Employee Selection

This term has been filled with many ups and downs. I have never been great at school. However, I have found a topic (business/finance) that I not only enjoy but really see myself having a future here. I plan to own my own business one day.  I haver big dreams for my future and apart of that future is hiring new personnel for positions. I will focus on a broader concept of this course. I have learned how to benefit myself when applying for positions and how to benefit my future company. It is difficult for me to accept that students from traditional “target” schools will be offered the position before myself because they are from an Ivy League. I am battling that now.  I am looking to leverage my MBA and get relative experience to succeed over these Ivy league students. Afterall Beavers are better anyway 😊.  I found the recent topic of job interview to be very helpful. I am currently looking/interviewing for jobs as we work through this course work.  

Through my recent interviews I have found/picked up on the structure of them and how some of the interviews are probably more valid than others. Most start with a phone call then moves to zoom. However, I found myself cheating the interview and telling them what they wanted to hear but I don’t think I believed it myself. Long story short I did not take the position but think interviews over zoom can be played in the interviewee favor. This course has given me so much knowledge of the process and some misbelieves of the process.

Thank you,

Colt  

1. What am I good at?

I know I am good at compartmentalizing. Dealing with pressure that most people fear. I have a great ability to make decisions quick that are 99.9% correct. Finally I know I am good at delayed gratification. I do not like to toot my own horn however, I do think these three abilities alone have given me opportunities that I wouldn’t have had without them.

2. What do I value?

I know I value quality time with those around me (family, friends, teammates, etc). I know I also having a high compensation for a career. I know money will not buy happiness or make my relationships great however, I want to get paid for the time I put into. These two work life balance so to speak are the most I value in a career.

3. How did I get here?

My story is not like many other who are pursuing an MBA. I barley graduated from high school. With three weeks left in the year I changed classes to receive a passing grade. School and I were never friends. I was better at sports, which led to me having another chance at school. A community college near Portland. While I was there I was able to understand the value of education. I became a National Champion in wrestling but also an Academic All-America in the meantime. I had an opportunity to continue at Oregon State and the success continued. Leading to the first person in y family with a bachelors degree and that led me wanting more… an MBA…. and here I am

4. Where am I going?

The current track I am on will lead to a job in finance. I am taking multiple courses on excel to enhance my technical skills, I am in an analyst program that will open up many doors with investment banking in San Diego which is where I will live. After a year or two of IB I plan on switching to the buy side -Private Equity. This is the course I want and wish for and think I am making the correct decisions to do so.

Having a good understanding of your own personality is crucial to know what your strengths and weaknesses are. I took the shorter versions of the two tests (120 questions). After looking at the results I was not too surprised by the results. I know I am pretty outgoing, have a high activity level and seek experiences. I know I do not trust others easily and the test showed that in my results. I scored pretty high in the conscientiousness categories. I wasn’t too surprised, but it was a good reminder that I hold myself to high standard. As for the neuroticism section my scores were fairly low. The last section for experiences, my scores were scattered. Some were high some where low.

If a potential employer was looking these results, I think I would stand a good stance of getting the job or moving up in the company. I really like how I scored well on conscientiousness. Some of my best qualities lie in this section. I have high self-discipline, achievement striving, and self-efficacy. I think another area an employer would be happy with my results is in the extraversion category. This is an area that would help me and potential clients either get along or create a relationship for further down the road. It is difficult to say which area is best, as we know some recruiters have bias. Depending on which job I was applying for may be either helpful or not. I am looking to get into finance and with some of these scores that would help however in a job that required more openness I may not be the best candidate form my score in that section. After reviewing my results multiple times I do think that an employer would be happy with my results as a whole and would consider me for the position.

Given the situation of hiring Avery or Jamie, there are some things to take into account. Since this is my business, I will have the final decision and whether that decision is good or bad is on me. My choice for a person to work at my company every day would be Jamie. The reason for this is the consistency. This is where I can depend on Jamie to get the job done. I know that that they aren’t very clutch. However, as a boss I know this and can help Jamie.

A job where Avery would be more valuable is a short term or period where we could harness the high potential and use it to our advantage. The high potential of this person is not easy over looked and perhaps is what really keeps them in the race for a job. I think of a soccer player who just got traded and is pushing for the post season. The team can help push Avery into the post season and really perform well.

I think a job that make Jamie more valuable would be a day-to-day job and something that doesn’t require too much pressure or stress so Jamie could achieve what they needed to. I think of a job where it gets pretty routine. This can be an office job, nothing high stakes etc.

Both Avery ad Jamie can become assets towards the company. I think both people are going to need some coaching or incentives to help get them to the next level of becoming a better employee.

In our current market it is crucial to standout from your competitors. Whether you sell products or are applying for a job. Personally, I am currently leveraging my MBA. In our job market, MBA isn’t what it used to be however, I know it is valuable and I use that to my ability. My brand is consisting of perseverance/determination and creating a culture that focuses on growth and opportunity. A weakness that I have compared to many competitors, experience. I was a NCAA Division I Athlete which consumes all the time available and did not get experience over summers like most of my peers did. This is a weakness but, is also unique and different that not too many people have done. I think by leveraging my MBA and being a DI athlete, I can land jobs with my competitive advantages.

