workplace community.

Traditional employment platform

Glassdoor is not convinced by the gig economy takeover, saying that despite the millennial generation being identified as the group who will shape the way we work, only 10 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds and 9 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds believe the gig economy will become the “future of work”.

By contrast, economist and author Linda Nazareth says the shift away from regular work is underway and governments, businesses, and individuals are not ready. “The transformation to a gig economy is happening at an astonishing speed in Canada. According to staffing company Randstad Canada, if you add up all the contingent workers, freelancers, independent contractors and consultants, you are talking about 20 to 30 percent of the Canadian workforce being “non-traditional workers” already. That percentage is only going higher. Eighty-five percent of the companies surveyed by Randstad figure that they will increasingly move to an ‘agile workforce’ over the next few years.”

Similarly, Forbes reports an estimated 34 percent of the U.S. workforce worked independently in 2017 rather than as traditional 9 to 5 workers. By 2020, this could reach 43 percent. The Intuit 2020 Report on trends affecting consumers and small businesses around the world says over 80 percent of large corporations are planning to substantially increase their flexible workforce.

Blockchain technology will likely transform the freelance marketplace

Blockchain technology is hailed as the solution to a number of the gig economy challenges. By providing a distributed, transparent, and permanent history of transactions, including user profiles, gigs, orders, and payments, blockchain technology guarantees traceability, accountability, and security.

The Next Web explains how a faster, more transparent, and more secure buyer-seller interaction is facilitated on platforms using the blockchain, such as CanYa where experts and professionals can be hired locally and globally. Transaction data is held on the blockchain, a database that is distributed across individual platform user’s computers, securing it from cyber-attacks or centralized data breaches. When buyers find a suitable service through direct communication with a seller, a smart contract logs the transaction details and performs a decentralized escrow. Funds are locked in the buyer’s account until both buyer and seller agree the work has been completed satisfactorily.

Because there is no intermediary as there is with centralized platforms, CanYa’s fee is much lower at only 1 percent and the seller receives the funds immediately. In CanYa’s case, funds are exchanged in the form of cryptocurrency, tokens issued by startups to raise funds to get their application up and running, as well as to future investors. This shared ownership means that users are highly motivated to ensure the platform is successful.

This decentralized process with the emphasis on collaboration contrasts with the controlling nature of existing centralized platforms. Sellers do not have their services controlled or find their business harmed by unfair reviews or algorithm penalties that force them to behave for corporate advantage. Buyers are given more transparency too and not simply fed the services a centralized platform selects as a match. If data needs to be modified, another block is created without the need for third-party intervention. Freelancers have the freedom to work in a professional manner and grow their business on their own terms.

In addition, blockchain-based platforms offering direct communication and social interaction via social media allow real connections to be made. This helps to address the problem of isolation for freelance workers. On centralized platforms, sellers can receive an order and work on it without knowing the real name of the buyer or even communicating with them. Forbes makes the case that “Through blockchain platforms that allow direct peer-to-peer interaction, buyers and sellers can conduct business in a more social setting while still maintaining security and transparency.” Social interaction also creates trust — people prefer to do business with people they feel connected to.

Highlighted by The News Web as a unique benefit, the mutual ownership of blockchain-based platforms creates a distributed organization that replaces the top-down hierarchy of centralized platforms. The fluctuating prices of cryptocurrencies is a drawback, but CanYa uses a hedge fund to fix token value at the point the contract starts.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) envisions four workplace worlds that operate on a sliding scale from individualism to collectivism, and from fragmentation to integration. In their report Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030, PwC’s ‘Yellow World’ is one where workers and companies look for greater meaning and relevance in their work. The working week is flexible and Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 is rare. In this world, “Like-minded workers gravitate towards each other, aided by technology platforms,” and they collaborate on projects or ideas.

