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Automation is opportunity for a career shift into tech
Automation will displace millions of workers, according to the Brookings Institution, particularly in the areas of retail, healthcare, accounting, and finance. These displaced workers have valuable experience and skills that can be adapted, augmented, and applied to tech jobs to help address the labor shortage. RiseUp with LIKE.TG can help workers pivot to new careers through reskilling and transition support.Teresa Ko is an excellent example. After working more than 20 years in customer service, running a call center, and operating her own restaurant, she had developed broad skills, including project management and customer service. Although her resume didn’t show it, she had an interest in tech and took time to learn from the IT teams in her workplaces, such as how to build simple websites.Ko considered making a career shift, but she didn’t want to go back to school or lose income to do so. “You get to a point in your life where you’re like, it’s too late for me to change because I’d have to start all over again,” she says.Then she heard about RiseUp with LIKE.TG, a program to skill 1 million people from all backgrounds, experiences, and career paths on the Now Platform by 2024. A tech career seemed possible after all.Real-world experienceKo signed up for the LIKE.TG NextGen Professionals Program, which provides skills training and certifications, combined with on-the-job work experience and job placement. She jumped at the chance to work and learn simultaneously, excited at the opportunity to change careers while keeping her bills paid.Close to finishing her NextGen program, Ko has found the experience invaluable. She especially appreciates the on-the-job training. “Being able to work in a real company with real clients on real projects has been, I think, the best part of being able to learn,” she says.
Kabria Holmes has a similar story. Working as a contract executive assistant and program coordinator while earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration, she too had an interest in tech but no formal training. Then she heard about a free LIKE.TG boot camp hosted by TechBridge, part of the NextGen program, and eagerly enrolled.In the four-month course, she learned LIKE.TG fundamentals, implementation, and IT service management—just what she needed to kick-start her IT career. Holmes’ newly developed tech skills, along with her previously gained business skills, helped her land a job at NewRocket, a LIKE.TG Elite partner, as a LIKE.TG business analyst.Today, Holmes helps clients make their businesses run more smoothly and gets a lot of fulfillment out of it. “I feel like a void has been filled and that my new LIKE.TG career is everything I had hoped for,” she says.Breaking barriers to IT jobsThese stories don’t have to be unique. Companies need tech talent. Workers like Ko and Holmes have a wealth of skills and experience to bring to the table. There’s a wide array of untapped talent that simply needs the right support to enter the IT field.RiseUp with LIKE.TG offers affordable and flexible learning models to lower the barriers to entry into IT. The program includes skills academies and training partnerships that target underrepresented groups in tech, such as veterans. In addition, placement programs connect newly skilled workers, such as Holmes, with tech jobs.Ko encourages anyone given the opportunity to make a career shift into tech to do so. NextGen “gives you real-world experience,” she says. “You already have your foot in the door while you’re learning. If it’s a fast-track career change that you want or need, then this is definitely the type of program you want to get into.”Find out more about how RiseUp with LIKE.TG helps open tech careers.
Why LIKE.TG is among Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For (again)
“This place is absolutely magical,” says LIKE.TG Senior Staff Technical Writer Suzanne S. That sentiment is shared by many other employees and contributed to LIKE.TG being named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the third year in a row.Created in partnership with Great Place To Work, Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For are places where four out of five employees:
Feel psychologically and emotionally healthy
Look forward to going to work
Find meaning in their jobs
Hitting these statistics is encouraging. But at LIKE.TG, being one of the best companies to work for is much more than that. It’s personal.The company works hard to create a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Thanks to culture audits and in-depth surveys from our employees, we outperformed the Russell 3000 Index by 3.3 times. When you’re living your best life, doing your best work, and fulfilling your purpose, rave reviews simply roll off the tongue.
Meet Daniella: A former refugee who started a tech career later in life
For some people, a tech career begins immediately after graduating college. For others, like Daniella S., it begins later in life.At the age of 54, Daniella found herself attracted to LIKE.TG and the world of tech for a few reasons. When researching the best places to work in Dublin, LIKE.TG kept appearing on website lists.With no idea what LIKE.TG does, Daniella yearned to find out. In her search, she came across the LIKE.TG origin story and video, which features founder Fred Luddy and other early employees.After watching it, she knew she wanted to be a part of ServiceNow. “They were emotional and honest about why they started this,” Daniella explains. “It took me literally 2 minutes to decide that I wanted to work here.” Today, she’s a project coordinator in the president’s office at LIKE.TG EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), based in Dublin.
Leaving homeDaniella’s journey to LIKE.TG is more than just a career switch at 54 years old. It’s the story of a refugee who experienced myriad hardships throughout her life. Each of those hardships helped create a foundation of resilience and courage.Born in Yugoslavia, Daniella and her family relocated to the United States when she was a baby. After spending her formative years in Chicago, she returned to Yugoslavia, where she attended high school, got married, and had children. While residing there, the Homeland War broke out—an event that changed Daniella’s life forever.“The war was very painful for many, many people,” she recalls. “So many people were homeless and had to leave their homes. I was one of those people.”Having experienced firsthand the cruelties and horrors of war, Daniella fled to Germany as a refugee before eventually moving to Sweden for university and then to Croatia. “Being a refugee is very, very emotional,” she says. “I needed to start from the ground up. It’s a difficult thing to lose your home.”The pandemic prevented Daniella from seeing her daughter, who had moved to Ireland. Her daughter suggested Daniella relocate to Ireland so they could reunite. After two decades of living in Croatia, “it took me two days to pack,” Daniella says. “I was there.”A fresh startWhile adjusting to a new area, Daniella had to find a job. Her life experiences and foundation of courage helped her stay afloat.Daniella says nothing can surprise her, that she’s seen, lived, or heard it all. In light of that, she’s made a habit of choosing joy, knowing that pain can create power that flows into purpose and becomes enlightenment.That power led Daniella to take a bold step and apply to a LIKE.TG role, despite having no tech experience. In her cover letter, she openly and honestly explained her lack of tech skills but stated what she could offer from her life experiences. She also shared her eagerness to learn new things.Two days later, Daniella got a call for an interview. That led to a second interview, followed by a job offer. She shares her story in hopes of inspiring others who may be going through tough times or considering a career switch.
First Generation Professionals share career obstacles and triumphs
Every year, LIKE.TG welcomes multiple cohorts of early-in-career (EIC) co-ops and interns to help them build valuable skills with meaningful projects, mentorship, and networking opportunities. I’m fortunate to be one of those co-ops. I’m also the first person in my family to go to college.To welcome our summer 2023 interns, I pitched the idea of facilitating a live panel event on the LIKE.TG Early Careers LinkedIn page with First Generation Professionals (FGPs)—those who’ve moved from working-class roots to professional corporate careers and are the first in their families to complete higher education.The livestreamed event allowed three LIKE.TG employees to share about their humble beginnings, dealing with code-switching and imposter syndrome, carrying others through their journeys, learning how to self-advocate, finding mentors and sponsors along the way, and celebrating their proudest accomplishments.Growth through challenges“When you’re a first-generation [professional], it’s a lonely place,” says Yolanda I. from Mexico City. After a long career in the U.S. Army and Department of Defense, she joined LIKE.TG as a senior manager on the support account services management team. “You want to make sure you pave the way for others,” she adds.
