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Week 10 – Most Important Things Learned

I believe that the most important thing that I have learned from this class is the process of closing in the hiring process from week 9 content focusing on more of the HR perspective rather than the candidate perspective. As this can be showing the candidate the value, you can bring to them within the organization and convince them to accept the job offer. As we have learned there are numerous steps in the recruitment and selection process as this can entail, the hiring process crafting up job descriptions, posting the position, selecting candidates, recruiting, choosing the methods to select candidates, etc. There is a lot of work that is put in throughout the recruitment and selection process which can be very costly and timely for a company. Therefore, it can be very disappointing to lose out on a candidate that is very qualified during the last leg of the process who may be reluctant and considering their other offers.

To add, I think is very important on being able to secure the best candidates for the position as not only has the company gone through all the work so, but also has the candidate. It’s very important during the hiring process to sell the position to the reluctant applicant and one way to do this can be by focusing on The Five F’s (fit, family, freedom, fortune, and fun) and how the job can appeal to the candidate in different areas of their life. As candidates may not have the same importance of these variables.

Furthermore, I think that when this is done it can show the candidate that there is a genuine interest in them in their personal life and not only about who they are on paper. It fosters better connections and relations between the candidate and the company. As ultimately, the applicant has the final decision. Alongside, coming from the candidate’s perspective, I do think that if the company showed they valued and cared for me on a deeper level I would be more likely to take the position if it aligned with my values and wants.

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Week 9 – Self Reflection

1. What am I good at?
I would say that I am good at collaborating and working with others. Reason for this I do think that is that I have a high patience level when working with others and do not get frustrated easily. Rather, I am a good listener and take the time to understand what others are saying and or what is needed at hand making it easier to work with others. Alongside, I am very technical and analytical as I like to evaluate all the facts and evidence before deciding. 

2. What do I value?
One aspect that I value is finding balance between work and one’s personal life. As I think that there needs to be a good mixture of both to be able to enjoy life and other experiences outside of the workplace. As I think that balance is key in being able to reduce possible burn out at work and it can help make work seem more enjoyable. IN combination, finding balance is essential for one’s mental health and well -ness as I think that it’s not healthy to constantly be working. 

3. How did I get here?
I would say that my life experiences and drive have gotten me today where I am in my life. As I have built up a strong work ethic and skill sets to help me work towards goals that have been short or long term. As well, I do think that my life experiences have shaped me into the person I am today as I know have a better understanding of who I am as an adult, what I want out of life, and what my future goals I strive for. 

4. Where am I going?
As a young professional, I do think that the direction that I am headed is building my work experience, expanding my connections, having new life experiences, and learning from mistakes, and learning to live each day to the fullest. As I think that I am at an age where there are endless career paths that I can take, places to live, travel, and meet new people. A key aspect, that I like to keep in mind is that when it comes to life we don’t have to be stagnant in our lives rather our lives change over time. 

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Week 7 – IPIP Results & Reactions

The personality test that I took was the IPIP-NEO Narrative and my results indicated of the five domains:

Extraversion – 11
Agreeableness – 71
Conscientiousness – 40 
Neuroticism – 24
Openness to Experience – 2

Looking at my results I do think that it was accurate as I am someone that is more introverted, quiet, and comfortable around people that I already know. However, I do think that I do warm up to other’s once I feel more comfortable. As well, in terms of agreeableness this was very high, and I do think that I score high on this because I am one that does not like confrontation and conflict. I would rather, get along and compromise with others.

To add, in terms of conscientiousness I do think that I am someone that is very rational and strategic in the way that I act and carry myself which was not surprising I scored high in this category. Next, when it comes to neuroticism, I scored low, and I do think that a reason for this that by nature I am very calm and try to find peace in all aspects of my life. As I put a lot of focus on my mental health and self-care which helps me remain composed. Lastly, when it came to openness to experience my score was very low indicating that I am more conservative and practical which was surprising as I didn’t think I would score that low.

In terms of an employer’s perspective, a strength they would notice would be in agreeableness and conscientiousness. As this can indicate that I am a strong candidate in terms of working with others and have a strong interest in other’s need and well – being. As well, they would notice that I am someone that is very conscience in the way that I act, and I am very self-aware and rational with my decision-making process. Which would give employers more comfort knowing that I would not act irrationally in the workplace.

