Megan Riksen:

Hello and welcome to the Work Like a Laker podcast. I'm Megan Riksen, and today my co-host is Brian. And Brian, my question for you today is did you ever work remotely before Covid?

Brian Bossick:

No. I, I don't think I did. I was thinking about that. I'm like, Nope, this is, this was like a first brand new experience for me.

Megan Riksen:

I know, I, for me too. Yeah. I think, yeah, I always had in-person positions. I feel like maybe I would work remote if like you had to have somebody coming over to the house for the afternoon to like fix your refrigerator or something.

Brian Bossick:

<Laugh>. Right. And you can take like all your notes with you and if you were lucky to have a laptop, you could like bring that home with you, but it didn't always work, right? Yes,

Megan Riksen:

Totally. Totally. So today we're gonna talk through all things remote work. Which industries have shifted to more remote work, how to find remote positions, if that's something you're interested in. And then ultimately how to determine if working remotely is right for you. So yeah, we all got probably a little too much experience working remotely. Right. <laugh>, we were forced because of covid but it's definitely not a new concept.

Brian Bossick:

Well, that's a great point. Cause it isn't you know, COVID definitely forced us into that. And it's interesting with remote work because it isn't necessarily all online. However, a remote position might resemble what we've seen for the past couple years where you call into video meetings and you work on projects like separately, but then come back together and talk about 'em. Yep. Or then you share a screen and work with that. Could also mean that you're, you're doing a job where you're physically removed from your company, like positions with a lot of traveling, such as meeting with clients or talent recruiting could be considered a remote positioned by companies if you're aren't in your office every day. And you know, it's interesting too, while everyone's adapted to moving online in some form or another, some students and employees prefer to work remotely while others prefer like the energy of, of that in-person environment.

Megan Riksen:

Right. Totally. So from your own experience, what would you say are some of the pros and cons of working remotely?

Brian Bossick:

Good question. I, I think there's, it's funny, like the pros it's great that you a) you save on gas, especially today. Like that's, that's fairly important. Yes. Oh my gosh. Gas, you often get some extra sleep cuz you don't have to get up as early. And there is that flexibility sometimes where you're working and then you can take a break in your home environment and that can be really relaxing for sure. I think my favorite too is that you, you sometimes have like that semiprofessional dress where you've got like my professional shirt and I've got shorts on and it'ss fine. Yes.

Megan Riksen:

Especially in the summer. That's nice.

Brian Bossick:

It's a great way to do it. Yeah. Yeah. yeah. How about you for pros?

Megan Riksen:

Yeah, definitely the same ones. I feel like lunch was easy cuz you didn't have to pack a lunch and you could have whatever you wanted. You didn't have to plan for that in the morning. <Laugh>. Yes. I also liked how yeah, on a lunch break or like quick in between a meeting you can throw in a load of laundry, you know? Yes. You can switch it over. Things like that, that take like no time out of your workday, but you know, you're getting something done that you don't have to do after work. Absolutely. Right? Absolutely. Yeah. Like instead of a break talking to coworkers, you have a quick break for laundry.

Brian Bossick:

<Laugh>. You know, as we think about this we talk about all the pros and, and if everything was a pro, I think everyone might choose remote. Right. Were there certain cons that you encountered as you were doing it?

Megan Riksen:

Yes. Yes. Looking back, I'm kind of like, how did I do that because my kids were at home and they're not quiet. So yes, I had childcare. We had, but the childcare came to my house, it was my mom, so they were always home <laugh>. And that, especially at the beginning, like when school was out, it was really, really hard. To manage. So the distractions were, were pretty big. So I really enjoy the quiet environment back at work. Now what about you?

Brian Bossick:

I would say distractions is one of the biggest. Right? Yeah. Like sometimes switching your brain from like, Hey, my pencil broke for class, where's the sharpener? How does this work to somebody's fighting over crayons. I think the other big con was sometimes just staying connected to the office. Yeah, for sure. I I found when it was like a hundred percent remote, it was hard. Like at times it was hard to feel connected. It was hard to get that energy and you yeah. You really had to count on yourself to find like that self-starter energy. Right. Can you do it? Yes. Can you get going? Can you stay focused and can you trust yourself?

Megan Riksen:

Absolutely. And being intentional about reaching out to colleagues. Yes. I found that, I mean there were some colleagues I naturally worked with very frequently but then there were a handful of people in the office and were like, I haven't talked to you in months other than seeing you on a staff meeting or something. Right, exactly. Yeah. So it's kind of weird. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So yeah, there's pros and cons and we, we wanna kind of keep talking through that. All companies have had their own timeline for moving back to the office. So some have been in person since shortly after the pandemic started. Others might have adapted more of a hybrid model of work where employees come in a few days. And others still have moved completely to remote work. According to an article from Forbes Industries that did well with remote workers included banking, manufacturing and public sector positions such as lawyers and consultants. Other positions that did well with remote work were those where the company had resources to send employees their laptops, other technology. I even heard of some places giving a nice little budget for a quick little home office remodel.