Much can change in the next decade, but the independent workforce is growing. Governments, businesses, and individuals would be wise to prepare for the possibility of a ‘Yellow World’ where “Technology creates and supports the open, honest, collaborative community”. Unlike centralized platforms that create a culture of competitive individualism, blockchain-based platforms promote a culture of collaboration and co-operation for everyone’s benefit.¹⁹

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce

Diversity and inclusion in the workforce is important to understand as you prepare for your future career. Diversity is not simply a box to be checked; rather, it is an approach to business that unites ethical management and high performance. Business leaders in the global economy recognize the benefits of a diverse workforce and see it as an organizational strength, not as a mere slogan or a form of regulatory compliance with the law. They recognize that diversity can enhance performance and drive innovation; conversely, adhering to the traditional business practices of the past can cost them talented employees and loyal customers.

A study by global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company indicates that businesses with gender and ethnic diversity outperform others. According to Mike Dillon, chief diversity and inclusion officer for PwC in San Francisco, “attracting, retaining and developing a diverse group of professionals stirs innovation and drives growth.”

Living this goal means not only recruiting, hiring, and training talent from a wide demographic spectrum but also including all employees in every aspect of the organization.

Workplace Diversity

The twenty-first century workplace features much greater diversity than was common even a couple of generations ago. Individuals who might once have faced employment challenges because of religious beliefs, ability differences, or sexual orientation now regularly join their peers in interview pools and on the job. Each may bring a new outlook and different information to the table; employees can no longer take for granted that their coworkers think the same way they do. This pushes them to question their own assumptions, expand their understanding, and appreciate alternate viewpoints. The result is more creative ideas, approaches, and solutions. Thus, diversity may also enhance corporate decision-making.

Communicating with those who differ from us may require us to make an extra effort and even change our viewpoint, but it leads to better collaboration and more favorable outcomes overall, according to David Rock, director of the Neuro-Leadership Institute in New York City, who says diverse coworkers “challenge their own and others’ thinking.”

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), organizational diversity now includes more than just racial, gender, and religious differences. It also encompasses different thinking styles and personality types, as well as other factors such as physical and cognitive abilities and sexual orientation, all of which influence the way people perceive the world. “Finding the right mix of individuals to work on teams, and creating the conditions in which they can excel, are key business goals for today’s leaders, given that collaboration has become a paradigm of the twenty-first century workplace,” according to an SHRM article.

Attracting workers who are not all alike is an important first step in the process of achieving greater diversity. However, managers cannot stop there. Their goals must also encompass inclusion, or the engagement of all employees in the corporate culture. “The far bigger challenge is how people interact with each other once they’re on the job,” says Howard J. Ross, founder and chief learning officer at Cook Ross, a consulting firm specializing in diversity. “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance. Diversity is about the ingredients, the mix of people and perspectives. Inclusion is about the container—the place that allows employees to feel they belong, to feel both accepted and different.”

Workplace diversity is not a new policy idea; its origins date back to at least the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (CRA) or before. Census figures show that women made up less than 29 percent of the civilian workforce when Congress passed Title VII of the CRA prohibiting workplace discrimination. After passage of the law, gender diversity in the workplace expanded significantly. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the percentage of women in the labor force increased from 48 percent in 1977 to a peak of 60 percent in 1999. Over the last five years, the percentage has held relatively steady at 57 percent. Over the past forty years, the total number of women in the labor force has risen from 41 million in 1977 to 71 million in 2017.

The BLS projects that the number of women in the U.S. labor force will reach 92 million in 2050 (an increase that far outstrips population growth).

The statistical data show a similar trend for African American, Asian American, and Hispanic workers (Figure below). Just before passage of the CRA in 1964, the percentages of minorities in the official on-the-books workforce were relatively small compared with their representation in the total population. In 1966, Asians accounted for just 0.5 percent of private-sector employment, with Hispanics at 2.5 percent and African Americans at 8.2 percent.

