Like Peloton bikes and sourdough starters, the pandemic-influenced remote work era might be coming to an end according to a recent Workforce Report from LinkedIn. The report tracked, among other topics, the ongoing conversation around return-to-office initiatives. Using data from LinkedIn’s Economic Graph team, the report found employers’ paid remote work posting dropped from 20% in March 2022 to just 14% in November.
While enforcing a hybrid schedule with a required number of days in the office per week or month increasingly becomes popular for some employers, we found our flexible approach allows our team members to select the workspace format that’s best for them while creating tangible benefits to our organization. Most roles at Karsun enable our team members to work either entirely remotely or in a hybrid approach if based near our Washington, D.C. region headquarters. This is enabled in part by Karsun’s consistent, ongoing commitment to building digital and in-person workspaces that support collaboration, experimentation, and innovation.
Karsun supports experimentation and collaboration no matter the location. Prior to the pandemic, our Innovation Center launched an online innovation radar where an employee, regardless of whether they were part of a remote or in-person team, could submit an idea for our in-house R&D team to build, test, and validate. Each month these prototypes were demoed at Innovation Town Halls, featuring presenters from across the organization. After we moved to a work-from-home format during the pandemic, we transitioned these to virtual town halls. We embraced this opportunity to record our town halls, building a library promoting ongoing innovation at Karsun.
Our new flexible workplace helped us grow in other ways. Karsun Academy, our professional development program, offered more recorded training, hosted virtual certification study groups, and increased our virtual lending library. Our employees’ skills and certifications grew even as the majority of us remained remote.
The report mentions the loss of tribal knowledge as a potential drawback to remote work. Nevertheless, we grew our open-source InnerSource Library, creating 35+ reusable assets for our team. At the same time, our Practice Advocates added new resources for delivery teams to connect with subject matter experts, research solutions, and hone best practices. We found our flexible, employee-first mindset helped us scale our enterprise and helped our teams grow with Karsun.
We also recognize connections outside of work encourage us to grow as a team. Virtual happy hours, fitness classes, and other employee groups continue even as we reopened our offices. Coffee with Leadership, a popular program where our co-founders chat with and get recommendations from small groups of employees, continues in a remote format. Our Herndon, Virginia offices also have the same pre-pandemic social spaces where teams can connect to play foosball, work out, brainstorm, or host a professional meetup. In this way, our teams connect in the way that works best for them.
When we celebrated our 10th anniversary at the end of 2019 and shortly before the pandemic, we reaffirmed our commitment to an employee-centric workplace. For us, that includes building flexible environments where our team members thrive. We’re proud to create a space where our teams can work together, create innovative solutions that transform government, and Do Extraordinary. These teams are still growing and imagining the future together. We are currently hiring for remote and hybrid roles at KarsunCareers.com.
HERNDON, VA – Karsun Solutions, the enterprise modernization experts, announced today it won the Best Company Perks & Benefits employer award from Comparably. Best Company honors the small and medium businesses with the highest rated perks and benefits programs on Comparably.com. The site hosts ratings and reviews from current employees of companies of all sizes. While Karsun previously received awards from Comparably for Outlook, Happiness and Culture, this is the first year its benefits program was recognized.
Karsun offers extensive health plan options and competitive 401k matching. Reviews on Comparably tout Karsun’s Employee Only medical coverage, which features $0 deductible plan options and $0 premium for personal elections. Its perks partners offer discounts on everything from amusement park admissions to gym memberships. Meanwhile, its flexible work arrangements allow most employees the opportunity to work fully remote.
Professional Development Perks
In addition to health and welfare benefits, Karsun offers comprehensive professional development opportunities. Karsun Academy, hosted through the in-house Innovation Center, presents workshops, bootcamps and training seminars. Karsun also provides designated training hours and subsidized certifications for all employees.
“Your career is put into your own hands with robust trainings, cutting edge technologies and support from leaders,” begins one employee review. “…opportunities at Karsun are unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere.”
Karsun’s ongoing investment in its perks and benefits programs reflects its open and collaborative culture. In addition to reviews from sites such as Comparably, it presents several forums for feedback on work-life balance, perks and other cultural components. Among these are the popular Coffee and Brunch with Leadership programs. As a result of direct employee feedback, Karsun expanded its benefits in recent years to include supplemental insurance benefits, new cost-saving perks and additional wellness program activities.
Karsun delivers modern software development, cloud and data solutions to government agencies. It is currently hiring for remote roles nationwide. Highly sought-after roles include full-stack developers, architects, and business analysts. Apply at KarsunCareers.com.