Brian Bossick:

I like that idea.

Megan Riksen:

Which would be super fun.

Brian Bossick:

Which would be amazing.

Megan Riksen:

My chair was always terrible <laugh> and I wished for a new office chair. Indeed also posted a list of majors that are more aligned with finding remote positions upon graduation. So some of these included web design, it, business journalism, graphic design, even counseling could be some that can, you know, just flow a little bit more naturally into a remote sort of environment. Definitely check out the show notes though, cause we're gonna have a full list there. And if you want, you can also explore some of these majors and more on our website, the Career Center's website looking at the career guides by major resource that we offer there.

Brian Bossick:

Excellent. As, as you think about it, so we've talked a lot about pros, cons. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> ideas where remote might come from. So as you're listening, you're probably wondering, well, how do I know if this is right for me? And Megan and I wanted to provide a list of questions and with some of them looking at personality traits, your values, your interests and what we'd like you to do as we're talking through those questions, make note of your answers and this might help you figure out what option is the best fit for me. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>.

Megan Riksen:

Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>.

Brian Bossick:

I like it. All right.

Megan Riksen:

Okay. Question number one. And we'll try to answer these ourselves as well. So Brian, do you tend to be more social or more reserved

Brian Bossick:

And I would normally say I'm somewhere in the middle, but that is not gonna work for this <laugh>. So I'm not, I'm not allowed. I'll choose. I tend to be a little bit more reserved. So I, I do like talking to people and interacting. I noticed when it was fully remote, and unless you, as you said Megan, unless you're intentional in reaching out, you, it's easy to get disconnected. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. But I think for myself, the one part of remote was when it was quiet I could get focused, get things done, and I was good with that kind of energy.

Megan Riksen:

Totally. Yeah. And I would say on the flip side, I tend to be a little more social. I also feel like I'm somewhere in the middle, but I would lean toward the social side. And if that's you, as you're listening, you may want to look for positions that are in person. Remote work might not provide that level of camaraderie with your coworkers that you need to feel satisfied in your role. And that's what we're really looking for. Right. Like feeling content and satisfied in the position that we're in. So what sort of work is going to get us there? You might also be someone who likes to bounce ideas off of other people who wants to have lunch with other people. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. Which obviously is a little harder to do when working from home unless it's with the people who are living in your household

Brian Bossick:

Every single day.

Megan Riksen:

Every, and you get to see them a lot. Anyway, <laugh>.

Brian Bossick:

Yes you do. <Laugh>. Megan, I think you bring up a great point. Cause it is looking for kind of that job that you don't have to work so hard to get what you need from it. Right. And keeping that in mind too.

Megan Riksen:

Exactly.

Brian Bossick:

All right. So question number two, Megan, is your remote environment prone to distractions or disruptions?

Megan Riksen:

Yes. <laugh> 100% as I mentioned. Yeah. When there's kids in the house, yeah, they don't, I mean, they can try to be quiet or be in a different room when you're on a call and things like that, but yeah, the distractions and disruptions are certainly there even when you have childcare in the house. And that was, that was my situation. So yeah, wasn't wasn't the best in that way. What about you?

Brian Bossick:

Yeah, I, I would say yes. There were some times I, I think on the flip side of this, where maybe they're back at school, we're still remote at certain times. Yeah. And I think if, if your environment as you're listening to this and can think about when, when it is quiet, when there's less distractions mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, if you can create a flow and a schedule that works for you, then that might be a great fit to consider because you could, you could jump from say, the home part of your house to my office part or to this part where you, where you switch onto work mode. Yep,

Megan Riksen:

Yep. And if you're living with a bunch of other people who maybe have jobs, maybe one of them is a nurse who works at night, so you know you have the house. That's a great point yourself during the day, right? Yes. So you kind of have to analyze your personal situation. That's

Brian Bossick:

Right.

Megan Riksen:

Okay. Brian, does your success in your chosen career depend on networking?

Brian Bossick:

Not necessarily from my career. Sure. So it's interesting like working for a counseling center where students are coming in, they're seeking out counseling, networking isn't so much part of what I would do.

Megan Riksen:

Right. They're gonna come to you, regardless of if you are out there networking or not. Yeah,

Brian Bossick:

That's right. Yeah. So I, I think in that case, remote work lends itself well as you're part of a bigger agency like this mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. So if it wasn't, let's say University Counseling Center mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, if it was a, a bigger private practice or mm-hmm. <Affirmative> or let's a place even like Pine Rest mm-hmm. <Affirmative> where folks are gonna call in then get triaged to you. Sure. They're coming in naturally. So networking isn't as important for that role. Yep. Yeah. And so remote work would work

Megan Riksen:

Well with that. Sure. Makes sense. Yeah. If you said yes you may want to filter out remote positions when job searching cuz Yeah. Networking is a part of a lot of positions where FaceTime with people is helpful or I guess in the career center our, all of our career advisors and those who work with our employer partners you know, it's helpful to be on campus to meet with faculty Absolutely. Or just have those casual run-ins. It's helpful to be in person when you're meeting with a potential employer who wants to hire our students. So yeah, I would say career center, there's a little bit of both.