One the other hand, they would also notice that I scored low on extraversion and openness which could be a downside. As this could indicate to them that I am not willing to step outside of my comfort zone and engage with others as much and or be hesitant to change and adaption in the workplace which is not great during the hiring process. 

Overall, I do think that these tests can give more insights to a candidate and their personality. However, I think that they are not always the best measure of the candidate as results could be skewed based on when someone takes the test and or selecting a specific answer could influence outcomes. Rather, I think when evaluating someone for a position a more holistic approach should be taken to see if they fit in with the company and the requirements of the position. 

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Week 5 Blog Post – Typical vs. Maximal Performance

When faced with the decision to hire Avery or Jamie I would proceed with hiring Jamie. My reason for hiring Jamie is that she is not producing below level work on a daily basis like Avery. Rather she is occasionally when it comes to critical situations. As a hiring manager and employee, I would rather work with someone that is willing to put the work in and add value to the company. Rather than hiring someone that is stagnant in their work and can lack motivation. To add, I do think that I am more inclined to hire Jamie because she has proven that she has the abilities and skills to consistently preform. She has shown that she is willing to put in the work to produce good work and is committed to the organization. However, to add with the lack above and beyond work in critical situations can be addressed to combat this issue more easily than fixing Avery’s lack of motivation. 

In terms of a type of job that it would be better to hire someone like Avery that has high potential but, poor consistency would be a job that does not rely on consistency or can be considered low stake with a high reward. A few examples of jobs can be customer service positions, positions that have peak hours such as being server, bartender, and or being a sales representative. As all these positions do not require extensive efforts to do and if they do maximum effort can be seen with a reward occasionally depending on how hard she wants to work. 

On the other hand, a type of job where it would be better to hire Jamie who is has low potential but, high consistency would be an accounting, data entry, and or an administrative assistant. As this position require repetition and systemized ways that need to be followed to better ensure organizations are running it would be better to hire someone like Jamie. As there needs to be consistency in the quality of work over high potential because of the services that are being provided and the impact of having accurate services provided.  

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Week 4: Critiquing a Recruitment Ad

In terms of my brand presence as a potential employee I would like to be known professional, kind, open – minded, and eager to learn. As someone who has recently just got their first full – time position and entering the workforce I want to make good first impression with those that I interact and engage with right of the bat. 

I would like to show others I am motived, willing to work, adaptable in the workplace. Not only, my natural demeanor is very relaxed by nature when interacting with others and detail oriented. As I am someone that does not get frustrated easily as I am someone that takes the time to analyze situations before acting on them without rational. 

To add, as someone that is more of an introvert, I do think that it does comes with time to get me to be more outgoing with people I don’t know. However, this is a skill that I can work on to be more outgoing and step out of my comfort zone. 

In terms of presenting myself as a creative situation I do think that I would present with a simplistic yet professional poster. As I do think for me the focus would be on the design and aesthetic of the poster. This poster could be distributed in person and or posted online within my social media accounts. Within this poster I do think that I would place an image of what I look like surrounded by a slogan that represents my brand. As this slogan could be something like “Young, eager, and willing to work” which would be catchy enough to get the attention of viewers. 

Additionally, I do think that the poster would be filled with hues of blues and bring colors that are appealing to the eye. Colors that align with my brand identity and ones that look professional. Also, within the poster I do think that I would have a short text box that explains how I can bring value to solving problems and reference to skills that I can use. As this could be detail oriented, quick responses, analytical, strong communication, etc. Lasty, within the poster I would incorporate my contact information for people to get in touch.

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Week 3: Job Descriptions

In terms of the last job, I had and the job description I would say that it did influence my decision to apply for the position. As this job was for an on-campus job being a front desk support and tutor within the International Living Learning Center (ILLC). The job description influenced me to apply as it was very detailed and comprehensive in terms of the expectations and requirements of the job. Along with the timeline and direction of how to apply and who to contact for the position. Some of the responsibilities could be assisting with book check out, customer service, tutoring English courses, conversing with students, assisting operations of the Learning Center, etc. 

