Not knowing what your competitor companies are up to is worse than turning in a test early and then seeing your classmates working on a back page. Sure, you could use expensive competitor analysis software or fill out lengthy research templates, but one easy way to get the quick and dirty on the Pepsi to your Coke is by snooping on the “Open positions” page.

Using competitor companies’ job boards gives you an insider’s look into their key strategic elements like processes, focus areas, and shifting priorities. Here are three questions to ask as you troll through a competitor’s job descriptions:

How fast is the company expanding, and in which areas? Look for patterns in the types of jobs listed, the roles and responsibilities highlighted, and the number of postings. This will help illustrate any new directions your competitor may be taking.

• For example: If your main competitor is hiring a slew of engineers, it may be expanding its product line. If the co is hiring for additional sales execs, it may be shifting the customer acquisition strategy.

How much are your competitors paying, and what are the perks? If the company is transparent about pay ranges, that’s great for candidates and for all us Veronica Mars wannabes out there.

• If cash is king, now you’ve got quantifiable deets on how much easier (or harder) it is for the org to pull in top talent.
• And beyond dollar signs, be on the lookout for other benefits—is the company offering equity? Is it a remote-friendly team? Can you bring your dog to the office?

How does your competitor define itself to candidates vs. the general public? The first paragraph in every job description typically divulges way more secrets than you’re going to get on a company homepage.

• So keep your eyes peeled for explanations on why the org is hiring for this position, as well as any additional context (like total number of clients served or pain points it’s looking to solve).

And remember, if you’re seeing the same jobs posted every couple of months, that’s great news for you—your competitor may have an employee retention problem. So pat yourself on the shoulder and then get back to work making your own team happy.—CS

Let the return-to-work drama roll: Last week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told employees that “it’s probably not going to work out for you” if you’re still refusing to commit to coming into the office at least three days a week.

• We’ve heard this line before (like with Goldman Sachs, Google, and even Zoom), so at this point the RTO edict feels less like a rule of law and more like when your dad keeps screaming at the dog to drop his favorite slipper.

But sometimes we really do have to go back to the office, like for real this time. If and when you get the final warning to ditch your midday shower routine, just know that there are other ways to improve your life at work.

Besides staying home, here are some levers that you can consider pulling to make your 9–5 a little more tolerable:

Time off. If work-from-Bermuda is no longer an option, negotiating for a few extra days of PTO can prolong your Chacos tan.

Role changes. Whether it’s a title adjustment, different responsibilities, or work taken off your plate, you can make your life vastly better by pitching a role facelift.

Training. Feeling stagnant or want to pivot? Asking for a professional development budget or time to pursue continued education can set you up for future dollars down the road.

Work travel. Depending on your vibes, request to travel more or less for work. Bonuses here include more expensed meals or less early-morning Lyfts.

Creative cash. Advocating for a larger 401(k) match, a bigger commission, or performance-based bonuses may not prevent you from having to go into the office, but at least you’ll be able to commute in a new outfit.

Basically, you’ve got more options than an Amazon search for “socks, white.” While that can feel daunting, it’s a lot easier to stomach another round of watery office coffee when you know what you really want.

Effective business writing isn’t just for editors and B-school librarians. It’s also for anyone who’s written anything at work, ever.

• Emails, decks, Slacks, texts, reports, memos, meeting agendas, key takeaways—these all count.

Communicating your point quickly and clearly helps you:

• Nail your sales pitches (and boost commissions)
• Stay aligned with your clients and team members
• Make sure people actually read your emails
• Convince your boss to pay for margs at the team dinner

Morning Brew Learning’s newest course, Business Writing, will give you the tools and templates to say what you need to say in the fewest words possible. The Sprint starts this Monday, September 11.

Sign up here 🫡

Filling reports and emails with jargon to sound smart is just another example of a socially acceptable but wrong thing we do in life—like touching subway poles.

• If your audience happens to be well versed in your industry, then no harm done.
• But when you whip out the “I-banker” talk with your friends in marketing, well, they may not want to be such good friends anymore.

The first step to nixing the jargon? Name it to tame it: See if you can match all the insider terms to their respective industry.

Jargon:

• PIP
• Family office
• Lede
• A/B testing
• Zero-day
• Closed-won
• Blanks
• Opex
• Secondment

Industry:

• Marketing
• HR
• Strategy
• IT
• Legal
• Sales
• Consulting
• Finance
• Journalism

Read: Nonlinear career paths are the future.

Listen: How to create a presence when you’re talking.

Pants on fire: Our fav Roxane Gay on what to do when a coworker keeps lying.

Travel: Why Amtrak Wi-Fi is always so terrible.

Learn: Stop saying you know how to do pivot tables and then freaking out when someone asks you to actually create one. Join Miss Excel for a free webinar on September 13 on all things spreadsheets.

PIP — HR

Family office — Finance

Lede — Journalism

A/B testing — Marketing

Zero-day — IT

Closed-won — Sales

Blanks — Consulting

Opex — Strategy

Secondment — Legal