About Karsun Solutions
Transform your career with the company transforming possible for the government. Join the workplace where the only limit to your potential is the limit of your curiosity. Thrive in a community that empowers software development, cloud and data experts. At Karsun, explore every possibility and turn your bold ideas into reality. Expand your career potential with dynamic development resources like Karsun Academy and sponsored technical certification courses. And joining a growing enterprise means as we grow, so do your career opportunities. Take your career to the next level and play your part in powering new possibilities for federal agencies. Join us at KarsunCareers.com.
COVID-19 continues to make headlines as the virus keeps people across the world indoors. For many of us, this new normal includes working from home. Meanwhile, growing companies like Karsun Solutions still need to hire IT, development, and other technology professionals to fill their teams. As a result, phone and video interviews are becoming a widespread solution. To protect the health and safety of our candidates Karsun is among those companies hiring virtually. To help you prepare, we created this list of virtual interview tips and tricks.
Remember, a virtual interview is simply an interview that takes place remotely, sometimes over the phone, but often using technology like video conferencing and other online communication platforms. Like any other interview presenting yourself professionally is of the utmost importance. Below we review our top tips for virtual interviewing.
- Position yourself in a well-lit, quiet, clean space. It is essential to limit distractions by choosing a quiet, well-lit, neutral, and clean space to conduct your interview.
- Check and test your technology several times before the interview to ensure a successful session. Make sure you understand how both the camera and the microphone work on your device.
- Don’t sit to close or too far from the computer. Sitting up straight also naturally gives you a bit more energy and helps you communicate your excitement about the company. If you rely on body language to communicate and engage interviewers, make sure your hands and upper body are visible on camera.
- Visit the company’s careers page before the interview. Research the company and write down a few notes. It is best if you have only a few quick notes in front of you and glance at them sparingly. You should be ready to speak in-depth about why you want to join the company, how its mission resonates with you, and the value you will bring to the specific role.
- Setup a mock video interview with someone, like a friend. Practice common questions. Ask your mock interviewer for feedback. This will help you feel prepared for your interview.
- Be on time, be prepared, and dress professionally. Treat this as an in-office interview. Match your look to that of the organization’s office-based colleagues. Browse the company’s website and social feeds for clues to its dress code.
- Be personable! Be yourself! Be prepared and practice but do not memorize. You don’t want to sound robotic throughout your interview.
- Within 24 hours of the interview, send an individual thank you email to everyone you met. Not only will it show you value their time, but it provides you the opportunity to sell yourself. Use this opportunity to express the unique strengths you bring to the role or share any talking points you forgot to address.
Virtual interviewing is similar to interviewing in person. Practicing both answering questions and the interview technology will set you on the path for success. More importantly, using these tips may just land you your next IT job. If you are Full Stack Developer, DevSecOps Engineer, SDET, or other IT modernization expert that dream position might be at Karsun Solutions. Visit KarsunCareers.com apply today!
Like most organizations, in early March our teams moved to remote work. As we transitioned online we continued scaling up resources across our programs. While we are no longer together in person, we are working hard to integrate our newest team members while maintaining connections within our established teams. Below we share some of the steps our teams are taking to come together and Be Greater throughout this uncertain time.
Scaling Together
In September 2019 we moved into our new corporate headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. Even as we settled into this new space, our rapid growth required the build-out of an additional office at our Worldgate campus. Our Operations crew’s commitment to preparing this space ensures we will be able to move in as soon as our offices are safe to occupy. While we cannot see each other in person, we hope to celebrate our office expansion alongside you later this year.
Many new team members will also join us remotely. We continue hiring for our teams in both Oklahoma and Virginia as our rapid growth continues. In fact, in March, Karsun again received recognition from the Washington Business Journal which ranked us among the Largest Minority-Owned Businesses in the Washington, D.C. area.
To protect our team members during our ongoing recruiting surge, all talent operations are now virtual. Candidates should still apply through our jobs portal. They can also connect directly with the team by emailing talent@karsun-llc.com. Once they are in the system a member of our team will contact them with further details.
Connecting with Leadership
Just as our Talent Team presses onward with recruiting, our orientation process continues for new hires. Even as we transitioned online a dozen new team members joined us in March. These represent groups from our Innovation Center and Contracts groups to teams serving agencies including FEMA, FAA, and GSA.
The highlight for many employees joining Karsun is the opportunities available to connect with our leadership team. As part of our remote operations, Karsun’s Coffee with Leadership program also moved to a virtual format. In this popular program 10-12 employees each month are invited to grab a bagel, a cup of coffee, and then share their experience with the Karsun executive team. Every employee has the opportunity to participate in these intimate listening sessions. In its new format team members join the discussion from the comfort of their home. At the same time, they maintain the connection with senior leadership that is Karun’s hallmark.
While the path ahead is uncertain, Karsun is dedicated to embracing the innovative principles necessary to adapt to a changing world. Our corporate teams bring the same level of creativity to these challenges that they bring to difficult problems facing our teams and customers. Join us as we discover new solutions for today’s uncertain times while charting a better path forward.