When you interview for a job, you want to make sure the company is a good fit for you. Does the company share your values? Does it have an environment you would find conducive to doing your best work?
An important part of that consideration is the people who work at the company. For many people, this is the most important consideration. Will they get along with their coworkers? Will they like them and enjoy working with them?
Toward that end, it is a good idea to learn a little about the workforce when applying for a job. You will probably get a chance to meet some of the employees during the hiring process. One important consideration is the diversity of the workforce. How homogenous is it – old and young, men and women, different racial and ethnic backgrounds? There are both advantages and disadvantages to consider with diversity. Some advantages of diversity:
1. You meet people with different kinds of skills.
Older workers naturally have different skill sets than younger ones. Younger workers may be more technically savvy, but older workers have more experience, may know how to handle people better, have better communication skills.
2. Finding a mentor
If you work at a company with more workforce diversity, it will be easier to find someone to act as a mentor. But if you are working at an IT startup, for example, where most of the workforce is younger people, it would be more difficult to find someone with the experience to act as a mentor.
3. A variety of opinions and ideas
With a more diverse workforce, you have people with different backgrounds and experiences, and so you will encounter a greater variety of opinions and viewpoints, which might help to expand your own horizons.
But diversity is not without its challenges as well. The same differences in backgrounds and experiences that can enrich each other can also present obstacles. People with different beliefs sometimes are unwilling to listen to other viewpoints. They are convinced of the superiority of their own views. Obviously, this makes it harder to work with them.
If you are looking for work in the Anchorage area, Opti Staffing is the agency with the experience and expertise to help you find the job that is right for you. Give Opti a call today.