Matt Adolphe - Would You Hire You?

Finally! A book that gives you sound, practical advice on how to be successful on the job and in your career. This is a must read for job seekers, recent college graduates, and those looking to switch careers. It all starts with Would you hire you?

-Therese Dickerson, Director of Recruiting, International Bridge

Developing leaders who can help shape the 21st century is no easy task. However, this book provides excellent tips on how organizations and individuals can bring ownership and compassion to the work they do.

-Nimir Raval, Social Worker/Community Builder, City of Edmonton

This is a fantastic book! Great advice on everything from handling difficult conversations to dealing with different personality types. Its full of real life examples which brings the book to life. An excellent follow up to Canadian Workplace Culture!

-Debbie Mastel, Critical Talent Specialist, Devon Energy

An informative read that is thorough yet practical. The real-world scenarios offer a profound vision of a respectful and empathetic workplace.

-Eric VandeVelde, Chair, Publications/Social Media, HRPA Ottawa

A valuable go-to guide that will definitely assist you in achieving greater job satisfaction and security. Matts clear, concise, and hands-on ideas can be quickly utilized to help you navigate todays changing world of work.

-Ron Volk, Coordinator of Employment Services, CCIS

Copyright 2015 Matt Adolphe
Published by Iguana Books
720 Bathurst Street, Suite 303
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5V 2R4

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise (except brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of the author or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

Publisher: Greg Ioannou
Editor: Veronica Adolphe
Front cover design: Daniella Postavsky
Book layout design: Kathryn Willms

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Adolphe, Matt, author

Would you hire you? / Matt Adolphe.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-1-77180-156-0 (paperback).ISBN 978-1-77180-157-7 epub).ISBN 978-1-77180-158-4 (kindle)

1. Organizational behavior--Canada. 2. Work environment--Canada. 3. Language in the workplace--Canada. I. Title.

This is an original print edition of Would You Hire You?

For Harry

Also by the author

Canadian Workplace Culture:
Mastering the Unspoken Rules

First and foremost, acknowledgement must go to my wife, Veronica, who continues to be such a major contributor. She is wonderful and has been incredibly helpful throughout the whole writing process. She is a remarkable editor and I am deeply indebted to her for all her encouragement and support. Likewise, since a great part of the writing process takes place at home, our children, Joseph, Edward, and Gabriella, are continually demonstrating how wonderfully supportive and understanding they can be. They are small but they have very big hearts.

Also, appreciation goes out to all my friends, colleagues, and students, who encouraged me to continue writing, and to everyone who participated in the talks, presentations, and workshops over the last few years. The world is truly a beautiful place with all of you in it.

Matt Adolphe
Calgary
December 2015

This book represents a natural follow-up project to Canadian Workplace Culture: Mastering the Unspoken Rules. In the past few years, through various talks and workshops, many people have shared their reactions to that book. What struck me from those reactions was a noticeable and overwhelming desire to learn more about how to have job security and satisfaction. So Would You Hire You? strives to introduce those skills that individuals need to be highly successful in their careers.

Things are happening fast in the world of work, especially with the emergence of our newest generationthe first technologically native generation, Generation Z, in the workplace. Like Gen Y before it, Gen Z presents another game changer for the rest of the generations. Their fast and highly entrepreneurial mindsets offer exciting opportunities for all industries. And if you thought change was fast before, you have not seen anything yet. And this is only one part of the reality that we face every day as we aim for success along our chosen career paths.

Therefore, in response to the uncertainty of our future, this book aims to help everyone put that uncertainty into perspective. In the end, the only way we can keep on top of the changing world of work is to keep ahead of those changes.

This book proposes 10 tips to help you excel in your job in this changing world of work. If you follow these tips, not only do you become an essential employee, but you also make work a better place for those around you. Lets call it a win-win situation.

We often hear people say, I have worked for that company for fourteen years and they just laid me off. or I have worked here longer than that person. Why am I being laid off first?

We also note that working at the same job for 25 years and collecting a pension afterwards is no longer common in any industry these days. Contracts are for one to two years only; sometimes longer, but still nothing is guaranteed for the long run.

In any event, the key to getting ahead in your career and avoiding layoffs altogether is in your hands. You have to realize that with the advance of technology, everything changes much faster. Those with technical expertise and flexibility are favoured and depended on more. The key words here are depended on. Because when you are depended on, you have power at your job.

So you need to ask yourself: Do I have power at my job?

If your answer is, No, anyone else can do my job, you need to think deeply about what your career path is. Where do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish? Where do you want to be in five years?

We cannot just clock in and clock out, and do the same thing every day. The world is globally in tune with diversity, understanding, and technology. You need to be a citizen of the world to bring value to your organization.

Your world of work needs you to be sensitive and flexible to a multitude of things. You have to be flexible in job assignments. You have to learn and embrace new ideas. You have to possess superb communication and interpersonal skills. You have to be adaptable and diverse. These are areas that give you power in your job. Mastering skills in these areas makes you indispensable and puts you in control of your career path.

Ultimately, you need to be conscious of your impact at work and on others. You work in a results-powered world but you are still very much judged on how you treat others during the process of your work. In other words, completing tasks and meeting deadlines is essential, but that is not what defines who you are. Day after day, you get your work done and do what is required of you; you meet your sales quota, or you complete a project before the deadline, but does that make you a valuable employee? Does that build your reputation and win the respect of your colleagues? Does that help you keep your job or get ahead?