Month: April 2020

If you were in the shoes of the business owner and had to choose which person would you hire (Avery or Jaime) and why?

As the business owner, it would heavily depend on the role and type of business that I am hiring for. For example, if this position is one that the workload is pretty consistent, most of the time – like a receptionist – then I would want to hire Jaime because of the consistency. However, if the position is more cyclical, then I would look at hiring Avery because of their ability to perform at a high level. Either way, I would heavily invest resources into either employee to help them develop further. Without knowing the the business or position, I would default to hiring Avery because they have a higher potential than Jaime and I believe an effective manager can help bring up the quality of their work.

Describe a type of job where it would be better to hire someone like Avery (i.e., high potential, poor consistency) than Jaime? What is it about that job that makes someone like Avery more valuable than Jaime?

I would hire Avery for a position that is critical for innovation, strategy, event planning, and project management. Avery would excel in positions like these because they work hard to meet a milestone and then there is a break before the next milestone. Avery is able to step up to the plate when there is something that needs to be taken care of, and will deliver great results. Additionally, working with a high performer in these roles will be critical for delivering exceptional work. Avery would bring greater skills to this job because of their ability to deliver above the expectations.

Describe a type of job where it would be better to hire someone like Jaime (i.e., low potential, high consistency) than Avery? What is it about that job that makes someone like Jaime more valuable?

As stated above, I believe roles with little variation in workload would be best for Jaime. This could look like a mail courier, receptionist, bookkeeper, or similar. By maintaining a consistent workload demand, Jaime would continue to deliver consistent, good work. By having someone who’s skills and potential match the role that they are in, there is a higher chance of success in the role. A candidate like Jaime is great for positions with little variability and effort toward organizational goals. Instead, Jaime would thrive in a position that helps complete the job, but does not require someone that would go “above-and-beyond”.

First, what is your brand? By this, I mean what is the first impression that you present to potential employers? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What makes you unique or different?

I think of my brand as a person-focused leader that is focused on helping others and being a change agent. I thrive in environments that are seeking to improve their processes, welcome new ideas, and are willing to approach situations from a different perspective. I value research and understanding of social psychology in the approach to creating work environments that are effective, enjoyable to be in, and generate strong, positive work. I believe my strengths are in communication with a variety of audiences and a keen detail for navigating and implementing change in workplace. I work to limit employee barriers so people can efficiently and accurately complete their job. My weaknesses are with time management – I tend to spend more time than necessary in the research and development stage working toward a clear process. Additionally, I can procrastinate on tasks that I am not excited to complete. I believe that my perspective/experience and education make me a unique candidate. I have worked in a variety of workplaces, remotely consulting with HRIS all over the world, working in a psychiatric residential facility, and in higher ed which has given me a unique way of viewing workplaces and employee satisfaction. Having an undergraduate degree in psychology and working toward a graduate degree in business allows me to assess situations with a person-focused approach.

Second, how could this information be communicated to organizations through the means of a novel and creative situation wanted ad and how would you go about making your situation wanted ad visible to prospective organizations?

A creative way to share this information with organizations could be to connect with leaders of their board of directors or outreach team. For example, I have reached out to a company to work on their junior board of directors. This would allow me time to work closely with leadership of the organization while also contributing to their mission. Another creative way to share my interest could be through creating posts on social media promoting my skills and the opportunities that I am looking for employment – this would allow me to tag the company and make connections with their social media teams.

Think of the last job you had. How much did the job description influence your decision to apply for the position? How closely did your experience on the job match the job description? In what ways was it similar and in what ways was it different? If you have it available, please share a copy of the job description in your post.

My current position was the last job that I applied for. When reviewing the job description, I was really interested in the combination of the HR and financial duties. Prior to this role, I was an HRIS consultant working with clients all over the world. Prior to that, I worked in a finance and accounting, administration role. Since this position combined the finance and HR, I was very interested in pursuing it. Additionally, I was able to discuss the growth opportunities of this position with the hiring manager to see how this position would grow and change. During those conversations, I was able to understand how this position would look a year from then and understand the opportunities of working in a strategic role along the leadership of the office. This position was very different than my past role because I was moving from the private sector to higher ed. Additionally, this position was more focused in finance than my HRIS role was.

The job description was a tool to start a conversation. Once I was able to discuss with the hiring manager the goals of the position, I was better able to understand the needs of the position and the future growth opportunities. This description was just the start while the office went through organizational changes. Once those changes were complete, there was a greater opportunity for growth in the position. Since I gained that information from the conversation, I was better able to understand the role and determine if I was interested in pursuing it.

Overall, I felt that my prior experience was a good match with the requirements of this position. Furthermore, I was interested in the growth opportunities that this position would offer in the future.

Position Summary:

Under the general supervision of the Fiscal Director in the Vice President for Research. This provides administrative and technical support for the Vice President of Research office and the Center & Institutes on issues pertaining to Human Resource needs and fiscal needs.

Position Duties:

60% – Collaborates with Central HR and Business Centers HR to ensure the Research office is in compliance with the University’s HR related procedures and polices; this includes salary increases process for the entire Research office. Provide hiring support for hiring managers. Ensure department has all position descriptions, evaluations, and search files up to date.

40% – Financial and Budget Analysis: monitors/reconciles departmental revenues/expenditures to ensure transactions and adjustments are accurate, and reports on significant deviations. Provides back up support OCCD business functions. Collaborate with Business Centers on submission of all accounting/finance transaction processing. Assist in budget development as needed.

You come across a news article reporting that your favorite company was faced with a public lawsuit in which they were accused of widespread discrimination against individuals from an ethnicity, culture, or belief system you associate with.

Would the outstanding claims of discrimination change the way you felt about the company? Would it influence your decisions to support that company? Would it change whether or not you applied to work for that company in the future? Why or why not?

If my favorite company was faced with a lawsuit regarding discrimination, I would have a strong moral decision to make. In understanding the research regarding discrimination, I think it is critical to see how the company is addressing the discrimination and the claims. Before I chose to support the company again, I would want to know what measures are being put in place to ensure these behaviors are not continuing. Depending on how the company is responding to these claims would impact my decision greater. While I would want to continue supporting the company, if they act like nothing happened or that it was a one time occurrence, I would no longer be able to support the company. Additionally, if the company was not speaking out on the issue, I would choose not to support the company. If they are not speaking out on the behaviors, then I would have concerns that they are not taking this situation seriously and are hoping that it will blow over. On the contrary, if the company acknowledges the issue, takes measures to increase diversity, increases the diversity of the staff, and continually educates their employees on discrimination and adverse impact, then I would choose to continue supporting the company. If the company was able to make strides to a more diverse workforce, I would consider still applying for a position. I would push the company to explain the measures they are taking to increase diversity in their workforce and how the results have been received by staff. I think it is important to hold organizations responsible for their actions and the actions that their staff are taking. For those reasons, I work to stay educated on the staffing and training practices of the companies that I support.