If I were to create an ad for myself, I would keep couple things in mind. The first thing that I thought of is how quickly people skip adds or don’t acknowledge them. So, with that being said I would have to grab their attention quickly. Another thing that I thought of is where is this ad displayed. I think a very powerful tool is social media. So many people use it, and I can take advantage of that. Sites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter are places where I would want my ad to be posted. I would have my name either in bigger or bold font to have my name recognized. Another is to have a piece of contact information available so that the recruiter can contact me if he/she chooses to. I have been debating to have a picture of myself on the ad or not. I know I only have couple of seconds to grab the attention of the viewer. I would have a short concise message stating some strengths but nothing too long that would take away from the ad. I would want the person to see the add at least 2x. I think with the combination of the sites I would use, the short message with my name in bold and my contact information then I think it could be a successful ad.

Searching for a new job is challenging. I am currently on the job hunt. Checking for new jobs posted multiple times a day so I can have a job over summer. I am even applying for internships that can lead to full-time positions. I have been applying for financial analysts and investment banking internships. The most recent job I applied for was today. The job description influenced my decision to apply for the position is some interesting ways. First, I had the requirements needed for the job so I felt I would be a good candidate. I didn’t really have the exact experience the job weas looking for. I was a college athlete and spent summers training for my sport. It left no time for jobs and now I am struggle to find one. However, I still think with my experience I would be a good a candidate. The task of the job didn’t seem to out of the ordinary so it cheeked another box for me. I think I would be good at the tasks required. Lastly there was a why work here section. The first thing it stated was having a positive culture. This is really important to me. I have been a part of a good culture and a bad culture for teams and this really can impact reasons why I would work somewhere. Lastly, the job description stated ‘Work hard play hard’ mentality. I never would classify myself as that however it seemed like a fun place to work. Not to mention there was a completive benefits section that I would mind having. Lol

The job description is listed below.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s in Finance, Accounting, or similar required.
• 1-2 years of progressive Financial Analysis experience
• Strong ERP and Excel skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact with high level executives and internal team members

What You’ll Do

• Performs a variety of financial reporting and analysis activities at company level and presenting monthly and quarterly reports to the entire company.
• Support senior leadership team with data mining to provide data-driven analysis.
• Develop financial models to support strategic initiatives.
• Track all budgeting related to projects

Why Work Here

• Culture is a priority. Fostering a fun, open culture factors into every decision and business evaluation.
• ‘Work hard play hard’ mentality
• People / Atmosphere: Work with a welcoming and collaborative team with a drive for success.
• Competitive benefits!

Discrimination amongst individuals should not be tolerated. It should definitely not happen in the workplace. I like many companies here in America. If a company that I like was faced with a public lawsuit in which they were accused of widespread discrimination against individuals from an ethnicity, culture, or belief system that I associated with I would-be very disappointed. I also think if I didn’t associate with an ethnicity, culture, or belief system that others do, does not make it ok for them to face discrimination. The outstanding claim would change the way I think and feel toward that company. I would immediately remove any support I had towards that organization. I think it is important to recognize what that company has done and change it moving forward. When thinking about apply for that company I would take a few things into consideration. How recent did this happen? Has management changed? Has the company set a new culture? I know we live in a “cancel culture” society nowadays and it can ruin many people. I do not condone discrimination however, if a good time period passed, there was new management and a new culture established at the company then yes, I would apply. I would dissociate with the company until things changed at the company. If the company has changed then I see no problem applying. I would go through the company thoroughly before making that decision. The decision would not be taken easily. I know companies can change and I hope in our future we do not have to see discrimination in our country.  

Organizations might decide to allocate more resources toward marketing or product design rather than using those same resources to do a really good job in employee recruitment and selection because of high cost associated with the hiring process. The company must spend money advertising the position, evaluating the candidates, and conducting background checks. If the company focuses on marketing or product design this can lead to higher/more profits than spending the same money on recruitment and selection. For instance, in today’s world we have great technological advances that basically sell themselves. I think of products such as the Apple iPhone and Tesla Motors. The money spent of product design and marketing is well worth it for the revenue brought in. It is smart for these companies to focus on their product design and marketing to get it the consumer for more revenue.  

Some potential weaknesses of an organization’s decision to not prioritize recruitment and selection in rather than other aspects of the business are recouping lost money from mistakes that poor employees make. When the position does not get filled the company or business pays for that longer term in opportunity cost. There is also potential hidden hiring discrimination that can cost the company millions if undetected.  Some strengths of an organization’s decision to not prioritize recruitment and selection is as I mentioned previously. Strategic product design and marketing can lead to more revenue which then leads to profit for the company. The company can shift and mold employees to fit the companies culture.

Looking for new positions within your chosen industry can be difficult. I am currently seeking position in the finance field back in my home city. Yesterday alone I applied for 7 positions for entry level and internship positions. My experience from applying to these positions can be describe as tedious. In today’s world, many applications are done online as were my applications. Most companies use an ATS software which looks over your resume and lets the employer how much of a percentage match there is. I find this process very difficult. I was never taught how to change my resume and cover letter to match the application to trick the software. I can be a great person for the job but if the software does not pass me through, I will have a very difficult time getting the job. I am learning as fast I can to have a better experience with these applications.

Some of the applications were very extensive as others with very simple and I could apply with my LinkedIn. Towards the end of the day, I started to get frustrated with answering many of the same questions over and over again. I remember one application that was so tedious and took so long that it changed my view about working there. I was over it! I thought to myself, if the application process is this annoying, what is it like to work there. I still filled out the application because I really wanted the job but a negative vibe was defiantly attached to that process. I am new to this, but I am sure with time I will find out how to do it and get my job I have been looking for.