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A training experience that i thought was very beneficial to me was when I first started working at Case Printing Solutions. When i first got there I immediately started with hands on training. Rather than watching a presentation or reading through manuals, they trained me by have me actually work with the equipment and was able to learn how to do each task on my own. Now if ran into a problem they would come over and guide me through it. In the begging, the employees who had been there a while showed me how to operate different machines and how to troubleshoot common problems, as well as what to do with each ink cartridge. I really enjoyed this training experience as it made it easier for me to understand what I was doing by allowing me to connect directly with the job I was learning. The week 6 lectures talked about how effective training should provide employees with opportunities to practice their skills and connect their training to the real task at hand. Which is exactly how my training went and why it allowed me to reach a point where they feel like i can work anytime and they can trust me to get things done proficiently.

On the other hand I have taken a couple classes throughout my time at Oregon State that I felt like weren’t very beneficial in training me to succeed in the real world. These classes focused on long heavy lectures that required a lot of memorization and incorporated very little interactions and real hands on work. The material was important, however it was very difficult to remain engaged as there wasn’t many real world examples or opportunities to apply what we learned. Looking back I think these classes truly lacked what makes training effective, like active participation, feedback, and real life application. Our lectures this week spoke on how training should be meaningful and designed around how employees or students will actually utilize the information taught. I believe this is something those classes really lacked.

Overall, I believe that these ideas connect well to what we read about in the UPS article. As it talked about how younger employees learned better though hands on simulations and realistic practices/application rather than strictly lectures. Overall, I believe that the most effective training comes when people can actively participate, practice their skills, and understand how the information they are learning applies to real life scenarios.

References:

Lecture 1: Developing Training Programs (W6 Lecture 1 – Training.pptx) 
Making of a UPS DriverLinks to an external site. (web link to the article on Fortune.com – archived)

Ive been through a lot of interviews, but none of them have been fort jobs. Almost every interview i’ve done has been related to wrestling, whether it was about my performance, thoughts on the year, how i’m preparing for an tournament, or my experience as an athlete. I think because of this most of my interviews have felt like more natural conversations rather than something formal. Thinking back on it this made them feel more comfortable, however it also made them less effective in a way.

I think the most effective parts of these interviews is when the media people or coaches asked specific questions about my mentality, work ethic, how i handle different kinds of pressure, or how i contribute to the team. I believe these questions hold more validity because they are unique to my performance and behavior in a competitive team/individual environment. The learning materials also talked about how interviews are more validity when they focus on specific job related skills or experiences.

Since many of these interviews most likely lacked structure. Many of the decisions seemed to be made on first impressions, personality ir how well we connected. I think this reduces reliability, as not every athlete is interviewed in the same way. Our learning materials talked about how unstructured interviews can lead to bias and inconsistent decisions. Based on my experiences it felt like likability and reputation played almost as big of a role as your actual ability to compete.

If i could go back i would suggest they make the interviews a little bit more structured. I think they coaches could have a set group of questions to ask every athlete, just to compare answers and see where people stand. I know they already review competition and how athletes preform. However, i think adding in some kinds of review of athlete work ethic in the practice room and classroom would be helpful in improving decision making.

Overall, i felt like my interviews flowed naturally. However, i think they could be improved on by being more consistent, structured and focused on measurable performances rather than just impressions.

References:

Lecture 2: Introduction to Selection (W5 Lecture 2 – Introduction to Selection. pptx) 

Knight, R. (2018) 7 Practical Ways to Reduce Bias in Your Hiring Processes, Society for Human Resources Management.

In the past I have never really thought about job descriptions. However, after reading over the materials i started to understand just how important they are. They are the foundation of everything involved in HR, from hiring to training, performance reviews and decisions on pay. When job descriptions aren’t clear it can create a lot of confusion for employees, leaving them stranded and unsure on what to do. The article a Job Worth Doing talked about how job descriptions directly connect to nearly all parts of HR and employee management.

I think one of the biggest challenges with job descriptions is keeping them updated and accurate with time. The world changes with time and so do jobs, however the descriptions often remain the same. Which can cause confusion on responsibilities and make it more difficult to accurately evaluate an employees performance fairly. I also think that it can be challenging to make sure the job descriptions are detailed enough without being too overwhelming. Our lectures this week talked about how a great job analysis should be able to outline tasks, duties, and the essential skills or KSAO’s. However, obtaining that information will take time and effort.

Having a poor job description can also cause bigger problems in the long run. As it could lead a company to potentially hire the wrong people, struggle with training them, and face lower productivity because employees aren’t fit for the role or don’t completely understand their role. It can also increase employee turnover as employees may feel confused or a lack of support. It can also make workforce planning more difficult as companies may not have a complete understanding on the roles and skills they need.

To combat these challenges i think that companies should hold job descriptions to a higher value, by checking in and updating them regularly. I also think that by talking to employees and managers companies could make them more accurate to current times. Overall, i think that if companies put a little more effort into job descriptions it can make a big difference in how effecientley they operate.

Citations:

Tyler, Kathryn. “Job Worth Doing: Update Descriptions.” SHRM, 1 Jan. 2013.

” Job Design and Job Analysis.” Course Lecture/Notes, Oregon State University, 2026.

“Workforce Planning.” Course Lecture/Notes, Oregon State University, 2026.

I decided to look at NVIDIA, Delta Air Lines, Zillow Group, and Trek Bicycle’s. After looking into them and seeing what the employees have to say about each company, it helped show me the importance in how a company treats its employees. These companies in particular seem to do a great job creating an environment where people actually feel motivated to work, rather than forced to do a job.

At NVIDIA employees mention transparency and strong communication from people of leadership positions. This connects well to what we read about with how important it is for employees to understand the goal of the company and how their work fits into it. When employees feel included and are informed they are more likely to be motivated to do their best work.

At Delta Air Lines, they go above and beyond when it comes to employee support, especially when times are tough. Having a culture like this really builds trust and loyalty amongst employees. Its a great way of showing just how important employee relations are, as when people feel valued and cared for they are more likely to stay with a company and put in their best work.

At Zillow, they strive to stand out for their benefits and flexibility. Offering fully remote work and strong healthcare support, that all goes into helping employees maintain a good work life balance. This ties into with what we learned about in that employees tend to preform better when they feel like their personal needs are met and respected.

At Trek Bicycle, the employees expressed how they felt heard and valued by management and people of leadership positions. When employees feel like their work and ideas matter, they are more inclined to be engaged and invested in their work.

If i were to hold a management or leadership position in the future i would want to create an environment similar to these companies. One where people feel respected, valued, supported, and motivated. As it creates a good culture and good employees. I think this is where HR plays a big role, through things like training, communication and pay. In my i think the hardest part about being a manager would be having to balance the goals of the business and keeping employee moral up. It can be tough to make decisions that benefit both sides. However if you use data and pay attention to your employees it can help influence better decisions.

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