However, Hispanic employment numbers have significantly increased since the CRA became law; they are expected to more than double from 15 percent in 2010 to 30 percent of the labor force in 2050. Similarly, Asian Americans are projected to increase their share from 5 to 8 percent between 2010 and 2050.

Figure 26.1 – There is a distinct contrast in workforce demographics between 2010 and projected numbers for 2050. (Image by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0)

Much more progress remains to be made, however. For example, many people think of the technology sector as the workplace of open-minded millennials. Yet Google, as one example of a large and successful company, revealed in its latest diversity statistics that its progress toward a more inclusive workforce may be steady but it is very slow. Men still account for the great majority of employees at the corporation; only about 30 percent are women, and women fill fewer than 20 percent of Google’s technical roles (Figure below). The company has shown a similar lack of gender diversity in leadership roles, where women hold fewer than 25 percent of positions. Despite modest progress, an ocean-sized gap remains to be narrowed. When it comes to ethnicity, approximately 56 percent of Google employees are white. About 35 percent are Asian, 3.5 percent are Latino, and 2.4 percent are black, and of the company’s management and leadership roles, 68 percent are held by whites.

Figure 26.2 – Google is emblematic of the technology sector, and this graphic shows just how far from equality and diversity the industry remains. (Image by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0)

Google is not alone in coming up short on diversity. Recruiting and hiring a diverse workforce has been a challenge for most major technology companies, including Facebook, Apple, and Yahoo (now owned by Verizon); all have reported gender and ethnic shortfalls in their workforces.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made available 2014 data comparing the participation of women and minorities in the high-technology sector with their participation in U.S. private-sector employment overall, and the results show the technology sector still lags.

Compared with all private-sector industries, the high-technology industry employs a larger share of whites (68.5%), Asian Americans (14%), and men (64%), and a smaller share of African Americans (7.4%), Latinos (8%), and women (36%). Whites also represent a much higher share of those in the executive category (83.3%), whereas other groups hold a significantly lower share, including African Americans (2%), Latinos (3.1%), and Asian Americans (10.6%). In addition, and perhaps not surprisingly, 80 percent of executives are men and only 20 percent are women. This compares negatively with all other private-sector industries, in which 70 percent of executives are men and 30 percent women.

Technology companies are generally not trying to hide the problem. Many have been publicly releasing diversity statistics since 2014, and they have been vocal about their intentions to close diversity gaps. More than thirty technology companies, including Intel, Spotify, Lyft, Airbnb, and Pinterest, each signed a written pledge to increase workforce diversity and inclusion, and Google pledged to spend more than $100 million to address diversity issues.

Diversity and inclusion are positive steps for business organizations, and despite their sometimes slow pace, the majority are moving in the right direction. Diversity strengthens the company’s internal relationships with employees and improves employee morale, as well as its external relationships with customer groups. Communication, a core value of most successful businesses, becomes more effective with a diverse workforce. Performance improves for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that acknowledging diversity and respecting differences is the ethical thing to do.²⁰

Generational Differences in the Workforce

Today we have four different generations in the workforce and each generation differs in terms of values, communication style, and life experiences. Each group brings valuable contributions to the workplace.

Each generation is a subculture with a sense of reality based on formative world and national events, technological innovations and socio-cultural values. To understand how that experience impacts communication, it’s instructive to consider how the different generations view technology and communications media. The following examples are based on an analysis of generational differences:

Table 26.2 – Examples of Generational Differences

Every generation develops expertise with communication formats and media that reflect their situational reality. For example, Traditionalists tend to have a more formal communication style, with a strict adherence to written grammatical rules and a strong cultural structure. Baby Boomers tend to prefer a more informal and collaborative approach. Gen X communications tend to be more blunt and direct: just the facts. Millennial and Gen Z communication is technology-dependent. As an Ad Council article notes, these generations are driving a truncation of the English language, shortening words (e.g., totally becomes totes) and abbreviating phrases into one or two-syllable “words,” which may or may not be spoken aloud (e.g., FOMO for “fear of missing out” and TIL for “today I learned”).