Brian Bossick:

That makes sense. And it almost brings back that same point of like, how are you intentional if you need to start doing some networking, build that into your schedule. So if you're primarily remote, then maybe it's two days a month, you do things that kind of bring people together.

Megan Riksen:

Totally. Yep.

Brian Bossick:

Excellent. So our fourth question, Megan, are you a self-starter or do you do better with explicit instructions?

Megan Riksen:

That's hard for me. I also wanna walk the line on this one.

Brian Bossick:

Don't do it.

Megan Riksen:

Don't do it. I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say self-starter <laugh> just because I, I like to take initiative. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> my job now doing marketing and communications for the Career Center. It's kind of on me to get things going if I don't do something doesn't happen. Yeah. So yeah, I'd say self-starter. What about you?

Brian Bossick:

Good point. I, I would walk the line there too, but I'll go on the other side of it. Okay, good. And say like, I, I do like explicit instruction. Yeah. I do know sometimes if I've got a great outline I think in outlines. So if someone's like, Hey, we're here's our goal. Yeah. Then I'm, I'm great going with it. But if there's that kind of structure, and I think that's what that one thing, if you are, let's say more in person, it's really easy to get in touch with someone, run ideas by them, talk it over. And for me, as someone who likes that kind of lead in instruction, that's really helpful.

Megan Riksen:

Right. Yeah. That's, yeah. If you really want kind of that more constant feedback or being able to bounce ideas off of people. Yeah. Remote work might be a little, it might be a little more challenging to just have that naturally happen.

Brian Bossick:

Yeah. Naturally. Exactly. Yeah.

Megan Riksen:

Okay. Final question, and I know the answer for you. Yeah. But are you tied to a geographic location?

Brian Bossick:

Yes. <laugh>. So, so you know, I, I think that's, that's an interesting one. So yes, I, I think there is some, some ties here mm-hmm. <Affirmative> and that that kind of adds both flexibility for in-person, but then maybe something that is also if they offer a remote option mm-hmm. <Affirmative> would allow you to do that. Mm-Hmm.

Megan Riksen:

<Affirmative>. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. So you know, it's a good thing to evaluate, do I want to be able to live wherever I want and move around from year to year keeping the same position or you know, do I want to make sure that I can kind of stick around in one spot?

Brian Bossick:

Exactly.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. And I mean, kind of a hybrid thing would be you have a in-person position, but most of your work is traveling. So that also, that's a remote position cuz you're not at home, you still are meeting with people in person, but you're not at

Brian Bossick:

Home. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. You bring up a great point too about when you look up job descriptions, how do you understand what they mean by remote? Yes. And, and that's I'll come back to that point in a second. Yes. So I wanna say as you're listening to these questions hopefully you've been take keeping track for yourself and you're looking at what is adding up, what's not how it all fits together. Think about these answers, think about how they influence the type of jobs that you're looking for. And there are some really great job tools that will let you look at the job description to see what does remote mean for that. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> these might be handshake. Linkedin indeed provides options to filter your job search results with remote positions and temporary remote options available. And some also mention, hey, this is hybrid or remote work can be negotiated. Sure. Yeah. So definitely pay close attention to the job description to see how they define remote work

Megan Riksen:

For sure. And yeah, kind of that negotiation piece, I would say that's something that in the majority of cases might be on the table, right? That yeah. That they would maybe allow them their employees some sort of hybrid option. I think you wanna be careful how you might ask for that and you wanna do it later in the, in the process Absolutely. When you're having conversations. But I think that's certainly something that is much easier to negotiate now than it was pre-COVID.

Brian Bossick:

Thinking about job descriptions of what they used to look like compared to what you see now. I think you're right, that is so much more on the table.

Megan Riksen:

Absolutely. Awesome. So ultimately thinking about your own personality work style and what flexibility you need from an employer can help you guide your decision to apply for and accept remote versus in, in person position or like we've said, maybe the combo of the two, right. Maybe some sort of a hybrid. So yeah, I think we've, I think we've covered it today, Brian.

Brian Bossick:

I think so too. So take a moment, think about your answers and absolutely see what works best

Megan Riksen:

For you, see what works, and always come in and chat if you want to kind of talk that through with someone.

Brian Bossick:

Absolutely.

Megan Riksen:

Great. All right. Thank you so much to everyone for listening and we hope you tune in to a future episode soon.