Job Application Experience

In my day to day work, I come across having to do a job analysis in order to re-write job descriptions at least a few times per month. The biggest thing I learned in this course was during week 3 when we learned the steps to doing a constructive job analysis, and being able to use this analysis to create a job description that does not leave out any of the duties, scope of work, or qualifications of the position. The step-by-step of creating a well written job description was amazing and I will be using this in the future.

Job analysis is important where I work because unless I am able to capture all of the duties and scope of work completely, the pay will not be comparable to other entities in our area. We want to have competitive pay and retention in our establishment. We use a salary analysis tool that takes into account scope, qualifications, duties, environment, lifting, and type of work (tools involved? indoor or outdoor? etc.). If I am unable to completely capture these necessary steps, the tools can miscalculate the pay range for the job and our salary for the position will not be competitive in that field of work.

I feel as though my ability to identify subject matter experts and fully execute the job description has improved after taking this course. I would like to be able to refer back to the lectures from week 3 in order to maximize my ability to do a job analysis and update job descriptions regularly.

I have learned a lot in this class and I appreciate the effort our professor has put in to teaching us the ins and outs of the recruit and selection process.

What am I good at? I am a great observer. I am able to quickly analyze what is going on around me, pick up on positive or negative vibes coming from the room, and read people and body language. I can identify inconsistencies and redundancies in the workplace that make work less efficient for everyone involved. Lastly, I am a good listener. I want to listen to details and offer my knowledge and feedback if that is what the person is looking for. I am a problem-solver and like to help navigate complex situations.

What do I value? I value my reputation in a professional sense and my integrity. I want people around me to trust me and feel comfortable coming to me in any situation that arises. I value peace in my life and do not like to feel stressed out over things I am unable to control, on the other hand, I also do not like to feel like I have completely lost control of the things going on in my life because it makes me anxious which, in turn, disrupts my peace.

How did I get here? I got here by focusing on goals that I put in my life, I focused on schoolwork to help me build my future, and I focused on my family. I put effort into being the best version of myself, and gaining knowledge I needed to build a better future and peace in life. I practiced self-care and listened/learned in situations that required my undivided attention.

Where am I going? The only way I plan on going is up. I am almost finished with school, I have a good career, and I plan to use my knowledge to the best of my ability, while still learning everyday. I want to move up until I am fulfilled in life and completely happy and comfortable with where I end up. I plan to grow with what life throws at me, and use everything as a teaching moment to keep my trajectory moving upward.

According to the Enneagram test results (long version), I am a type 1 personality, and taking into consideration wings I am a 1w2. As a type 1 personality, I am labeled as “The Reformer- perfectionists, responsible, fixated on improvement.” These are people who are looking to make things better, as they think nothing is ever quite good enough. A person who wants to reform and improve, and desire to make order out of the chaos. They have a fine eye for detail and are always aware of flaws in themselves and others triggering their need to improve on those flaws. Type 1 is generally driven and ambitious, practical people who want to get things done. Type 1 is often intelligent and independent and primarily of action and not just thought. They have multiple interests and talents however; they are self-reliant and seldom run out of things to do. Ones tend to worry and are prone to anxiety

The wing of my personality labels me “The Helper- helpers who need to be needed.” This wing feels worthy and helpful to others, selflessness is a duty, and giving to others is their reason for being. Involved, socially aware, and go the extra mile to help out co-workers, spouse, or friend in need.

Strengths for a type 1 personality that would be beneficial for a potential employer would be a conscientious and ethical leader, with a strong sense for right and wrong. I would be an ideal candidate as a leader, teacher, and advocate for change to benefit the company. I would be well-organized, orderly, and maintain high standards. What I would value from my team would be improvement, honesty, accountability, and responsibility in the daily work they perform.

Weakness for type 1 personality that could be a deterrent for potential employers would be that I might slip into a routine as a perfectionist if I am not open minded to different standards. This perfectionist persona can lead to impatience and resentment from repressed anger and frustration with myself and others. I am always trying to improve and make things better, therefore always on the go and not always willing to share my concerns or feelings in the best way.

