Chapter IV　Working for Happiness

　I mentioned earlier that it is important to choose a job or a way of working that centers on executing the theme you want to do for fun, but before we look at how to do that, let's check the current situation and sort out recent changes in the work environment.

　Due to the impact of the COVID-19, more and more companies are implementing remote work. Even before the pandemic, some people were working from home, but the widespread adoption of meeting systems such as Zoom and Teams has enabled us to do business not only with internal meetings, but also with our customers without having to go out of our way. It's very efficient when you think about the travel time.

　The development of AI is also having a huge impact on business. It feels like a long time ago that AI won over the top players of Chess and Go, which were said to be difficult. And recently, AI has been performing as well as humans in creative fields such as novels, paintings and music.
　How to effectively use AI in business is also becoming important.

　Focusing on labor-related laws, work style reforms started in 2019 (= large corporations, small businesses in 2020). This suggests that working hours tend to be shorter and means more private time.

　As a consultant in creating a salary and evaluation system, I recently feel that more and more companies are shifting from seniority-based pay systems to job-based pay systems. Although it is difficult to create a clear job-based pay system, as in the case of companies in the United States, new graduates are shifting from the old system, in which they all start with the same amount and gradually increase with age, to the idea that there is a range of salaries for each department (according to the difficulty level of the job) and that salaries fluctuate by adding management levels such as job titles.

　As a result of a comprehensive consideration of these and other recent news, I have come up with the following picture of how to work and what to keep in mind a few years from now.

　 We can't match AI in the amount of knowledge, so we need to add deep knowledge and experience specific to a certain field, as well as the physicality unique to humans, to demonstrate our abilities. It's not easy to become an expert, but at least it will be important to create something within yourself that you are good at.
　It's also important to be sensitive and flexible with the current of the times. In order to develop flexibility, it's important to know about the emotional issue of being aware of being flexible and the many options out there.

　Your communication skills are high if you have the following three skills: to communicate clearly, to understand what the other person is saying, and to get a favorable impression from the other person.
Communicating clearly is relatively easy to improve with training and experience. Understanding is also improved by carefully receiving the other person's speech and message and considering the situation they are in. The hard part is getting a favorable impression from the other person.
　There are different types of people who get a favorable impression. Personality has a lot to do with it, so it's hard to generalize what's right, but I think the following two things make it easier to understand.

　That means learning a good example or doing something different from a bad example. I think it's easier to accept copying good examples, but it's also important to think about people you don't like.
　When you think about people you don't like, you start to see a lot of shortcomings. And you just have to be careful never to do those shortcomings. Just being aware of a few little things should improve your likability.

　Good communication is not about talking a lot. Of course, it's not about refuting the other person. It's because there's no point saying the right thing and then being disliked.
　It's a good communication technique to get the other person to talk a lot, make the conversation go smoothly, and still get your thoughts across.
　Some jobs require high communication skills, while others require good communication skills. It is important to select a job based on your communication skills and aptitude.

　Office work is mainly desk work using a computer. It is common to do it according to a set procedure or format, so you don't have to think deeply about each one. Speed and accuracy are required for standardized operations.
　They are also good, bad, or picky about paperwork. If you like it, you will improve with experience, so that's no problem, but if you don't, it's a boring job.
　Those who prefer to talk to people or work outside rather than sit at a computer and work silently through some set process should choose a job that involves less paperwork. And as you get used to it, it's a good idea to focus on "accuracy" when it comes to minimal paperwork.

　Every job requires knowledge unique to the job. For example, if you work in accounting, you have knowledge about bookkeeping, if you work in florist, you have knowledge about flowers, if you work in sales, you have knowledge about your own products, and so on. Especially in highly specialized jobs, there are a lot of things to learn, so it can be hard.
　In general, it's reasonable to get a job that takes advantage of the expertise you already have, but if you're motivated, it's possible to learn expertise while working.