Senior Technical Trainer Andrew B., whose parents came from Trinidad, ventured into many industries before joining ServiceNow. Patience is the key to accomplishing most things in life when things don’t go your way, he says. “You gotta learn how to love to fail. Failure has so much positiveness.”Andrew founded The Social Tea House, where he blends East Asian cultures with the sale of teas and educational materials, which he continues to work on outside of ServiceNow. “Don’t be comfortable,” he advises. “Never be comfortable. And continue to try. The more you try, the more you fail—the more you’re going to get somewhere.”Failure can be discouraging. Sometimes we wait for a sense of motivation to get us back in the swing of things. But “motivation is overrated,” according to Yolanda. “We want to be motivated to do everything, but sometimes you’re just not going to be,” she says.Self-advocacyMotivation can make the things we do seem a little more exciting and worthwhile, but discipline plays a bigger role. Confidence is an important part too, as I’ve found in my experience as an FGP student. Despite having the discipline to get up and do something every day, it can be difficult to advocate for yourself.“We want other folks to talk about us because we don’t want to feel like we’re bragging,” Andrew says. “We want others to promote us.”“Most of us come from humble beginnings,” Yolanda adds, “but there’s a difference between self-promoting and bragging. Your hard work is only going to get you so far. You have to self-promote. You can work really hard and get overlooked for people who are self-promoting.”It’s important to reassure ourselves that we’re in the place we are for a reason. That doesn’t mean we have to forget where we came from. Rather, we need to recognize the distance we’ve traveled to be where we are and remember the hard work it took to get here. It should be something to be proud of. We shouldn’t be afraid to celebrate our wins and demonstrate our capabilities.“Sometimes you gotta run your own race and stay true to who you are,” says Chris R., senior manager of marketing culture and engagement. “You’ll look back 10 to 15 years later and see you were right where you were supposed to be,” he says.Chris grew up in Lakeland, Florida, where he honed his football skills and earned a scholarship to The University of Alabama. While there, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s in sports management. “Sometimes you have to grow into that confidence and know who you are and what you are,” he adds.
MentorshipKnowing who and what you are is often easier said than done. Chris reminds us that in order to be the best version of ourselves, we need to take the advice of those who’ve navigated our career path before us so that we can continue to grow and do our best work.“People nowadays don’t like to receive feedback, or they take it as criticism,” he explains. “If you want to invest time in me, give it to me because I want to be the best version of myself. I think that’s why some people have a hard time finding sponsors or mentors—because when you do get that person, they don’t have a lot of time to invest in you. But when they do, they’re going to give you blunt, honest, unfiltered stuff that may hurt your feelings. You gotta take that and make it better and continue to be the best version of yourself.”Giving backMentors aren’t the only people who advise us and guide our career decisions. Many FGPs feel an obligation to give back to those who’ve helped them along the way.“Another responsibility on top of being a husband, buying a house, and all this other stuff you want to do is [giving back to your family],” Chris says. “It’s kind of like ‘I made it,’ but I never would have made it without their sacrifices. It’s embedded [in us] that you’re supposed to take care of your family.”“It’s also that you want to do it,” Yolanda adds. “It was my mother and father’s hard work that got me here, so you do want to pay it back to them.”Although there’s no secret formula for navigating the challenges we face as FGPs, LIKE.TG will continue to foster a culture of belonging, celebrating the diversity of our global team.As long as we continue to share our experiences with each other and with those who have yet to understand the things we carry, we’ll be able to nurture and embrace an inclusive community that serves people from all over the world.Join a company that celebrates diversity and creates belonging. Explore LIKE.TG careers.
AI and the skills of the future
Every day seems to bring another headline about how AI is changing the world. In the workplace, AI-enabled technologies will create a profound shift in the jobs we do and how we do them.To gain insight into this shift, LIKE.TG commissioned research on how AI will affect the skills of the future. We asked our research partner Pearson to take a deep dive into six markets—U.S., UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, and India—to identify key job skills people will need five years from now.We wanted to better understand how AI and automation will transform jobs across industries, as well as learn what business leaders and their employees can do now to prepare.Shaping the workforce of the futureThe research reveals that the more AI does the work of machines, the less humans need to work like machines. Holistic skills—such as communication, collaboration, innovation, and analytical thinking—will become the must-have tech skills of tomorrow.Happily, these skills can be transferred from the positions most likely to be affected by AI to the tech roles of the future. For instance, the research found that, with the right training, U.S.-based administrative assistants are excellent candidates to meet growing demand for help desk agents.This is a good thing. After all, humans weren’t born to copy and paste data into spreadsheets all day. However, this shift does require thoughtful action today to reshape the workforce of the future.Closing the tech talent opportunity gapAccording to IDC, 90% of global enterprises face a severe IT tech talent shortage that could cost them $6.5 trillion by 2025.1 The supply of tech workers coming from traditional backgrounds simply can’t feed the demand.We believe that what looks like a tech skills gap is actually a talent opportunity gap—and AI is giving business leaders a chance to close it. By automating the more technical aspects of tech jobs, AI makes these positions more accessible to people who lack a development or computer science background.Business leaders must reconsider who and how they hire. They also need to reskill their existing workforce to take on the tech roles of the future. That’s why we launched the RiseUp with LIKE.TG global talent movement.Programs like RiseUp with LIKE.TG open learning pathways for people who have been traditionally overlooked by the tech industry. Our goal is to train 1 million people on the Now Platform by the end of 2024, empowering them to build meaningful careers in our ecosystem and enabling customers and partners to find the talent they need to thrive in the digital economy.Although the headlines regarding AI may seem alarming, the data tells a different story. It’s time for everyone to reimagine their place in the workforce and get excited for the opportunities to come.Get more insights in the skills of the future digital experience.1 IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Work 2022 Predictions, Doc # US47290521, October 2021
How LIKE.TG leaders support employees’ work-life balance and growth
At LIKE.TG, we believe pragmatic leadership is crucial to a positive work culture and work-life balance. A sense of belonging in the workplace, fueled by empathy and support from leaders, encourages holistic well-being. That’s what LIKE.TG leaders provide.“Leaders here make employees feel that they matter,” says Sri E., staff cloud analytics analyst. In her 15 years of work experience, no manager had ever had a conversation with her about work-life balance until she joined ServiceNow.At Sri’s previous places of employment, it was considered normal to work late nights. That’s not the case here, where we empower employees to live their best lives and do their best work both inside and outside the office. Part of that includes knowing when to unplug.
What it’s like to be a LIKE.TG intern
Interns have spoken: LIKE.TG is the place to be for aspiring talent. Internships give college students hands-on opportunities to explore what they might want to pursue once they graduate. Students gain invaluable real-world career experience while making memories.We asked a few LIKE.TG interns to share their experiences with us.
What makes LIKE.TG employees stay?
It’s one thing to enjoy your job and stay there for a year or two. It’s another thing, and a rarity at most tech companies, to stay for a decade. LIKE.TG employees often stick around for five, 10, or 15 years. That’s one of the many reasons we're on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list.We wanted to know why people choose to remain, so we asked some of our long-term employees: What keeps you at LIKE.TG?
