Indeed's annual Future Works conference is all about helping HR leaders and talent professionals make work better for employees. But when Adam Grant, Glassdoor's Chief Worklife Officer, and Glassdoor President Owen Humphries took the stage, they didn't just share employer-focused insights; they dropped some serious wisdom to give job seekers a leg up while navigating a shifting job market. Here's what you can take away from their conversation to level up in today's workplace.
1. Do your best thinking alone before joining meetings
Here's something that might surprise you: Grant said research has shown time and time again that when you put people in a room together for brainstorms, you actually get less collaboration and creativity. Individual creativity produces more and better ideas, with way less groupthink mucking things up.
Your move: Process your thoughts and develop your ideas solo before joining group meetings or brainstorming sessions. Come prepared with your own perspective rather than letting the room do your thinking for you.
2. Create your personal highlight reel
Grant shared some fascinating research from Dan Cable about the power of personal highlight reels in onboarding. Instead of trying to fit into generic job descriptions, professionals who shared their career milestones with new managers and teams actually got to work on projects they loved using their real strengths.
"Come up with your personal highlight reel. If you were thinking about your career — your best moments, your proudest achievements, tell us what that looks like," Grant explained.
Your move: Build your own highlight reel – whether it's a presentation, video, or just a killer story about who you are. Use it in interviews, during onboarding, or when you're pushing for projects that actually match your best strengths.
3. Lean into your human character skills
Here's where things get interesting: Grant admits he was totally wrong about AI's emotional intelligence capabilities, but he's crystal clear about where humans still crush it. "I haven't seen any compelling evidence yet that suggests AI is good at character skills, effective generosity, humility, or integrity," he said. "Humans living by principles is still a competitive advantage for us."
Your move: Show off your values, character, and how you align with company principles throughout interviews and your daily work. These uniquely human traits aren't just nice-to-haves anymore. They're your secret weapon.
4. Give feedback that actually helps
Both Grant and Humphries hammered home that transparency is a two-way street. As candidates, you've got real opportunities to give honest, constructive feedback about interview processes, and companies actually want to hear it.
Your move: When organizations offer you a chance to offer interview feedback, give it to them straight (but thoughtfully). Use the company’s Glassdoor profile’s interviews tab to help other candidates navigate what you experienced, but keep it constructive rather than just venting about what went wrong.
5. Let AI make you more human
Grant admits that "the average human sucks at empathy," but both he and Humphries agree that AI can actually help us get better at being more empathetic and leveraging our uniquely human judgment.
"AI can make me better, leveraging some of the human judgment and more uniquely human things I have," Humphries noted.
Your action: Consider how AI tools might help you develop better soft skills like empathy, communication, or other interpersonal skills while maintaining your human edge in character and values-driven decision making.
The future of work isn't about competing with AI. It's about knowing where your human strengths shine brightest and using technology to amplify them. Check out the complete recording of Grant and Humphries' conversation, plus takeaways for employers.