　Any job requires more than a little creativity, but creativity is routinely required in departments that, for example, come up with plans or come up with new ideas or products.
　If you're not good at thinking deeply about things or creating ideas, you should choose a job where the work is somewhat manual. Some people, however, say that the work of creating something can be done by anyone if they think through a somewhat fixed process. In other words, rather than coming up with a good idea as if it were descending from heaven, a certain fixed thought (process) inevitably leads to an answer. In any case, the proper test is whether you have the patience to want to create something new.

　Physical fitness is necessary for any job. However, the required level varies from job to job. When people think of physical strength, they probably think of things that are muscular, such as heavy objects and holding them, but for example, a job with heavy responsibilities, such as taking care of a person's life, or a job that requires a lot of concentration for a long time, can also be extremely tiring and require physical strength. It can also be rephrased as "energy of action" to mean the power to carry out a given task.
　 It may feel physically difficult at first, but once you get used to it, you may find yourself in the right position. The difference is whether you can endure it until you get used to it, but if you want a job that requires more physical strength than your current level, you need a passion for the job and the guts to continue.

　Different industries and jobs require different levels of communication, paperwork, expertise, creativity and physical strength. Naturally, if you excel in all five of these abilities, you'll be a person with high overall potential, but that doesn't have to be the case. When the abilities you excel at mesh well with what the company needs, you'll feel good about your job (the right person for the right job).

　You may feel that there are many other abilities that are needed beyond the five mentioned here. For example, "sales force" can be an important ability for a sales department. But if you have these five abilities, you should be able to do sales well. In other words, the idea is that by growing each of the five basic abilities as needed, you will have all the abilities you need for every job.

　You don't hear much about it these days, but you can categorize type of work as "generalist" or "specialist." The image is that a generalist is someone who has broad knowledge and manages a team well, and a specialist is someone who has specialized skills in a specialty or a specific area.

　I think the reason you don't hear this classification these days is that specialists are easy to understand, but generalists are grouped as people who are not specialists, or "many others." Alternatively, generalists can be said to be management specialists in the sense that they are people who manage well with comprehensive capabilities.

　In the coming era, it is increasingly important to aim to be a specialist in something. It means being able to say, "I'm a specialist in XX." People who are broad and shallow and can do a variety of jobs can aim to be "specialists who can respond flexibly in different departments and projects."
　If you're uncomfortable with the term specialist, starting with "Good at XX, know XX well" is a good place to start.

and so on. And if these things are recognized in the company and can be used in your work, you are a good "specialist."

　Graduates of science universities and technical schools can easily envision themselves as specialists, but it is also important for liberal arts department to become specialists with themes that suit them. And even if you have acquired some degree of specialization during your school years, experience (especially the experience of failure) is important to becoming a true specialist. And understand that you need the passage of time to experience different things, so don't rush and make sure you grow.

　If you want to start a business or know exactly what you want to do, you can push yourself toward your dreams and goals, but if you work as an "office worker," you need to think about the right job for you.
　It becomes important to do research about the industry, company, or job type that interests you -- in other words, to get to know the society.

　If you start your research with a website or a magazine for job seekers or job changers, you will probably mentally evaluate various companies or job types as "good, normal, bad." For example, if the job seems to be fun you will evaluate as "good", if the salary is low "bad", if a little far from home "normal", has a good corporate culture "good", and so on. You are unconsciously evaluating "good, normal, or bad" in various topics. And I think many people decide their first choice based on a comprehensive consideration of " good, normal, bad" with a focus on the conditions that are important to yourself.
　However, this method is not efficient.
　What approach is efficient, then? The answer is to determine the items to consider in advance. In other words, once you have a sense of the industry and company, set up a "checkpoint" to choose the right company for you. By setting checkpoints in advance, you can not only be more efficient, but you can also organize your thoughts and be more certain about choosing the right company for you.
I advise you to consider the "three essential items" and the "five checkpoints" when choosing a company.
　To get started, the three essential items are:

　In a word, it is about the company culture and aspect of conditions.
　Aspect of conditions such as salary and holidays can be easily checked as they should be listed in the recruitment guidelines. There are also a lot of general data such as annual income tables by industry and company.
　The hard part is knowing the company culture. For example, you can check the management philosophy on the website, but what is important is whether the employees are actually aware of the management philosophy and whether there is a sense of unity around it.
It would be best if you could check with the people who actually work (OB/OG visits) or who have retired, but if that is difficult, you can ask them during the interview.
　For example, what if you asked, " What are your employees doing to fulfill your company's management philosophy of making society and employees happy through your products and ensuring that your business can continue for many years with a spirit of challenge and flexibility? "
　If the OB/OG or interviewer gave you a specific story without hesitation, you can believe it, buy if the answers were like "we're all pulling together and working hard," you can't see the company's culture (just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's good or bad at this point).
　In this case, it's important to prepare another question to learn about the company's culture.
　For example, check the following to get a clue about the company's culture:

　When you know these things to some extent, you can imagine the atmosphere of the company.
　And the most important thing to know is about education and human resource development. A company with a strong education system care about its employees. Also, a good educational environment means that communication within the company is active. Education takes time. Time is money, so a company that can afford to spend money on education is a good company that has money.
　Knowing the educational environment is one of the most useful clues to understanding the corporate culture.
　A concrete image of a good company is one in which there is a convincing goal-setting process, and support and progress checks (education) from the supervisor to achieve that goal. And a company that has a solid system that appropriately evaluates results and abilities and reflects them in salary increases and promotions is a good company that thinks about employee job satisfaction and growth.

　If the three essentials are more than what you want (acceptable), it should be a strong candidate for employment. In addition, the following five checkpoints will affect your job satisfaction, so you'll want to research them thoroughly beforehand.

　①'s "Can do the job you want to do" seems very important that you may be wondering that it's a must-have. If there is a job that you absolutely want to do, job description will be an essential item. But if you want to challenge yourself in various aspects of work as long as the company culture, salary, and other conditions are good, then leaving a variety of possibilities open will result in finding the right job (or company) for you. Because of this, I have classified the job you want to do (job description) as one of the checkpoints, not as a must-have item.
　One thing you need to be careful is when you place extreme emphasis on salary rather than job description. Even if you prioritize salary and get a job you don't want, it won't last long. You might get sick from stress or hard work. One way to think about it is to hold on to a high-paying job in order to save money, but in this case, set a target savings amount and deadline. And it should be temporary, though, and in the long run it's important to get a job you feel like doing (the right job for you).

　Being able to grow through your work is another important factor. People take pleasure in growing up. We also have ambition as an instinct. No matter how much you like your work, you will eventually get tired of working in a workplace where there is no growth.
　The general image is that the quality, quantity and speed of work will gradually improve with experience, and the job content will step up with growth. And the salary will also step up with ability and performance. It would be good if you can picture yourself in 5 or 10 years and see yourself growing.
　Growth is one of the measures of happiness, and it's also an important factor in your job satisfaction.

　Being able to feel accomplished at work is another important factor in fulfilling your work life. Achievement, like growth, is another indicator of happiness.
　In general, you feel a sense of accomplishment when you achieve a goal, succeed in a difficult task, or are appreciated by your peers or customers. If you don't get a sense of accomplishment at this point, you're not qualified for the job. It can be difficult to get a sense of accomplishment when it's always the same simple task or a job with unclear goals.

　What kind of people you work with is influenced by your internal organizational structure, your subcontractors, and your customers. It's about interpersonal relationships, whether you work alone or as part of a project team, whether you work with a lot of young people or with a lot of older people. For example, how you interact with subcontractors and clients varies from job to job, so if you have a desire, you need to find out in advance.
　It's a little different from how you interact with people, but there are also differences in the overall atmosphere, such as the athletic or friendly atmosphere, so it's important to think about your desire in advance when choosing a company.

