Technology Makes the Difference for Prospective Employees

What makes a person want to work for an organization? A great salary? Generous benefits? Training opportunities? A casual workplace? Interestingly, a Canadian survey has found that an organization's technology can make or break a candidate's decision to accept a position.

An Ipsos-Reid survey of over 1,100 Canadian workers found that 75% agreed with the statement: "technology tools and software are an important consideration" in choosing a place to work. Additionally, 20% of the respondents said that their current employers weren't giving them the technology tools to do their jobs properly.

According to the survey, the technologies considered most important by workers were those that aggregate information and help them make critical decisions. To that end, customer reationship management and other data mining tools are enormously important. Communication tools -- e-mail, cell phones, wireless laptops, collaboration software -- were also considered crucial. Technology, workers say, plays a critical role in how successful and productive they will be in a new job.

Those of us who have worked in the management end of technology have known this for years. The very best job candidates, who can cherry-pick their job offers, put the quality of a firm's technology at the very top of their list of considerations when weighing their options. If the firm's technology isn't up to snuff, it's scratched from the list. Also, a firm with top-drawer technology may be able to draw key employees away from its competitors.

Sources: Globe and Mail, Techdirt