I believe this test characterizes my personality accurately. As a leader in finance for a clinic, I feel the need to lead my team as well as have the empathy to help others and make other feel seen or heard. I am careful not to be close-minded about different ideas and different ways of succeeding. I do not believe all type 1 personalities will cross over into the area of ‘perfectionist’ leading to potential weaknesses, and I am aware of weaknesses I have.

If I was a business owner that was facing the possibility of two candidates, both possessing two different types of traits: high potential-poor consistency or low potential-high consistency; I would really need to consider what the position is going to demand of these two types of candidates.

If my job opening was a position that measured individual high achievement, such as a sales position within a car dealership or real estate company, it would be crucial for me to hire the candidate with a higher ceiling of potential even if their day-to-day consistency was average. During the time when the customer sits down and is considering a purchase, I would need a candidate that can instantly drive that customer into saying the word “YES.” The employee’s overall achievement and compensation would rely on their ability to work wonders during certain short periods of time, followed by longer periods of down time waiting for the next customer that is considering a large purchase.

On the other hand, if I was looking for a front desk clerk where their days consisted mostly of providing consistent customer service, answering phones, and directing customers to the correct locations, I would want to pick a candidate with a high day-to-day consistency. This candidate would not enjoy the pressure of having to make split moment sales with high-stakes, but the consistency of daily tasks and treating every customer as a valuable member of our organization.

Both types of employees are needed for a variety of reasons, no matter what type of business you have, it is just up to me as the owner to navigate what the position requires of the candidates, and which candidate would be more successful. I would not want to make a hiring mistake putting the wrong candidate in a position that requires quick thinking and high potential, leading to their failure along with mine as a business owner.

I am passionate about my drive, success, and determination. My determination brought me to the leader I am today. I lead my team by example with integrity, accountability, and adaptability to ensure that my team members are always eager to help efficiency and profitability of the company. As a strong leader, I am always willing to help my team set attainable goals and achieve those goals with hard work and dedication.

It was not always easy in the life of Mindy, she had a lot to offer the world that had gone untouched, there was a lot of skill that had never been tapped into, and a lot of knowledge that was never applied. I dug myself out from under the large rock we call life, and chose to take on a new approach to life, education. There came a point in life where I came to a Y in the road, I could keep going the same way, or I could make a change and turn my life into something greater. A lot happened during my journey through college, I had to balance work, school, and being a single mom to 4 children. During my 6 years of college I had a baby, the COVID-19 pandemic shut life (as we know it) down and I migrated to online learning from home surrounded by my children, I worked to support my family, and structured my life around completing my schoolwork as a priority for a brighter future. This is the hard-work and dedication that got me where I am today, and it is the same hard work and dedication that I will bring into my leadership style to make my team successful as well as my professional career.

I have dedicated myself to becoming better, stronger, more knowledgeable, and successful. Once upon a time you might find me working odd jobs and living paycheck to paycheck, but this was not the future I wanted forever, so I made a change. I will keep growing and evolving, and always strive to be aware of my own strengths and weaknesses as a leader, humility will always be a necessary part of my vocabulary in order to grow as a person, because I know where I once was, and how I have changed to be greater and live a more fulfilling life.

The last position I applied to was my current job as the Finance Manager for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Siletz Community Health Clinic. This was the first time after I graduated with my Bachelors degree that I was looking for a long-term professional career, in which my work history, experience, and my schooling would impact the positions I was ‘qualified’ for. Most of my previous experience was in the accounting field, with both for-profit and non-profit experience. As a tribal member, I really wanted to give back to my community and my tribe and work for them.

The job description was clear and led with a position title, location, immediate supervisor, salary (negotiable), and classification. The introduction was an executive summary of what the position might entail, the minimum requirements for the position, and several other areas of listed bullet points (knowledge of, duties, supervisory responsibilities, complexity, scope and effect, and physical demands/work environment).

With my background experience being in mostly accounting and business office operations, I felt that I was qualified to play a lead role in the finance office for the tribe. My experience included fund accounting, which is what the job description stated. I had previous experience in supervisory roles along with multiple classes in the nursing field (from earlier years of schooling before I changed my courses to the business field). I had also previously worked in the Siletz Community Health Clinic in an entry level position, so I was familiar with the software used within the organization.