　One other thing you'll want to keep in mind is whether your job is promising. Even if you come across a job (company) that you like, there's no point in it if it goes bankrupt or gets restructured because of an unprofitable division. Especially for small companies, when their core business declines, there are many examples of them going bankrupt because they can't change direction well. And I feel like business moves faster and faster these days. It's important to be aware of the economy and trends in the world on a daily basis and access the right information.
　It may be difficult to discern the future, but I think a company whose management has announced a specific vision for the next five years, for example, is promising.

　For the five checkpoints, information such as the website is not enough. If you can visit OB/OG, etc., you can listen to real information, so be proactive. If you don't have any clues, check at the interview.
　Some people worry that asking too many questions to the interviewer will make a bad impression, but that's no problem. The company (the interviewer) doesn't want to answer anything inconvenient, but if they're confident about it and are working hard on it, they're willing to answer. If you're careful about catching the conversation, questions like this should give you a good impression that you're serious about the job, so feel confident asking them.

　So far we've talked about the "three essential items " and the "five checkpoints," but if you get into a company that meets all of these requirements, I should say that you are very lucky. In many cases, you'll have to compromise on some condition or enter without knowing.
　It's important to remember that you can do a job search efficiently and convincingly if you've organized the points to consider, rather than an intuitive "good, normal, bad."

　 It is who would you like to hear a "thank you" from? As a matter of fact, I wrote this in my 2011 book "Things You Need to Know Before You Become a Member of the Society" (CCC Media House), and I would like to introduce it to you.

　It is a great pleasure to receive a “thank you” from a customer.
In survey results to the question, " What makes you happy in your job?" the answers "When I see the happy faces (saying thank you) of customers" always rank high. It means that for workers, the words "thank you" is very encouraging. However, in some cases, the customer's "thank you" may not be happy.
　Actually, I had such an experience.
　I graduated from university and joined a resort development company as a new employee. The company's main business was operating resort hotels, golf courses and ski slopes.
　After two weeks of introductory training, I was assigned to the advertising department. The advertising department was my first choice, so my wish came true. However, because it was better to know the site in order to carry out the work of the advertising department, I conducted field training at hotels, golf courses and ski resorts for a year.
　The training was mainly about customer service, but I didn't really like the job of customer service. I knew that being a rookie means learning everything. But people's likes and dislikes don't change easily.
　Even though I didn't like the hospitality industry, I worked hard because it was my job. When I was a hotel bellboy, I approached customers who looked in trouble with a smile and helped them, and they were very appreciative. Or when I did a snow-removal job on a car that was buried in snow in the parking lot of a ski resort and was hard to get out (manual digging with a shovel), the customer later gave me a present as a token of appreciation. However, I was not so pleased by the "thank you" from those customers.

　However, even I once felt happy to receive a "thank you". It was a "thank you" from the boss and workmates, not the customer. 　Toward the end of the training, the manager (my boss at the time) gave me a theme to think of something that the customer could enjoy. 　I had already been a bellhop at the hotel in Hakone for about a week, and at that time, the customer often asked me if there was any good walking course. 　With that in mind, I created a walking guide (map). In addition, I collected books related to Hakone and created a mini library in the hotel. 　It was a small thing, but the response from the customers was good and they were happy to use it. And I received compliments from the manager (boss) and the workmates saying "well done."
　I didn't really respond to the "thank you" from the guests, but I remember the compliments from the manager (boss) and the workmates made me think "I'll work harder."
　When I look back on this, I can say that I am more suited to a job that supports me behind the scenes than a job that serves customers. I felt more comfortable receiving a "thank you" from my boss or workmates than a "thank you" from the customer.
　When considering a suitable job, how you feel about a "thank you" in various situations is a great barometer. A job in which "thank you" is a source of joy and motivation is your vocation.