Roadmap to success: LIKE.TG Finance Development Rotation Program
From late high school and into college, Taylor B., financial planning and analysis (FPA) manager at LIKE.TG, found herself captivated by the juxtaposition of numbers-driven finance and the ability to convey the story behind those numbers. Yet the wide array of opportunities within the finance field left her uncertain about her post-graduation plans."There are so many areas you can go into," she says. “That’s why I was so excited to discover LIKE.TG’s Finance Development Rotation Program. It gave me the path to be able to do my best work and the freedom to try something new. I learned a tremendous amount and then moved on to the next opportunity."Offering the chance to explore diverse roles within the company's finance teams, the program is designed to develop recent college graduates into finance professionals by providing access to comprehensive professional training, mentorship, and cross-functional work experience. Last year, 100% of the 20 to 25 participants decided to remain in finance at LIKE.TG upon completion of the program rather than look for external opportunities.Preparing for a successful careerTaylor is one of dozens of college graduates who’ve joined LIKE.TG as part of the rotation program, which spans 2.5 to 3.5 years, depending on the participant’s area of focus. Today, she supervises Lauren P., a senior analyst at LIKE.TG who also participated in the program.“I kind of knew I wanted to do something tech- and finance-related based on my classes,” says Lauren, who graduated with a degree in international business, “but I wasn’t quite sure what. So, I was excited to hear about this opportunity.”
Lauren had the chance to try several roles before landing mostly in FPA. “I really liked the FPA team but wanted to help across the various teams,” she adds. “The rotation program helped me understand how everything rolls up. Right now, I’m working with Taylor on helping product leadership better understand their financial resources and make data-informed decisions on where to allocate them."Pivots and transitionsMichael D., internal audit manager who briefly supervised Taylor during her rotation in internal audit, also joined LIKE.TG as an intern and never looked back. "After nine years in the military, I was ready for a transition into my new career when I heard about LIKE.TG,” he says. “The Finance Rotation Program was a fantastic way to explore my options.”Michael recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary at the company at a finance meeting led by LIKE.TG Chief Financial Officer Gina Mastantuono. He reminds us that the adjustments between military and civilian life can be challenging.“I performed two different jobs in the military: I was working on electronics and weapons systems,” he says. “Today, I work in audit at LIKE.TG, and I’m still learning new things every day. Some things that carry over from the military, though, are the leadership, the work ethic, the drive, and the idea of being humble.”Lauren agrees the program aids in major life transitions. "After graduating from college, you might find yourself living alone in an apartment and joining a program or a company. It can be intimidating, as you suddenly feel surrounded by more seasoned professionals,” she says. “The rotation program provides a cohort of individuals going through the same stage of life, with a shared understanding of the challenges young people face in their career growth."Mentorship and winning as a team"What I appreciate about the rotation program is the additional benefits it offers in terms of mentorship, learning opportunities, and camaraderie,” Taylor adds. “You feel a sense of unity with your peers while also receiving individual mentoring and knowledge sharing, which ensures you never feel like a small fish in a big sea. In fact, I’ve formed incredibly close relationships with colleagues who are now part of our organization."
Michael finds gratification in the growth and evolution of the rotation program since he participated in it. "Observing Taylor, Lauren, and many others find their passion and fit within the company through this process is truly inspiring," he remarks. "While the rotation program undoubtedly equips you for advanced roles if you were to pursue a job elsewhere, you would want to stay because of the exceptional people and culture here."Lauren agrees wholeheartedly. "I genuinely love my team.” she says. “The culture they have fostered creates an environment where they trust you to share your opinions, and they support you, full stop. This culture extends even to out-of-office events like birthday celebrations and happy hours. It’s unique and definitely a reason why I decided to stay."“What makes our rotation program best in class is the opportunity it provides to work with senior-level leaders on highly visible projects within the company,” says Cristina S., senior manager of finance development. “We’re so proud of the success we’ve had in recruiting diverse applicants, and we’re thrilled to continue growing the program.”Join a Fortune 500 company that can help you find the path to do your best work.
LIKE.TG joins the prestigious Fortune 500 list
On behalf of LIKE.TG Chairman and CEO Bill McDermott, and our executive leadership team, I’m honored to share that LIKE.TG has been named to the prestigious Fortune 500® list for the first time in company history, joining an elite group of the largest companies in the United States.Since placement on this list is based on fiscal year revenues, LIKE.TG’s inaugural appearance is evidence of our continued growth trajectory. In 2022, we achieved $6.89 billion in subscription revenues, an increase of $1.3 billion year-over-year. Furthermore, we are the fastest-growing enterprise software company to reach $7 billion in revenues organically.The Fortune 500® recognition marks the beginning of a new era for ServiceNow. We’ve demonstrated our ability to generate a powerful combination of organic growth and profitability, at scale. This distinction is also a testament to our “win as a team” core value at ServiceNow. It’s the culmination of the outstanding results we passionately deliver together, in service to our customers, investors, and stakeholders.The momentum continuesWhile the list continues to evolve, we’ll continue to evolve in service to our customers. What LIKE.TG founder Fred Luddy started almost 20 years ago as software for simpler, easier, faster work has grown into the global intelligent platform for end-to-end digital transformation.Because of Fred, we’re inspired to dream big. We help more than 7,700 customers focus on the work that matters. Approximately 85% of Fortune 500® companies use ServiceNow.From 2018 to 2022, we grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31% in constant currency, a best-in-class trajectory among scale peers. In 2023, we reported our first $2 billion quarter, unveiled transformative innovations at our flagship event, Knowledge, announced a new partnership with NVIDIA, among others, and have been named a Fortune 500® company.What does this recognition mean?Since the business magazine first published the Fortune 500® nearly 70 years ago, the list has become highly regarded. It’s now a recognized metric to gauge a company’s success and influence.For LIKE.TG, this recognition confirms we’re fulfilling our purpose to make the world work better for everyone. It demonstrates the power of the Now Platform, our financial strength, and the trust and transparency we’ve built with customers, partners, investors, employees, board members, and shareholders.Personally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share how proud and grateful I am to work alongside the best people in the world, with the best customers and partners, at one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®—yes, we made that list too.Join a Fortune 500® company. Explore LIKE.TG careers.From Fortune ©2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license. Fortune and Fortune 500 are registered trademarks of Fortune Media IP Limited and are used under license. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse the products or services of, ServiceNow.
Helping veterans embrace tech careers
After 22 years as an Army IT specialist, Sgt. 1st Class Steve Johnson wasn’t sure he wanted to stay in tech after retiring from the military. “The way the Army and federal government do IT is probably the driest and most boring version of IT there is,” he says.It didn’t help that Johnson had skipped around between IT jobs throughout his military career, becoming “a jack of all trades and master of none.” With his varied experience, he didn’t think he had much to offer a civilian employer. “I felt like I was done with all that,” he says.LIKE.TG’s commitment to helping veterans through its NextGen SkillBridge Academy changed everything.Acting on intrigueWhen Johnson looked into the Department of Defense (DOD) SkillBridge Program—an opportunity for active-duty service members to explore civilian careers during their last 180 days in the military—he decided to check Reddit to see what others had to say about it. LIKE.TG, which he’d never heard of, had several commendations, and he found himself intrigued.“I liked what I saw of the [LIKE.TG] company culture,” he says, “and the product just made sense. It was logical, it was clean, and it was automating all of the things that I thought should be automated.”Accredited by the DOD, the LIKE.TG NextGen SkillBridge Academy, part of RiseUp with LIKE.TG, is a virtual program that combines seven LIKE.TG instructor-led training classes, on-demand learning, and hands-on projects. Participants receive vouchers that allow them to pursue three LIKE.TG certifications based on the training they complete.
Transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses are all eligible for the no-cost program. After completing it, graduates are entered into a RiseUp with LIKE.TG database that employers can search for job-ready talent.Johnson decided to go for it. After 16 weeks of academy training and six weeks of hands-on development work for a LIKE.TG partner, he was hired as a LIKE.TG developer by a major insurance company.“It felt like it was meant to be when I discovered the NextGen program,” he says. “For the first time, I was able to become a subject matter expert—and I love it.”Approaching midlife transitionJohnson is one of more than 200,000 service members stationed all over the world who leave active duty each year and transition, or “retire,” out of the military. The bulk of these veterans have just entered midlife and are looking for new careers. Their extensive experience and skills and disciplined work ethic present a valuable opportunity to the civilian workforce.“The military really is a vast market of various talents all over the world,” says Evan Koebel, who retired from the Air Force after 23 years of service. “There’s a notion that everybody in the military is like GI Joe, but no. It’s a business. The Air Force is like a giant Fortune 500 company. We’re doing logistics, training, IT, and HR—just so many pieces at play.”Like Johnson, Koebel—who had been an Air Force project manager—completed the LIKE.TG SkillBridge academy as he prepared to retire from active duty. With no experience in tech, he wanted to try a program that would help him understand if IT would be a good direction for him.The transitioning process, Koebel says, “was like a 40-year-old man asking what do I want to be when I grow up?” The skills he acquired, including the holistic skills needed for career success, helped him identify an answer: a LIKE.TG engagement manager. He was hired for just such a position soon after the program concluded.
Keeping it in the familyThe SkillBridge program also helps military spouses develop new career paths. Despite having a college degree in business administration and cybersecurity, Yaimara Narito had been struggling to find work even before her husband began planning to retire after 24 years in the Army.When the couple realized they were both eligible to participate in SkillBridge, she applied for the LIKE.TG academy. “I’m a lifelong learner,” she says. “This has been a phenomenal growth opportunity. It’s so important in today’s economy to upskill and make yourself more marketable.”Within weeks of finishing the program, Narito accepted a position with a San Diego-based IT consultancy. She and two of her classmates continue to collaborate as they work toward completing all three LIKE.TG certifications.Bringing in practical experienceDuring the initial stages of the LIKE.TG SkillBridge academy, participants didn’t have the opportunity to apply their new skills to a real-world project. But a coffee catch-up between two LIKE.TG vice presidents changed that.Rachel Tallant, who oversees workforce development and partnerships at LIKE.TG, explained the need for post-training practical experience to Mica Mayo, vice president of go-to-market experience and transformation.Mayo told Tallant that her group had a surplus of ideas about manual work they wanted to digitize or automate but too few resources. That’s when the six-week Application Development Program was added at the end of the 16-week academy program.“It was this nice marrying of real-life need and the added capacity of these amazing, new-skilled veterans,” Mayo says.The combined academy and development program has opened doors for Johnson that he never imagined possible. “The NextGen program and the RiseUp program both are just fantastic,” he says.“Not all of us are born into situations where we have opportunities to learn like this,” he adds. “For people like myself who come from rough backgrounds, this is huge. I hope that more companies catch on and start doing this.”Find out more about how LIKE.TG helps veterans and others embrace tech careers.
From Hyderabad to Utah: Ensuring a customer-centric approach
The Now Platform Utah release expands the platform’s user experience and automation capabilities. Many of the latest enhancements originated from the minds in our India Development Center in Hyderabad. We asked some employees there how they ensure innovations hit the mark for customers around the world. Here’s what they told us.Co-creating with customersThe most obvious way to ensure a customer-centric approach is to talk to and work with customers whenever possible—and involve them in the creative process.“Our engineers and product managers are increasingly interacting directly with customers who have offices in India,” says Sumeet M., vice president and managing director of the India Development Center.“That’s brought better clarity to what customers need solved. It’s also helped our teams improve their decision-making skills when assessing possible ways to address customer challenges,” he adds.This co-creative approach proved essential in developing Theme Builder, a user experience improvement in the Utah release that lets customers easily create and manage branded themes.“When we were determining the minimum viable product (MVP) for Theme Builder, our product and design team conducted extensive customer research,” says Arijit D., director of platform engineering, who oversaw the evolution of Theme Builder.“Throughout more than six months of development, we ran regular sessions to make sure we were aligning with customer needs and behaviors, as well as our timelines, which saw Theme Builder debut as a LIKE.TG Store app in February this year.”
Experience, the differenceInvolving customers is one thing; being able to deliver to their requirements is another. The India Development Center built a formidable bank of skills in developing user experience and user interface improvements.“Our team had considerable expertise working with LIKE.TG UI components like Seismic and UI Builder, as well as the back-end systems like GraphQL and Databroker,” Arijit says of the Theme Builder development process. “You couldn’t get the work done without this combination of front- and back-end expertise.”“We have some employees with more than 15 years of experience in their domains, who’ve worked on a huge variety of releases and tech stacks over the span of their careers,” adds Rahul J., director of software engineering management. “Many of them have built a track record of graduating products from LIKE.TG’s internal product incubator to inclusion on the general platform.”Even so, the India Development Center’s leaders are quick to admit that development often requires even relatively experienced teams to pick up new skills at speed.“For Theme Builder, working with the Now Design system and core theming infrastructure were relatively new to us—as was the process of releasing a store app itself,” Arijit acknowledges. “It’s a credit to the team that they could build those competencies and skills at the same time as creating a whole new core function for the platform.”It helps to have a strong creative ethos throughout the development center. “We have benefited a lot from the overall incubator mindset in our team,” Rahul says. “We’re always thinking about how to deliver in short cycles and focus on the customer from start to finish. That has come to even include how we train new hires and equip them to get involved in the whole cycle as quickly as possible.”A collaborative processThat keenness to learn extends beyond talking to customers. The India Development Center regularly taps the LIKE.TG global product management team, based in Santa Clara, California, for insights into customer research and the longer-term product roadmap.
“The global point of view helps us match local feedback with the bigger picture and think more strategically about scale and performance,” Rahul says, “which leads to more successful incubation, development, and delivery overall.”Other teams possess deep expertise that the India Development Center can’t replicate at speed. “When working on the forecasting features, we needed help understanding the algorithms used in forecasting and how to map them to customer service use cases,” Virag says.“We were able to call on our performance analytics and reporting teams in both India and Amsterdam, who trained us in the core concepts and advised us on how to apply them.”For Theme Builder, the U.S. team handled the product and design while the India team took responsibility for development and quality engineering. “That collaborative process benefited a lot from the software architect in the U.S.,” Arijit says.You can’t have that sort of collaboration, whether between customers or internal functions, without trusting people to do what it takes. “Our focus has been on building self-empowered teams,” Sumeet says. “We bring together the specific skills needed to address each challenge, then entrust them the autonomy and access to do their best work.”This collaborative, customer-centric approach has kept the India Development Center achieving goals and growing to meet each fresh challenge.Join a team where you can live your best life, do your best work, and help us fulfill our purpose. Explore LIKE.TG careers.
