Do you like people? One would think the answer should always be yes, but in reality, such a question must be answered carefully and with honesty. Sometimes we are prone to filtering our responses, even when internally posed. Sometimes we focus our responses to fit what we think other people would like to hear—particularly if those other people are prospective employers.
Most job listings include specifications regarding where the work will actually take place. The usual three suspects are: On-Site, Remote, or Hybrid. The best way to know what situation would be ideal for you is to assess your personality. What day-to-day work environment would enrich your very soul and give you the motivation to strive forth with enthusiasm?
To determine your own social preferences, it’s essential that you take stock of your personality.
There are many layers and variations of Extrovertism and Introvertism, but the general sense of each involves an individual’s environmental source from which they extract energy, or rather, re-energize. Extroverts in general tend to gain energy externally, from social interactions. Introverts generally tend to re-energize through quiet times in solitude. Again, there are endless variations per personality, but these are broad strokes of definition to get your gears churning.
Before considering your ideal work set-up, ask yourself questions:
- How do I feel before going to a big party?
a) Excited b) Nervous
- How do I feel during a big party?
a) Interactive b) Shy
- How do I feel after a big party?
a) Enlightened b) Exhausted
- How do I feel when planning a day all to myself?
a) Lonely b) Peaceful
- How do I feel during a day all to myself?
a) Bored b) Valuable
- How do I feel after a day all to myself?
a) Dejected? b) Restored?
If you answered more a’s than b’s, you can guess that you might tend toward being an Extrovert. More b’s than a’s could indicate that you are more of an Introvert.
There are so many fabulous personality tests to be taken, and the hope is that in playing around with them, you will get to know yourself better. Take a look around online. Ask AI to assess you. The knowledge of who you are deep-down, will guide you enormously in your job hunt.
Say that you adore people and thrive on their presence and energy. You might feel very excited to work on-site. You would probably be stoked to have colleagues milling around you throughout the day, to participate in group lunch breaks, and to end a fulfilling work session with some team-building hangouts together.
What if, however, you are considering working on-site from a silent space of seclusion? Perhaps you would be tucked away alone at a desk in the basement of a sterile, fluorescently-lit building. This might sound like the most tragic thing ever, if you thrive on the presence of others. Alternately, such quiet space may provide serenity, a sense of relief, and precious focus for the person who wants to be left alone to think and figure. Some people just find other people irritating or stressful when they are trying to accomplish independent tasks.
For those who prefer keeping to themselves, working remotely might sound quite desirable. If a home office is possible and comfortable, such a set-up could be a pleasingly solitary route.
However, if a home office is not possible, the remote worker is required to elect a workspace, which could end up being communally inhabited. One might end up needing to set up a remote and temporary office outside, where pedestrians sashay by with their water bottles, their dogs, and their blaring music.
Others would find working remotely the most glorious thing in the world because they could take their work wherever they go. So long as there was WiFi, a remote worker could travel, stay in hostels or hotels, and engage in social hiking expeditions or karaoke breaks in between meetings. The flexibility of remote work could also serve family life well. Being present at home might allow an employee to provide care for their younger children or elderly parents.
Without an official work base to commute to, other people might feel unanchored as a remote worker. They might feel unprofessional or distracted. They could be discouraged by the very freedom of it, the lack of structure, or the wild potential of wearing slippers “on the job”.
Hybrid work would give a taste of both worlds, but on the other hand, entails both worlds. If a person feels very strongly drawn to either Remote or On-Site, for whatever reason, they might not want to have to incorporate the other form, even for part of the time.
On-Site, Remote, or Hybrid? These are vital variables. How to decide?
The first step is to be 100% true to self. It doesn’t matter what is popular.
Look inward and listen to your own voice.
A Pro’s and Cons list can really help you determine what is your best fit.
Here is an impromptu example:
On-Site Pro’s
- Team members are accessible and in-real-life
- Easier to participate in team-building and social activities
- Comfortable office space away from the emotional stimulus of home life
On-Site Cons
- Travel can be time-consuming and expensive
- Extroverts might be under-stimulated if few others operate on-site
- Introverts might feel overstimulated by constant interactions
Hybrid Pro’s
- There is a little taste of both worlds
- Home and office space offer task variety
- Some aspects are appealing to either Extroverts or Introverts
Hybrid Cons
- Still requires screen-time which can be waring on body and mind
- Still requires transportation, which can cost both time and money
- Might take extra work to track varied modes of communication
Remote Pro’s
- Working from home can offer more time for personal life
- Work environment can be more private and controlled
- Tasks can be accomplished en route, offering flexibility for traveling adventurers
Remote Cons
- Screen-time might stack up to 8 hours a day, which could be utterly exhausting
- Work via video-meeting platforms can feel isolating or awkward
- One must rely on electricity and WiFi accessibility to get work done
After you’ve become better acquainted with yourself and have made your Pro’s and Cons list, you are mindfully envisioning yourself performing the job description in question. Ultimately, you get to decide whether you apply or not. With practice, your decision-making process will become more intuitive and unconscious. You will be living life lucidly, holding the reins in your own talented hands.
The most enchanting thing about being a job hunter is that you get to choose!
Leave a Reply