Remote work is getting rarer

With remote work becoming more rare, recruiters struggle to lure in top candidates to companies who want them in office. Meanwhile 91% of companies are still in the infancy stages of AI deployment. It's not too late to start.

Author

The Deputy
February 01, 2024

“Focus on being productive instead of being busy”

Tim Ferriss

If you want to know what it’s like to partner with a crazy founder, tune into Netflix and watch Super Pumped, The Battle for Uber.  Based on true events, the show takes you through the story of ambitious CEO, Travis Kalanick, founder of Uber where he revolutionized the transportation industry. He rose quickly but his tenure was marred by controversies, creating a toxic workplace culture characterized by sexism and aggressive business tactics. One of his favorite interview questions was…

“Are you an @#shole?” Hot tip: If you wanted to work at Uber back in Travis’s day, the right answer would be yes. 🤦🏻

In today’s email:

  • Job News:  Remote work is getting rarer. Fully remote jobs receive 46% of all applications, despite only making up 10% of open roles. 📑

  • Overheard at coffee: Only 9% of organizations have an AI vision in place ☕️

  • Trending AI Tools: Do more with AI powered job search tools for resumes, cover letters, networking and more - Meet WonsultingAI 👋🏽

  • Hot Jobs: (keep scrolling down ⬇️)

  • Recruiting Fails: Dear candidate - Did you even read the job posting?❌

☕️ 👇 Make your workplace (at home or in-office) coffee better. 👇 ☕️

Coffee Options

Freshly roasted coffee at home and in the workplace. Delivered straight to you.

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Job News

Remote work is getting rarer…

The other day I was taking my youngest home from basketball practice and noticed a parking lot full of “In Office” workers walking to their cars after a hard earned day of work. I immediately felt like it was 2019 again…

Then I remembered we are now in the year 2024 and many people have gone back to an office environment and many people do not have the high class privilege to work remotely. The pandemic triggered the “remote vs. in-office” change, while good for many, this has challenged perceptions of equity and fairness and made recruiters work harder to find the diamonds in the rough who will hang up the “remote work life” for an “in office” job. 

Ask our recruiting & sales team (Tay Tay, Nate Dog and Sethro) how hard it is to convince senior level engineering and product candidates to work in office for a well paying unicorn stage company.

The divide amongst “remote work” and “in-office” is becoming real. Research out of Harvard shows that remote work opportunities escalate with salary levels, education requirements and job experience. Maybe you need to pay the price to get to remote work status but do not rest on your laurels because without human interaction, you run the risk of becoming irrelevant. The Deputy recommends you at least show up for a cup of coffee.

The competition for fully remote jobs is becoming more fierce. Fully remote jobs receive 46% of all applications, despite only making up 10% of open roles. Ask any recruiter who is working on a remote job and they will tell you that it’s easier to hire “remote candidates”, than “in- office candidates”.

As we venture into 2024 the key is to recognize if you have a divide at your company about remote work. If you have some of your workers remote and some in office. What are their perceptions? If you are all remote but team morale is low, consider going to the office. If you are all in office, but nobody talks with each other and they do zoom calls with the person down the hall, maybe you don’t like each other OR maybe you can do your work remotely…

The companies who can nail their Office/Remote workplace, will have the recruiting advantage. Your guiding star should be focused on results, empathy, innovation and a commitment to equity. Make your work culture stronger by being smart about working in the office. +2 if you can offer great coffee at work.

PS - We have a client who wants all engineers to work in an office, but their VP of Engineering often works remotely. Don’t do this.

Overheard at coffee ☕️

Only 9% of organizations have an AI vision in place. I would like to speak with the 9% who have a vision.

According to an October 2023 Gartner study, only 9% of organizations have an AI vision in place. If you are feeling behind, in the dark or not sure where to start with AI, you are not alone. Most companies aren’t sure where to start either. 

Having traveled across the country the last 3 months talking with leaders in the AI space at the AI New York Business Summit, CES in Vegas and in my home state of Utah, it seems there are still a small sample of people taking AI seriously. There is a talent gap and some real benefits and also risks with implementing AI into your organization. 

Start with documenting your processes and hire someone to help map out your key processes (if you have that luxury). Then work to identify areas where you can apply AI to make it better. Most people struggle with what data to feed AI and/or what questions to ask it. Start by looking at your own work first and based on your risk tolerance steer your work to where AI is evolving. 

Create a plan with a vision for what AI can do for your work. 

🚀 Candidates - this tool is for you. Do more with AI powered job search tools for resumes, cover letters, networking and more - Meet WonsultingAI - https://www.wonsulting.ai/ 

Give Wonsulting AI a test and let me know what you think. 

🔥 Hot Jobs - $1K Referral Fee

  • LVT - LiveView Technologies (come build technology to decrease crime and make communities safer) - $1B Unicorn valuation

  • VP of Growth - CONFIDENTIAL SEARCH. Need DTC experience w/ growth stage startups. Must be in NYC or willing to relocate.

  • Lead Executive Assistant for Coca Cola! - Unlimited Diet Coke and In office in Draper, UT - (Lead a team of 4 EAs and handle all EA duties for the CEO)

  • Superintendent at Westland Construction - must live in St. George, UT OR be willing to relocate there.

  • Coming Soon:

    • Full-Stack Engineer in India

Recruiting Fails: As found on Reddit - see the picture below. Anyone who has done recruiting comes across candidates who have zero qualifications for the job and you wonder if they even read the job description. It’s similar to me applying to be a brain surgeon. I have zero experience or education for it and if I applied, I deserve an honest answer.

The Deputy will always treat candidates and hiring managers with respect but I do side with the recruiter who sent this message. Sometimes you just need to be real with people. 

It’s a recruiting fail, but a fail with a good reason.

 

Do you have recruiting Fail Stories? Reply with your epic fails – we'll feature them. Own your blunders, embrace vulnerability, and let's all level up together.

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Today’s email was brought to you by Ben Martinez. Editing by Nate “needs product candidates” Smith.