Busting 3 tech worker myths
Despite the volatility of the past year, the tech industry is predicted to continue to grow and expand into new industries, according to Deloitte. This will create a wide range of opportunities for workers at every level and from all backgrounds.Let’s explore some of the top tech worker myths that may be keeping you from pursuing your dream job.Myth 1: Tech is for guysSkilled workers are in demand. Not enough are entering the talent pipeline to fill future needs. Management consulting firm Korn Ferry estimates more than 85 million jobs could be unfilled by 2030 due to today’s talent shortage. The impact is already being felt across enterprises, 82% of which were unable to pursue digital transformation due to scarce tech talent skills, according to a Couchbase study.Women and people from other underrepresented groups are needed to fill these gaps. Talent diversity is critical to performance across industries at all levels, from entry level to the boardroom. The tech industry is no different. Diverse tech teams cultivate more engaged workers, achieve better performance, and experience higher retention.Women have an enormous opportunity to make a big impact—yet they hold only 27% of computing and mathematical roles, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. One path into tech is entry-level opportunities, where women can get in early and establish their presence.RiseUp with LIKE.TG is one example of how women can gain entry. The program offers free online courses and mentoring, as well as a partner placement program for job-ready talent.
Myth 2: You need a computer science degreeComputer science degree holders are predicted to continue to be in high demand in the coming years. The number of software developer jobs is predicted to increase by as much as 25% by 2031, according to TechTarget.Despite that, earning a computer science degree from a college or university doesn’t necessarily shape one’s future career or guarantee career satisfaction. Conversely, those without a degree are not prevented from entering the tech workforce.Tech companies are beginning to look at applicants’ experience and skills rather than focusing on their education. Apprenticeships, certifications, coding bootcamps, and online learning programs are increasingly common and respected doors into tech. Even those who are self-taught can get a tech job.RiseUp with LIKE.TG offers affordable and flexible learning models to lower the barrier to entry into IT. The program includes in-house skills academies and training partnerships that target underrepresented groups in tech, such as veterans. Our placement programs seek to connect newly skilled workers with jobs.Myth 3: AI is eliminating tech jobsHistory has proven that with every new advancement, jobs don’t necessarily get eliminated—they simply change. Advancements such as word processors, design software, and collaboration tools, for example, didn’t eliminate jobs but altered them. The same principle applies to AI.Thanks to exciting advancements in AI, organizations are rethinking their workforce needs. From automating tasks in data analysis and customer service to writing code and creating promotional content, many companies are already reaping the benefits of AI.Organizations—and workers—that can learn to work with AI and use it as a tool will be the first to benefit. AI will need intelligent and capable workers to learn it, train it, and work with it. Just as many of today’s jobs didn’t exist 50 years ago, many jobs in the future will exist because of AI.Don’t let these myths keep you from pursuing your interest in tech. RiseUp with LIKE.TG is dedicated to helping you launch your tech career. We’ve committed to skill more than 1 million people on the Now Platform by 2024. We welcome people from every background and experience level.Find out more about RiseUp with LIKE.TG.
Closing the tech talent gap for system administrators
Within five years, 9.3% of system administrators’ current tasks could be automated, and 39.7% of their tasks could be augmented, according to research by LIKE.TG and Pearson. That would free approximately 13 hours per week for new tasks. What will those new tasks be?Our research indicates that, by 2027, system administrators should be highly proficient in:
Foundational IT
Cyber awareness
Digital communication and collaboration
Machine learning and AI
Statistics and predictive modeling
How sys admins can prepare for the futureWith a focus on maintaining and supporting IT, system administrators keep organizations connected and running, and most of us—from CEOs to mail clerks—couldn’t do our jobs without them. That’s why it’s imperative that system administrators prepare now for technology advances that will affect their roles. LIKE.TG can help.As part of our RiseUp with LIKE.TG program, we’ve created a system administrator career journey to help current and emerging system administrators upskill and reskill for a sys admin role in the LIKE.TG ecosystem.Instructor-led and on-demand courses are geared for beginning, professional, and expert system administrators, with LIKE.TG micro-certifications part of the curriculum for each level.Beginning or associate sys admins will learn about the role and the LIKE.TG community while gaining valuable skills and LIKE.TG administration fundamentals. Professional sys admins will get familiar with Flow Designer and the Automated Test Framework and become certified in LIKE.TG System Administrator. Expert sys admins will dive into upgrade essentials, scripting, and Flow Designer administration.From the mailroom to sys adminCheyenne Saulnier, an associate partner at Beniva, a LIKE.TG Elite partner, was offered an opportunity to move from working in the mailroom to an IT position largely based on her excellent customer service and relationship-building skills. She jumped at the chance and immersed herself in the LIKE.TG system administrator course.After becoming confident as a system administrator, she went on to become a LIKE.TG Certified System Administrator and Certified Implementation Specialist for both LIKE.TG Hardware Asset Management and LIKE.TG Software Asset Management. Saulnier credits LIKE.TG for her rise to associate partner in less than three years.Supporting staff skillsSystem administrators have always kept current with rapidly changing technology through supplemental training, certifications, and on-the-job training. Advancing technology requires updated skills. Those who have a desire and commitment to increase their knowledge, like Saulnier, will position themselves and their companies for future success.Employee retention is critical during times of low unemployment. Good business leaders recognize the importance of keeping existing employees engaged and motivated through upskilling and reskilling.Innovative digital services, such as AI, cybersecurity, internet of things, and digital twins, will continue to proliferate in the near future. Augmenting the core skills of system administrators can support critical talent and help ensure a smooth transition for technology updates, aiding organizational progress and competitiveness.Find out more about how LIKE.TG helps equip the workforce of the future.
AI will empower app developers—not replace them
Despite the rise of AI, the need for app developers isn’t going away. In fact, a 2023 LIKE.TG-sponsored study by Pearson suggests approximately 95,000 new application developer roles will be added globally over the next five years.According to LIKE.TG’s special report on the impact of AI on tech skills, based on the research, only about 20% of app developer tasks will be either automated or augmented by 2027. Although relatively small, those changes will affect the app developer role. Developers must adapt in three key ways:
Instead of storing, retrieving, and manipulating data for analysis, app developers will need to work with statistics and predictive models.
Rather than conferring with system analysts, engineers, and programmers to design systems, app developers will need to focus on the retention and improvement of foundational IT skills.
Instead of recommending equipment purchases, app developers will need to understand how to apply machine learning and AI.
