Cao Working with Keller, Kehoe

Doctoral student Joanne Cao recently described her work on a Future of Work human resources project.

What Future of Work project are you working on? 

I’m working on an exciting project at the intersection of employee mobility and socialization. Under the guidance of Associate Professor JR Keller and Associate Professor Rebecca Kehoe, I examine how internal and external hires differentially navigate and experience the post-hire socialization process and what are the implications for their employment outcomes.

How would you describe your role?

I’m primarily responsible for data analysis and literature review work.

Why are you drawn to this work?

This project challenges me to dig deep and integrate a few fundamental lines of work in the field of HR studies. Essentially, I am committed in the longer term to bringing a better understanding of how the organization and its workers interact so that the organizational value is leveraged on the one hand and the human capital value is utilized on the other. 

How have your academic and other experiences prepared you for this role? 

After I graduated from college with a psychology major, I had two careers before I started my Ph.D. program – I was first trained in executive search consulting and then worked as an in-house global talent acquisition partner in the life sciences industry. Such practitioner experience has offered me a distinctive lens to appreciate and initiate the work of academic value in our field. 

Beyond your contributions to the Future of Work initiative, tell us about you!

I had the best two months working with kids as a volunteer in Siem Reap, Cambodia.