Are you engaged in your work?
Engagement is an emotional connection to your job/cause/mission and an enthusiasm for your work.
Not sure?
Which side of the fence do you sit on the following statements?
Signs of Engagement vs Signs of Disengagement
- Jump out of bed on Monday morning VS. Dread Sunday evenings because you have to work the next day
- Losing track of time at work VS. Watching your desk clock tick until 5pm
- Offering more to help your coworkers VS. Doing as little as possible without getting fired
- Fun to be around VS. Misery looking for a companion
If you are checking out the RackerTalent.com site looking for a new career, may I offer you some pointers about finding a job you will be ENGAGED in? While this isn’t the complete list (not sure that exists!) of necessities to be truly engaged, here are some of the fundamentals:
- Have a passion for the purpose! You need to care about the purpose behind the company being in business. With a little research you can find out why and how companies make money. Many companies, like Rackspace, Southwest Airlines and Zappos, make their intentions known in the way they do business. You can feel the purpose when interacting with people who work there. If there is a misalignment between “why” and “how” the company makes money and your belief system, it will wear on you and eventually make you miserable.
- Be yourself. If you love meeting new people and building relationships, do not apply for a role where you have to silence your naturally “social-self” to be successful. Instead, look for roles that will require you to be social on a daily basis. The most thrilling positions are those that will require you to use your talents to reach a goal, everyday. At Rackspace, we call our innate talents “Strengths” and they are what we look for in every candidate. We want to hire YOU, not you trying to be someone else.
- Make friends at work. You spend more time with your co-workers each week than you spend with your family or friends. Meet as many of your future co-workers as you can. During the interview process, request to meet the people that you will work closely with. (At Rackspace, you don’t have to ask…..the interview team will be made of those people.)
May your career be filled with happiness and fulfillment in 2011!
Kathy Kersten joined the Rackspace family in 2006. As the Racker Engagement Manager, she is passionate about creating a workplace in which Rackers find meaning and fulfillment in their work. Her favorite part of her job is working with Rackspace teams to leverage their talents to be more productive and engaged employees.
In her spare time, Kathy enjoys sewing, reading and volunteering. She is a member of Rack Gives Back and currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for The Rackspace Foundation. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University.
Connect with Kathy on Twitter by clicking here!