The only downfall to my experience was that I had no professional experience within the medical field. I was not familiar with medical billing and coding procedures, electronic health records, or regulations associated with Medicaid, Medicare, and other insurance companies. Nevertheless, I had previously taken several medical courses over my years in college, so felt as though I would be able to learn this area of the job in time.

Attached above is the job description for my current position.

If a well-known company was faced with a lawsuit that ultimately effected me or my beliefs I would have a lot of questions about the entirety of the accusations, and depending on the outcome of the lawsuit, it would definitely affect the way I felt about the company as a whole. This applies to individual people as well. Being unethical is not an excuse for any company or single person, and to exclude a member of a protected class says a lot about morals and values of a company and the people that work within it.

If the outcome of a lawsuit was that the company did commit these allegations of discrimination, I would feel that I would never want to work there or do business with them again. I would lose all trust in the company, and my engagement with that company would diminish. The company would lose my support in all areas of employment, investments, and sales. They would damage their reputation as a company and lose any sort of talent that employees could have potentially given to the company as an employee.

Whether or not the company is found guilty of these allegations, I would question the morals and ethics of the company for them to be brought a lawsuit in the first place. I really would think twice about using the company or purchasing from the company and especially about applying for positions within the company because I would not want to compromise my own morals and beliefs. Losing business and future talent would be a collateral consequence of the company’s actions and a direct reflection of the internal works within the company.

Why might organizations 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?

A company might allocate more resources to their product marketing and design in an attempt to boost their revenue short-term or to address competition in an attempt to increase customer satisfaction. Although this is a short-term goal because without proper employee recruitment, the company would be unable to keep up with growing demand using skilled and innovative workers. Strong marketing campaigns can increase brand recognition for the target market, where they would have to bring in new product designs to keep the market focused on that brand, and also keep up with the competition in the same market. Investing more money into marketing and product design will attract customers and increase revenue for the company. The company would need to re-assess the situation after the initial investment to ensure that they are allocating resources effectively for that moment in time.

What are the potential strengths and weaknesses of an organization’s decision to not prioritize recruitment and selection in favor of a focus on other aspects of the business?

There are pros and cons for an organization’s decision on allocating resources, so it is important to assess the situation as needed. An organization’s decision not to prioritize recruitment and selection can save costs associated with hiring, reducing turnover on the existing employee talent, and enhanced focus on development and retaining existing employees.

On the con side of an organization’s decision to not prioritize recruitment and selection is missed opportunity by not actively seeking new skills from outside of the company it is hard to keep up with innovation in the existing market, so we can include reduced innovation that comes from new talent entering the company, and also difficulty filling critical positions within the company. Those critical positions help keep the company running with new skills and ideas, if the right candidate is not placed in the role, the company can struggle to adapt to the changing innovation and market.

After graduating with my Bachelors degree, I was on the hunt for dream job to accommodate my growing future. As a tribal member, I thought, what better way to give back to my tribal community and my culture than to work for the tribe. I started applying for the jobs I have never qualified for until then with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. The two that I wanted the most were positions in the Community Health Clinic, Assistant Executive Health Director and Finance Manager.

I applied and uploaded my resume and information/credentials online, and received an email when the job posting closed that I had interviews for both, I accepted both interviews. After doing in-person interviews for both positions, I felt more confident in my ability to fulfill the Finance Manager position than the Assistant Executive Health Director position, as I had multiple years of accounting and finance in my background, both for-profit and non-profit, so I hoped they would select me for the Finance Manager position.

I received a call the next day that they had selected me for the Finance Manager position, I was surprised at how quickly they got back to me for the position. I was sent an email with an offer letter explaining benefits, pay, and asking for a signature to accept the position.

After I accepted the position, I was working in the company about a month later. The entire process seemed easy, professional, and working in a timely manner from start to finish. It made the company look professional, the HR Tech that was in contact with me was friendly and timely, and it made me excited to start my journey here. The appearance that you get when you first apply and interact with a company sets the entire stage, if they are spread out and messy or unorganized, it just doesn’t give you a good feeling.

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