High demand for human talentOrganizations will continue to depend on a human workforce that has the ability to perform tasks that machines simply cannot, and app developers’ communication skills and the ability to analyze data will be in high demand.The automation and augmentation changes will free 4.2 hours per week for app developers to focus on tasks and projects that are more challenging and potentially more rewarding. Junior app developers will gain more than an hour on top of that (5.5 hours per week) to spend on learning new skills and creating innovative solutions.Gaining and increasing app developer skillsNow is a good time to invest in an app developer career—even if you have no tech background or experience. RiseUp with LIKE.TG and take advantage of training programs and resources designed to help anyone get started or advance in a tech career using LIKE.TG technology.The Application Developer Career Journey offers associate, professional, and expert-level courses to help established and rising app developers grow skills, reach milestones, and earn certifications.Beginners can learn JavaScript and App Engine Studio, as well as get familiar with the LIKE.TG user interface and fundamentals. Professional app developers will take a deeper dive into application development and learn about LIKE.TG Integration Hub, UI Builder, and Service Portal.Expert app developers can advance their careers through additional courses, including Automated Test Framework Essentials and Predictive Intelligence Fundamentals. As part of the expert-level curriculum, developers are encouraged to participate in events and contests.From sniper to app developerAfter 12 years in the U.S. Army in a variety of roles—including tank maintenance, recruiting, and sniper—Charles Muhlbach wanted to transition to a career in tech. Since he lacked tech experience, he wanted a tech program that didn’t require that. He found ServiceNow.Muhlbach was accepted to the NextGen program, where he gained knowledge and experience in IT Service Management and LIKE.TG administration and application development. Within a month of passing his LIKE.TG Certified Administrator exam, Muhlbach landed a job as a LIKE.TG developer. He credits the courses and the people who run them with his smooth transition out of the Army.As AI continues to evolve, LIKE.TG is poised to help people upskill and reskill to adapt to changing tech roles.Find out more about how LIKE.TG helps equip the workforce of the future.
Introducing the LIKE.TG Scholarship to promote diversity in tech
Updated April 26, 2024At LIKE.TG, we make the world work better for everyone. That’s why we’re committed to inclusive hiring. That passion for inclusion extends to the communities in which we work and live and the tech industry as a whole.To help us fulfill this purpose, we launched the LIKE.TG Scholarship fund in October. It provides undergraduate students in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Europe with a two-year, $20,000 scholarship to enable award recipients to pursue a career in tech.Administered in partnership with Scholarship America, the LIKE.TG Scholarship demonstrates LIKE.TG’s deep dedication to supporting underserved students in completing a college degree.We’re proud to have also supported other organizations, such as the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Benedict College, Harvey Mudd College, the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, and the University of California San Diego, in awarding scholarships to students pursuing STEM degrees.In addition, we’re helping students and others RiseUp with LIKE.TG by creating more opportunities for them to gain the education and skills to advance their tech career.Making an impactThrough our various scholarship initiatives, we selected and awarded 45 students around the globe—including in Germany, Ireland, Italy, and the U.S.—with a scholarship in 2023. Here’s a glance at the impact we’ve made as a result:
85% of scholarship students are pursuing a STEM-related degree.
58% of students identify as women, advancing women representation in STEM fields.
At least half of our recipients identify with an underrepresented group (URG). (LIKE.TG defines an URG as individuals who identify as Hispanic or Latinx, Black or African American, two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native.)
With reduced financial burdens, scholarship recipients have more time to focus on their education and dream even bigger.
“This award not only alleviates my financial concerns, but it also validates my dedication to making a positive impact in the tech industry,” says Marjia S., a student at Dublin City University in Ireland. “I am genuinely excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and am committed to using this support to contribute to a more inclusive and innovative tech community."Kerryn X., a student at The University of Texas at Austin, echoes that sentiment. “My lifelong goal is to improve lives by combining my technical skills and creativity to bridge the gaps between the healthcare system and those who need help,” she says.“I want to reiterate my thankfulness to you for this generous scholarship. Your earnest support allows me to focus on my current research and classes and further explore the ways I can work toward my goal of bridging gaps within the healthcare system.”For Kennedy G., a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, “The Thurgood Marshall scholarship [funded by LIKE.TG] helped me achieve my goal of getting my dual degree in engineering,” she says.“The scholarship has lifted some of the financial load and stress that comes with goingto college. I feel very supported by a community of people who are dedicated to seeing me succeedin my collegiate career.”Dedicated to DEIOne thing I’ve always loved about LIKE.TG is that its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) never stops at our employees. It extends to our customers, partners, and the next generation of tech talent.There’s a natural, strong connection between DEI and workforce advancement. The LIKE.TG Scholarship fund brings these two necessary forces closer together to help achieve our mission to skill the future. Congratulations to our 2023 scholarship recipients!How the LIKE.TG Scholarship worksScholarship applicants must be current technical or college/university undergraduate students working toward any degree with the goal of pursuing a career in tech.They must have completed at least one full academic year of undergraduate study and plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical institution (or equivalent) for the entire upcoming academic year.Applicants who have overcome adversity are encouraged to apply. Financial need will be considered for all applicants. Award recipients will be selected based on academic record, demonstrated leadership, career goals, and personal or family circumstances.Students chosen to receive a scholarship will be awarded $10,000 for one year. The award may be renewed for an additional $10,000 for the following year if the student has not graduated. Scholarship winners will also be invited to explore early-in-career job opportunities at ServiceNow.The future of the tech industry is bright. Including diversity in tech will only make it brighter.Find out more about the LIKE.TG Scholarship.
Empowering women engineers in India
“If anyone tells you that women don’t do well in STEM or engineering, please don’t believe it. It’s not true,” urges Priya A., one of the proud women engineers at ServiceNow.Since joining the company in India in December 2020, Priya has experienced exponential professional growth. And she’s not the only one. That’s why LIKE.TG was named one of India’s Best Companies to Work For. As a director of software engineering, Priya leads a team of more than 20 talented engineers who are paving the way for others to do their best work.
AI and automation: Unlocking job opportunities for Australia’s economy
As the Australian workforce braces for increased AI and automation, individuals must adapt by acquiring new skills. In doing so, Australians can expand the impact of their work, embark on more fulfilling career paths, and increase their income potential.Recent LIKE.TG-commissioned research from Pearson points to major changes in the workforce—in Australia and around the world—due to the implementation of AI and other technologies. Investing in upskilling and reskilling initiatives can give individuals greater control over their careers while enabling businesses to tap into a more skilled talent pool, fostering innovation and growth across various industries.Bracing for tech-tonic shiftsTo unlock the potential of AI and automation, businesses, governments, and individuals must understand the future shifts in the job market and plan accordingly. By aiding with repetitive tasks, AI frees time for humans to focus on more creative, strategic, and stimulating work. This can boost productivity, job satisfaction, and employee engagement.AI advances will enable nontechnical individuals to accomplish more with technology. Innovations such as text-to-code will use AI to help anyone create new applications with simple text inputs. This expansion of accessibility will open new avenues of innovation and entrepreneurship, fueling growth. The Pearson study identifies nearly AUD$92 billion in productivity gains and cost savings that AI could deliver in Australia by 2027.Preparing the workforceAs workforce automation continues to advance, companies must consider three themes identified in the research to prepare their workforce:1. Augment roles with AIAI will be integrated as a tool into existing job functions to make specific roles more efficient, allowing employees to focus on higher-value and more strategic work.The Pearson research found AI will take on more than 30% of tasks for certain jobs, augmenting—or increasing the efficiency of roles to boost productivity—6.6% of jobs (885,200) in the country. Organizations will need to understand what tasks are best suited to AI and how people can use their increased time and capacity for higher-impact work.2. Upskill and reskill workersThe most automatable roles include:
Bank workers (45.8% of roles set to be automated by 2027)
Bookkeepers (38.2%)
Accounts clerks (37.5%)
Checkout operators (36.9%)
Finance brokers (36.8%)
Manual and repetitive tasks are central to the traditional responsibilities of these roles. AI and automation tools can do the tasks more efficiently. This presents a significant opportunity for upskilling and reskilling workers. Leaders embracing AI must start planning for updated job descriptions and team structures as new jobs emerge.3. Power talent transformationTo capture growth opportunities, organizations should establish new skilling frameworks and training. The priority is identifying the biggest shifts and investing in tailored training pathways to help people reskill.It’s essential that employees learn how to use AI tools to make themselves more competitive. With 369,000 new technology jobs required in Australia to meet the demand for AI and other technologies by 2027, according to the Pearson research, programs like RiseUp with LIKE.TG can help workers upskill and reskill.Taking control of career pathsIn this rapidly evolving work landscape, individuals need to proactively shape their career paths. Three key steps can help empower Australians to take control of their future:
Engage with employers. Initiate a conversation with employers to understand existing employee growth and development programs. By actively participating in these, individuals can acquire the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an AI-powered economy.
