Polly Pearson's Blog

Job Hunting is Dumb

I find it interesting that we discuss the “Job Market” and set out to “look for a job.” Isn’t that a short-sighted thing to do? It is like buying a product based on price rather than total return on investment. It might feel like the thing to do at that point in time but in the mid- to long-run, you’re losing out.

I believe people would be a lot better off if they “company hunt” rather than “job hunt.” Think about it, who likes looking for a job? It must be stressful and terribly time consuming.

By a stroke of luck I landed at a great company seventeen years ago. I’ve been able to change jobs here about every 1-3 years and continue to enjoy things like a predictably short commute, un-disrupted stock option vesting, a dynamic environment always filled with growth and challenge and decade-long relationships with co-workers that stretch across the company and across the globe.

I was reminded of the wisdom of this “company hunt” type approach when reading a recent Fortune article by David Kirkpatrick titled “Why tech stocks have a glorious future.”

  The article quotes recent research, “2008 Global Internet Snapshot compiled by Imran Khan, senior analyst for Internet, media and entertainment at JP Morgan ” which paints quite an attractive future for stocks (and companies) that could benefit from the “unremitting hunger for technology, communication, Internet access, and information.”

Kirkpatrick goes on to say, “That means that while we may seem to be living in grim economic times, tech companies are facing a future that is anything but grim - something that is salutary to recall when we read the daily headlines about financial turmoil and economic uncertainty. If you take the global view - and what technology company doesn't? - there really isn't much uncertainty. While things could slow down for a year or two, there is nowhere to go but up - way up.”

I’ve been living this “way up” trend for on-line information and connectivity to information since day one at EMC and there is no end in sight. The amount of digital information grows on average about 60% per year. IDC just did a study on the digital universe and says that number is only getting higher.  As the place “Where Information Lives” – that’s pretty cool for EMC.

Now think if you happen to be a badge carrying EMCer when seeing these headlines. It means there’ll be plenty of opportunity for professional and wealth growth right from where they’re sitting. Yum.

Culture Chat - What is in it for you?

I was surprised to hear recently that today's kids under the age of the 12 could likely live beyond the age of 120.

If you were going to live to 120 do you think you'd have just one career? Do you think you would toil away in a job that wasn't quite right for long?

Who can blame those entering the workforce today for being a bit particular about where they work?

In my role at EMC Corp. - a sizable high tech company that thrives in the world of on-line information management - I've been working to crack a new kind of code, our "Employment Brand."

What is an "employment brand?"

The most similar concept with kitchen sink language is likely a company's "culture."

Why does it matter?

It matters because of YOU. You are a free agent. You have power in the employment equation today. If you're good and fit our culture, we either want to get to know you or we want to keep you at EMC. To get to know you, we need to tell you what we're all about and make sure we have our genuine story presented in a way that engages you as a potential consumer of our ‘product.'

Why else does it matter?

SHAREHOLDERS. In the industrial age, factory productivity meant a lot to shareholders. It meant competitive advantage and out-sized returns. In the knowledge era, the new ‘Aha!' is that people and their ideas represent the modern factory. If people are feeling good about what they're doing, who they're doing it with and what ‘bigger thing' they are part of they will likely deliver outsized returns for shareholders.

The Red Velvet Rope.

The vision I like best to describe a great Employment Brand is that of a "Red Velvet Rope Experience." (Thanks to author and Professor Dr. John Sullivan for bringing this analogy of sorts to my attention.) It is an experience, in Dr. Sullivan's words "behind which talent will line up clamoring for an opportunity to be let inside, much like patrons at a hot night club." Adding to this image, I see the people on the ‘inside' feeling privilege and honor -- and knowing that they are "where it is at."

In this blog, I will open up for discussion stories about employment brands, jobs, careers and EMC's culture. I will also cover in candid terms our journey toward being the best place on the planet to work for people who best fit our unique employment brand. "Best" is a core word in the EMC culture. "Best" is where the bar is always set for everything we do. "Best" is also a moving target. We're still learning - through the words, voices and actions of our people and free agents in the marketplace - where we're pretty darned terrific and where we could shape up to create The Ultimate Velvet Rope.

You are cordially invited to add to the dialog.

Are you living behind the velvet rope? What about your company's culture inspires you to do your best work?