Be Inspired

Q&A with Grammarly’s Erica Galos Alioto

Erica Galos Alioto, Global Head of People at Grammarly, shares the importance of thoughtful communication in a remote job-seeking world

1) What is your role at Grammarly?

I’m the Global Head of People at Grammarly, the market leader in communication assistance. My job is to make sure our 600+ global team members are energized every day to work toward our mission of improving lives by improving communication. 

From our recent shift to a remote-first hybrid work model to our ambitious hiring goals in 2022, Grammarly is constantly evolving to provide the best workplace experience for our team members and the best product offerings for our customers—and I love being a part of that.

2) How would you say the job market has changed in the last couple of years? Do you think this has directly affected how people are searching for jobs?

We are experiencing the greatest workplace experiment of our lifetime as remote and hybrid work becomes the norm. The desire for flexibility has upended how companies operate, who they hire, how people search for jobs—and the criteria they use to do so. 

At the same time, there are an almost unprecedented number of jobs available, with workers intrigued by the motivations behind the Great Reshuffle phenomenon. The current environment has incentivized people to change industries, strike out on their own, or turn a passion into a profession—it’s an excellent time for the curious to reexamine their career path.

3) Many companies are hiring remotely. Do you think this is an advantage or disadvantage for job seekers?

In so many ways, remote work is an advantage, and the benefits it brings were part of our decision to adopt a remote-first hybrid model at Grammarly. Today, job seekers face far fewer geographic hurdles when looking for a new role. This diversity helps companies build better teams with fresh perspectives and new ideas—an advantage for professionals looking to learn and collaborate with other bright minds and for companies in need of creativity and innovation.

4) What is your advice to anyone looking for a job right now? How can they make their candidacy stand out?

A typo-free resume is no longer enough (although a good resume still speaks volumes)! With remote collaboration becoming standard, hiring managers want to be confident that a potential candidate is a skilled asynchronous communicator and understands how to convey tone, explain ideas efficiently, and collaborate effectively in writing. 

Grammarly and the Harris Poll recently released research that found poor communication is actually costing businesses money—approximately $12,506 per employee every year. Being a strong communicator is no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’ but a business imperative. And demonstrating mastery of nuanced communication abilities in the hiring process can make all the difference in standing out for the best jobs. 

5) Do you think writing and communication skills are more important now than ever?

Absolutely. We already know communication is challenging. It’s tricky to know when you’re understood as intended, and that’s all the more difficult in a digital medium without the help of body language cues. 

Our data findings underscore just how important effective communication is in our day-to-day lives. Professionals lose nearly 8 hours each week—a whole workday!—to resolving problems caused by miscommunication. Beyond the direct costs of wasted time and money, inadequate communication also has indirect consequences in the workplace, with 86% of professionals citing “increased stress” as the top impact of poor communication. 

Grammarly’s own move to a remote-first environment and more asynchronous work has allowed us to further empathize with these difficulties and double-down on improving our product, so users are empowered to face these everyday communication challenges head-on. 

6) Is there anything else you want to add?

Thoughtful communication is crucial for our professional and personal relationships to thrive — but it’s also hard to get right! Technology can provide the time savings and reassurance that make it a little easier.
And—Grammarly is hiring! People who want to learn more about our open roles should visit https://www.grammarly.com/jobs.

Grammarly’s AI-powered technology currently helps 30 million people and 30,000 teams across thousands of organizations communicate clearly and effectively wherever they write. It provides recommendations for correctness, clarity, engagement, and delivery, helping users improve their writing while learning along the way through our detailed explanations for each suggestion. Grammarly is for everyone, and they offer three plans to meet different needs: 

  • Grammarly Premium is their paid offering for individuals and provides everything from clarity-focused sentence rewrites and inclusive language suggestions to tone adjustments and plagiarism detection (in addition to spelling and grammar correction, of course). 
  • Grammarly Business is built to enhance clear and professional communication within teams and includes all the elements of Grammarly Premium, plus style guides, brand tones, and other team-based features. 
  • They also offer a free product for individuals, which delivers feedback on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and conciseness and detects tones.

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