Landing a Great Job Volume #4: Choosing a Company That is Up With the Times

The use of electronic devices has become an every day part of life for nearly everyone these days. With the click of a button, we can send instant messages directly to one another and receive an immediate response. Through the smart phone revolution, use of tablets, social media, and other various internet services, we are now able to snap pictures and post to the web in real time, research any given topic and receive a wealth of information, and video chat with people hundreds of miles away. Utilizing these tools is easier said than done for some individuals and some companies. With that being said, take some time to evaluate yourself and your potential new employer and your respective levels of competency when it comes to technology in the work force.

Utilizing the internet. How are you required to do your charting? If your potential employer requires notes by  hand, don’t panic. There are many companies out there who are still using hand written notes. But, the question is… how flexible are they? If they aren’t ever willing to evolve, maybe they are resistant to change. Could this be a problem for you? If the potential employer uses electronic, paperless notes, will this be a challenge for you? Ask yourself, are you able to adapt? Are you willing to learn how to use technology in this ever-evolving day & age? If electronic notes are used, here is an important question: are you able to do your notes after work, outside of facility grounds? If flexibility is one of those benefits that was important to you, then you may want to consider this.

Does the company have an intranet? Intranets are different from the internet. An intranet is an inner network within the company that allows the employees to log in and see the most important internal updates. It is an additional means of communication that is not open to the public. Does the company use internal email? If so, can you access your company email from anywhere or only from a company facility? Also, are you required to use your personal email address, or will a company email address be given to you? If none of these options are used, then how does your company communicate important messages to their staff?

Does the company utilize text messages as an acceptable form of communication? If so, what type of messages are they communicating? Will they use this system to tell you that you’ve been given a promotion or been laid off? Yikes! Or do they only use this system for informal topics, such as reminders and birthday messages? If text messages are being used, how often?

Skype. Chances are, if the company doesn’t know what Skype is, then they aren’t up with the times.  If your potential employer is a relatively large company, or spans across a large geographic area, are they going to expect you to drive several hours or several miles to attend a quick meeting? Will they offer Skype as an option? These are things to consider as a therapist. You don’t want to spend your valuable time driving to a meeting while losing time that could be spent treating your patients.

Determining the answers to these questions may help you to get a good idea of what technology era your potential employer is living in. If you are more comfortable with hand written notes and the old fashioned phone call for communication, then don’t bite off more than you can chew by accepting a job with a technologically advanced company. But if you’re willing to learn, adapt, and evolve in this tech savvy day & age, then look for a company that is also willing to do the same.

 

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