For additional perspective, see McCrindle Research “How to Speak Gen Z” infographic. These clippings have their roots in texting language: a shorthand that’s optimized for the communications media and immediate gratification expectations of mobile communication.

Texting

Texting is a cross-generational trend—something that nearly all adults in America participate in. For perspective on texting, read onereach.com’s “45 Texting Statistics that Prove Businesses Need To Start Taking Texting Seriously.” A few excerpts, for perspective:

• Over 80% of American adults text, making it the most common cell phone activity. (Pew Internet)
• The average adult spends a total of 23 hours a week texting (USA Today)
• The average Millennial exchanges an average of 67 text messages per day (Business Insider)
• On average, Americans exchange twice as many texts as they do calls (Nielsen)
• Only 43% of smartphone owners use their phone to make calls, but over 70% of smartphone users text (Connect Mogul)

Bridging the Generation Gap

Each generation brings not only a frame of reference but also a set of competencies—and expectations—based on how they view the world and their place in it. The challenge for both businesses and individuals is that we now have five generations in the workforce. Differences in generational communication style and media are, effectively, language barriers. To the extent that individuals can’t translate, the communication gaps are a hindrance to effective collaboration and, by extension, achievement of critical goals and objectives. The communication disconnect can also affect employee morale and productivity.

The opportunity in this situation is to leverage specific generational strengths and decrease points of friction. The best case scenario is to create a culture and opportunities that encourage cross-generational sharing and mentoring. As Nora Zelevansky wrote in a piece for Coca-Cola: “In order to master intergenerational communication, it is necessary to understand some broad generalizations about the generations and then move beyond those to connect as individuals.”

In a related trend, the model of talent management is changing. As discussed in a Sodexo report on 2017 Workplace Trends, we’re moving to a model of shared learning, where workers of all ages contribute to each other’s growth and development. Indeed, the researchers identified “intergenerational agility” as a critical aspect of the employee and employer value proposition. Business benefits of intergenerational learning include increased efficiency, productivity and competitive positioning. Two statistics that suggest the culture and communication gaps can be bridged:

• 90 percent of Millennials believe that Boomers bring substantial experience and knowledge to the workplace
• 93 percent of Baby Boomers believe that Millennials bring new skills and ideas to the workplace.

The diversity of the intergenerational workplace isn’t just a development—it’s a creative opportunity.

Professor Mariano Sánchez of the University of Granada in Spain sees the opportunity in cultivating ”generational intelligence;” specifically, “organizing activities that raise generational awareness, connect generations and help them work better together—exchanging knowledge, ideas, skills and more to enhance the broad skill sets everyone needs in today’s jobs.”

According to Jason Dorsey, Millennial and Gen Z researcher and co-founder of The Center for Generational Kinetics, “The key is getting each person to recognize that everyone has different communication skills that can be harnessed to best support the organization.” Incorporating multiple communication media in meetings and to facilitate ongoing discussion/collaboration allows members of different generations to share expertise and demonstrate the value of a particular medium. Selecting technology that supports multiple ways of communicating and collaborating can also leverage collective strengths and create fertile ground. For example, using a videoconferencing platform allows for participants to connect visually and participate virtually, with audio, screen sharing and recording capabilities.

Chapter Summary

Now that you have completed Chapter 26, we will revisit the Chapter objectives before moving on. In this chapter you have:

• Inventoried online resources to research career information and labor market information.
• Used informational interviews as a way to research careers.
• Explored professional associations as a means to collect career research and network with industry professionals.
• Recognized changes in the workplace and examined the value of diversity in the workplace.

Each part of this chapter was designed to help you complete Phase 2: “What’s Out There?” At this time, you should have a better understanding of the World of Work and should be able to start visualizing where you see yourself in regards to your future career.