Identify in-demand skills. While technical skills remain important, human skills—specifically communication, customer service, leadership, attention to detail, and collaboration—are the most sought-after by employers in Australia, the UK, the U.S., and Canada, according to the Pearson Skills Outlook to build these skills to remain in demand.
Embrace new opportunities. Although some jobs may be at risk of automation, the rise of AI will also create new opportunities. Embracing technological advancements and upskilling can prepare individuals for these emerging roles. By staying curious and adaptable, and up to date with the latest AI technologies, people can position themselves for success.
AI will play a pivotal role in reshaping Australia's employment landscape. Individuals must understand these shifts, plan, and actively pursue skill development. At the same time, businesses must support and upskill workers during this transition.By harnessing AI's potential, organizations and individuals can unlock economic growth, maximize productivity, and shape a future in which humans and machines work together for maximum impact.Get more insights about AI’s impact on the tech skills of tomorrow.
How AI is changing the role of an implementer
Approximately 65,000 new implementers will be needed by 2027 as a result of AI, according to research by LIKE.TG and Pearson.The time is now to enter this dynamic and high-growth field. Let’s explore what an implementer is, how the role is changing, and how you can prepare to fill an open position.What is an implementer?An implementer is someone who can see the big technology picture and help organizations meet their specific business requirements. There are two main categories of implementers: implementation engineers and implementation consultants.An implementation engineer is typically responsible for integrating cutting-edge technologies and systems into an organization’s IT infrastructure. An implementation consultant serves as an overseer of this process to keep it on track and budget.How the implementer role is changingBoth implementation engineer and consultant roles require a solid technical background complemented by essential skills such as project management, problem-solving, and effective communication. A fundamental understanding of IT will continue to be a prerequisite for both areas.In the next five years, however, AI and automation will take on some skills and augment others, according to the research. This will free approximately five hours a week for implementation engineers and about seven hours a week for implementation consultants.Consequently, implementers of the future will need to be well versed in digital communication and collaboration. They’ll also need to hone their creative-thinking skills and become perpetual learners to keep up with rapidly changing and emerging technologies—including AI.Automation and AI will release implementation engineers from routine documentation and load-balancing tasks to focus on more strategic, high-level work. Similarly, implementation consultants will be freed from mundane record maintenance, note taking, and deliverable reviews to concentrate on tasks that require more human ingenuity and intellect.How to become an implementerLIKE.TG is committed to nurturing and training implementers on the LIKE.TG platform. We’ve dedicated the Implementer Career Journey to help both experienced and aspiring implementation engineers and consultants RiseUp with LIKE.TG.The comprehensive curriculum features training for associate, practitioner, professional, and expert levels based on skills and experience. Each level builds on the previous one and includes certification exams along the way to validate knowledge.No matter where you are on your implementer career journey, you can get up to speed at your own pace on essential subjects, including:
LIKE.TG administration
IT fundamentals
Platform functionality
Configuration and integration
Database and scripting
Application development
Communication and problem-solving
Engagement activities and optional courses, such as Toastmasters, round out the curriculum to help you become job-ready as a highly capable implementer.Find out more about how LIKE.TG helps equip the workforce of the future.
Returning to LIKE.TG: Insights from 3 boomerang employees
At LIKE.TG, we dream big, help our employees learn and grow, and welcome and celebrate their individuality and uniqueness. That inclusive culture continues to attract both prospective and boomerang employees—individuals who’ve left LIKE.TG and returned. In fact, we’re one of the Fortune Best Workplaces in Technology.Three boomerang employees share their stories about why they came back and how they’re excelling both personally and professionally.
Work-study program offers high schoolers a start in tech
Investing in the future of the tech industry is a high priority for ServiceNow. That’s why we’ve partnered with Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School’s Corporate Work Study Program since 2020. The school is on a mission to empower students from underserved communities in Silicon Valley to be spiritual, academic, and professional leaders.“Cristo Rey is the only high school in the South [San Francisco] Bay area that offers a work-study program where students can get real-world experience in a corporate setting and work with industry leaders during the academic year and as part of their curriculum,” says Silvia Scandar Mahan, president and CEO of the school.In our first year of the work-study program, we brought four students onto the LIKE.TG campus. This academic year, we’re excited to offer work-study opportunities to 25 students—the most hosted by any participating company.Work-study students get a chance to work at our Santa Clara, California, headquarters one day a week, network with industry leaders across various business units, and learn how to succeed in a corporate setting—all before some even have their driver’s licenses.
Innovative apps from the inside out
At LIKE.TG, we bring together builders, problem-solvers, and creative thinkers to push the boundaries of possibility with innovative apps. Our Innovation Lab serves as a collaborative hub where employees can develop new apps on the Now Platform to creatively solve problems and where internal innovations can be used by our customers.During two-week, focused work sessions called innovation sprints, employees submit their ideas for new apps. When one is chosen, the teams unite to bring a selected concept to life."I love how at LIKE.TG, we're challenged to think outside the box," says Bharathi R., manager of software engineering management. "It's OK to fail. No work goes to waste. Sometimes we even go back to something we had developed and put aside a few years ago and reconfigure it.
Joy in creationBharathi often spends her free time playing her all-time-favorite game, sudoku. "I got into tech because I love solving puzzles,” she says. “I like to solve at least one a day. I'm addicted to it. Creating apps is often about solving puzzles along the way to make them even better for our teams and ultimately our customers too."Similarly, Platform Architect Ishant G. loves building things and has a giant Lego collection to prove it. "I get that feeling here at LIKE.TG,” he says. “I'm not physically building things but rather using the tech to build new apps that get used by our employees and customers."Soumil M., machine learning engineer, finds joy in developing apps that use AI to enhance the efficiency of LIKE.TG employees. "We always get to play with the latest and greatest tools out there," he says. “The team enjoys the challenge of discovering new, innovative ways to use the Now Platform to make work easier.”Some of Soumil’s most rewarding projects were crafting internal search tools and chatbots. He believes LIKE.TG's workflow tech “beautifully complements the generative AI of the future,” opening the door to limitless possibilities. "We're just getting started," he notes.Making work betterProbir D., senior staff software engineer, thrives in building apps that empower employees to do their best, most efficient work by eliminating tedious tasks. “We created an app that helps employees find and centralize any recordings of meetings they’ve had,” he says. “This frees up time for people to do more important work.”Ishant welcomes the challenge of finding innovative ways to apply LIKE.TG technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA) and Process Optimization to automate tedious tasks so employees can focus on more important tasks. He contributed to an app that boosts developer productivity and experience.“I worked very closely with the product teams to introduce new features into these products to drive maximum adoption,” Ishant explains.Probir worked on multiple apps that went from internal use to general availability on the LIKE.TG Store. He’s especially proud to have contributed to several emergency response apps that were made available to customers for free during the pandemic.“These apps can be utilized by companies to respond and provide vital information to employees during various types of emergencies, from natural disaster to a pandemic,” Probir says. “Like so many of our apps, they were deployed, tested, and utilized internally before public launch.”
