My Companys Affinity Group Helped Me Advance My Career

My Companys Affinity Group Helped Me Advance My CareerMy Companys Affinity Group Helped Me Advance My CareerIf youre on the hunt for a full-time job, youmightve heard of employee resource groups (ERGs) or affinity groups (AGs).Theyre organizations within companies that connect people of all senioritylevels together based on interests or traits so that they can build a network,discuss common issues, andmost importantlyhelp drive the companys cultureforward.And while these groups can help a company makegreat strides toward building a more diverse and inclusive culture, they canalso help the people in them advance their careers.Take Justin, for example. At TEKsystemsanational leader in technical recruitinghes an Account Manager, a role intowhich he was promoted after quickly becoming a high performer, and one of theways he accelerated his career growth was through TEKsystems unique employee resourcegroup.Heres how these groups help changed Justinscareerand the company around them.Helpin g Connect The NextGenERGs and AGs like PrideTEKsystems andWomenTEKsystems are known at the company for their ability to foster importantconversations that help colleagues gain new perspectives and adopt moreinclusive policy.However, at TEKsystems, these groups also serve a more direct business purposeand thats where Justin comes in. Justins a part of the intergenerational resource groupNextGenTEKsystemsthat helps connect employees with leaders from other generations at the company.Were bridging the gap and helping to inspirethe next generation of leaders at the company, hence the name, Justinexplains.And, as a key figure in the relatively newgroup, Justin was given the opportunity to take on more leadership responsibilitiesthan most recent grads get to see in their first role. And what he did withthat opportunity really helped him drive company goals forward.Driving The geschftslebenAnd The CultureForwardTEKsystems is in the business of technical recruiting, which means they help th eir clients including hundreds of major corporations and innovative new companies in the United Statesconnect with the best talent for their niche and hard-to-fill roles. Networking with top talent is, therefore, an essential part of their strategy.Thats why Justin and his colleagues in theNextGen employee resource group had an idea to expand the scope of theirgroups activities outside the boundaries of the company. One of these events,for example, is a meetup for young professionals in the tech space with peopleon the TEKsystems gruppe for a knowledge exchange. Here both parties can exchange careerguidance, discuss the state of the industry, and forge some of those sameintergenerational connections that help drive the TEKsystems culture forward.With these meetups, we were able to integrateour marketplace strategy with our internal methods for forging connections,Justin says. Well do these for underrepresented groups, Java programmers, andall sorts of demographics. We found that we can all really help each other.Moving Up Takes Leadership OpportunitiesAnd TEKsystems Is Offering ThemTEKsystems is known for its culture of quick,merit-based promotions. And one of the ways they prepare peopleespecially individualswithout a ton of experience on their resumesfor these new roles is byconstantly providing new challenges and opportunities to learn and demonstrateleadership skills.My director observed that I was able tobridge the generational gap and bring people together informally, Justinexplains. And the leadership kollektiv wanted to formalize that so we could starthelping people who werent as comfortable in those situations.Thats why he was offered a leadership role inthe NextGen employee resource groupand his new role as an Account Manager.Justins experience isnt an entirely uniqueone either. Whether its through their one-on-one mentorship program for newTechnical Recruiters or their culture-crafting ERGs, TEKsystems manages to findways to help their employees adv ance while also moving the company forward.But that sort of symbiotic relationship,Justin says, is how they do business.Thinkyouve got what it takes to contribute to the culture? Check out openopportunities at TEKsystems on WayUp