As a a user and indebted advocate of HootSuite, I understand how they have become a worldwide brand. The tools are incredibly useful in day-to-day social media management and create brand ambassadors by offering affordable online training courses, complete with a badge that users are eager to share as a sign of industry knowledge and understanding of the product.

Since I have lived in Vancouver, I have seen on the news, quite regularly, that the HootSuite HQ is the place to work. The beer on-tap, the yoga studio, nap area the trendy work environment. At a recent hiring drive, the company advertised around 100 jobs, to which around 1,000 hopefuls queued outside. While only a talented few got to the next stages of the hiring process, many were attracted by the novelty of the forward-thinking company and the in-house perks that come with working there.

However, it is incredibly important to remember that for a long and sustainable workplace, the trappings of a fashionable environment, complete with yoga balls and pool tables are in no way a replacement for a structure of support, training and loyalty.

I have learnt a lot through my career (so far) from working in a few very different roles. I have realised that one must look beyond the bells and whistles of an attractive office. There absolutely has to be an established training procedure, a hierarchical support structure and a network of employees who believe in the company, their work, the product and each other.

If the lovely people at HootSuite are reading this, then ‘hi!’. I’m not suggesting for a second that the brand loyalty and job satisfaction isn’t high on their list of key priorities, in fact I’m certain it is. This article is a note to the job-hunters that, perhaps aren’t selected for the bright-lights of the Vancouver-based social monitoring solution.  Don’t fret, although your next employer may not provide alcohol on-tap, they hopefully will provide you with training and continued motivation to look forward to Monday mornings.