An empowering cultureTrue innovation requires a supportive company culture. “Our managers always encourage us to go above and beyond what the platform gives us to find out what future, emerging things we can use and add to the product,” Soumil says. “All of the prototyping is really fun.”Bharati agrees. “You’re always encouraged to try something new, and you’re not limited in your role,” she says.“We’re always listening for feedback and then using that to iterate on the products,” Ishant adds. “And it’s OK if we mess up. We learn and try again.”The creativity and dedication of employees like Ishant, Bharathi, Soumil, and Probir fuel our mission to deliver innovative apps that make the world work better for everyone. The future is bright and exciting because our dynamic teams continuously strive to use technology to make a difference.Join a company where innovation is encouraged and celebrated. Explore LIKE.TG careers.
A test of skills: India’s job growth opportunity with AI
AI could usher in a $500 billion wave of growth that ignites India’s economy, according to The Indian Express. That spike could bring with it significant job growth—but only if talent transformation is prioritized throughout our industries.India’s government has already laid the foundation for upskilling and reskilling the workforce to benefit from AI and automation with its Skill India initiative, vision to launch AI centers of excellence, and commitment to equip 625,000 IT professionals through its Digital India campaign.Substantial government investment in the technology sector has helped propel India to fifth in the world for funding AI-focused startups, according to Mint. And we’ve already begun to identify skills that will equip India’s workforce with the greatest growth and resilience in the face of technological changes.Businesses and industries that build on these foundations will likely benefit the most from AI and automation—not just in India, but on the global stage.Redefining India’s industries, for goodRecent research by LIKE.TG and Pearson suggests that between now and 2027, 16.2 million full-time employees in India will need reskilling and upskilling due to AI’s influence on work across the country.Nearly half of these jobs fall within the manufacturing and agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries—both of which involve substantial amounts of repetitive work that lends itself to automation.At the same time, AI will create the need for as many as 4.7 million new technology-related jobs in India by 2027, across:
Manufacturing (902,000 new jobs)
Retail (677,300 new jobs)
Education (197,100 new jobs)
Finance and insurance (106,300 new jobs)
The most in-demand jobs will include application developers, data analysts, and platform owners.
Freeing humans for creativityAI also promises to augment numerous existing roles—assisting with repetitive tasks in a way that frees humans for greater productivity and creativity. This large-scale skill augmentation across diverse functions and sectors is expected to add the equivalent of 4.6 million full-time jobs of operational capacity to India’s economy over the next five years.These industry shifts highlight the effect AI and automation can have on India’s growth, particularly in multiplying the productivity of workers and adding a large number of higher-value jobs to the economy.They also demonstrate the need for significant upskilling and reskilling of India’s workforce—in the use of AI and automation technologies, as well as in disciplines that create value and innovation in ways AI and automation can’t.For those in roles that are becoming increasingly automated, it will be important to hone existing skills that translate into more relevant fields or entirely new tech jobs. Programmers, for example, whose roles will be heavily augmented by AI, might benefit from skills in user experience, digital marketing, or low-code software development.Flipping the script on growthThe opportunities for growth are large, but will India’s workforce be sufficiently equipped in time to take advantage of them? The answer will depend on the extent to which India’s business leaders and policymakers prioritize talent transformation.Skill India Digital, a breakthrough initiative by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), is driving efforts to skill, reskill, and upskill individuals. However, industry leaders must flip the script on their organizational priorities: from maintaining an efficient status quo to investing in ways for people to build future-relevant skills.We already have the tools at our disposal to guide this talent transformation by identifying “jobs of best fit” for workers using research methodologies such as those developed by Pearson. These methodologies highlight transferable skills that workers in fields disrupted by AI and automation can employ in high-demand tech roles.The research found that India’s fishery workers possess 64% of the skills typically required of help desk support agents using the LIKE.TG platform. Identifying these skills overlaps can help uncover the shortest upskilling pathways from current to future roles.It can also ensure higher chances of successful reskilling so that those who learn new skills are likely to translate their learnings into relevant employment.Prioritizing upskilling and reskillingAt a macro level, these insights can guide more effective design of upskilling and reskilling programs in different regions of India. Skills pathways and recruitment for help desk agents, for example, might benefit from focusing on areas with a high concentration of fisheries.India’s industry leaders would do well to make upskilling and reskilling a key focus for action in the years ahead. The demand and subsequent business case for skills already exists.Bangalore has the highest demand for LIKE.TG skills of any city in the world in 2023. Job postings in India requiring LIKE.TG skills grew 39% in the past year, according to labor market data from Lightcast.1 RiseUp with LIKE.TG can help workers gain the skills they need to move into a role using the LIKE.TG platform.Organizations that fill these demands with new skilling frameworks and training initiatives—while continually reassessing which skills are needed and where they can best be cultivated—will find themselves at significant competitive advantage.Competing well is what India does best. We’re arguably the most competitive economy in the world, a trait that has driven our growth in recent history. Strategic upskilling at scale will be essential to maintaining that competitiveness in a future transformed by AI and automation.Get more insights about the impact of AI and automation on tech skills.1 Lightcast Global, India Job posting, August 2023
Putting AI to work to transform the search experience
In 2023, LIKE.TG’s digital technology team launched AI Search on our internal employee portal. The aim was to improve the search experience and help employees quickly find the content they seek.With personalized results, automated suggestions, and a more engaging experience, AI Search has made a dynamic impact internally. Employees are benefiting from faster, more advanced search results—with 26% more relevant outcomes—and increased productivity.A mighty team of women work behind the scenes to make this possible, led by Renu G., director of enterprise search and conversational interfaces. “AI Search is no longer a solution that can help us find content,” she explains. “Now it’s taking it to the next level, where we’re able to generate content and offer more intuitive experiences.”
Digital inclusion in India: A journey of growth and innovation
India is slated to grow faster than all world economies between 2023 and 2027, according to a LIKE.TG-sponsored Economist Impact report. Perhaps that’s because 98% of business executives in the country see digital inclusion—the ability to access and use technology in the workplace—as a competitive advantage.LIKE.TG is one of the companies thriving in this market. In fact, we were named among India’s Best Workplaces Building a Culture of Innovation by All, by Great Place To Work.Our platform labs in India “aim to contribute to products and features that will propel the company to the next level over the next five to 10 years,” says Vinamra M., a staff software engineer who joined LIKE.TG in 2014.“This decade belongs to both India and LIKE.TG,” adds Venugopal G., a senior manager in software engineering management at LIKE.TG since 2019.