In terms, of my experience on the job and the job description I would say that it was very closely aligned. As for the majority of the job’s requirements were fulfilled daily which were requirements to efficiently run the center daily and provide tutoring services. As the job as a whole is very repetitive and the complexity is low by nature.

However, I do think that not all responsibilities were listed and or preformed each day. Reason being that depending on the week of term there could be more demands for tutoring services and activities in the Learning Center on campus. As this this could be seen in special requests based on student needs and teacher demands. As other responsibilities were added which were not included in the job description such setting up classroom space or scheduling more tutoring or assisting in teacher’s classroom directly. 

Lastly, I do not have a copy of the specific job description. However, I do think that would reappear on the OSU job posting website once positions are open. 

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Week 2: Experiences with Discrimination

If I came across a news article reporting that my 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. I believe that my initial reaction would be sad and shocked. As it is one of my favorite companies and I most likely have been a supporter for a long time. Then my instinct would do more research about what happened out of curiosity. I would also be curious to find out how the company got exposed, what they did to the employee, and if it was false news. Alongside, with what actions that were taken to address the situation. To add, I do think that if the company does not make a statement and indicate what they did to resolve and address the issue of discrimination my perceptions on the company would be more negative as I feel strongly about fairness in the workplace and in life. 

With this, based on their actions and severity of discrimination I do think that it would influence my decision to support that company as is that I am personally against any form of discrimination. Along with I don’t want to align and support organizations that do that promote a negative company culture. They would lose my support and business. 

Along with knowing that the organization has had issues with discrimination it would steer me away from applying to the company. If I was able to understand what they have don’t to prevent the situation from happening I may consider the position. However, if not I would not apply due to the negative exclusive environment that does not align with my values. 

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Week 1: Job Application Experiences

The last job that I applied for was the current position I hold as an Executive Assistant to the Chief Programming Officer at a DEI consulting company. The overall hiring process was very informal which was something that I have never experienced before. With this, I was unsure what to expect going into it and was under the assumption that if I did not get hired no big deal. 

Reflecting on the process of applying, the company is a very small organization that has less than 30 employees. Making connections with those already in the company was very straightforward and easy to schedule meeting times. To add, the way that I found this open position was being referred by a long-time – family friend who works within the company already. As there was no public job posting or website to apply to. Rather, during the process of the job, there was not much to it other than I forwarded my resume, wrote a cover letter which was sent directly to the hiring manager, short phone call, and then video call about the position responsibilities. Then I was hired for the position. 

The whole, the process was not formal as it was heavily relied on my connection, meeting with hiring managers, and then being informed on what would happen next via email without a clear timeline of the process. Overall, I was not stressed about this job because of my connection who helped to guide to make a good first impression and vouched for me. 

Furthermore, during the job application process, I do think that because I had a connection already it helped make my impression of the company more positive. As well, I already understood what the company culture would look like, and my connection raved about the organization and the other workers which make me more interested in the position. 

As well, my interactions with others who talked to me about the open position were very professional, friendly, and personable. As I felt that even though not a formal hiring process that each individual that I talked to took an interest and listened to what I had to say. Interacting and seeing how they were engaged with me it did make me want to work there because it showed me they value their employees and respect them.

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Week 1: The Case for Recruitment & Selection

To counter, the claim made in the mini lecture that recruitment and selection is the company’s most important function. I would like to argue that building up the products and services is important for the company because without financial means it can hinder what the company can do in all areas. 

Organizations may decide to allocate more resources toward marketing or product design over recruitment and selection for several reasons. One reason for this can be due to the organization simply does not want to prioritize finding quality workers, training them, and then supporting them from the very start of the hiring process. Along with this, they may not be willing to spend a large amount of money on this area. 

As well, choosing to allocate funds towards marketing and product design can capture the attention of the market by selling and promoting their products/services leading to more revenues. It’s easier to see clear direct performance outcomes when funds are allocated to marketing and design compared to recruitment and selections. Making allocation of funds easier to be justified. 

The strength of an organization not prioritizing recruitment and selection is that it can spend more time developing its strategy and products. As the quality and level of work can be better, more innovated, and foster a more competitive edge in the market. As a priority in this area would be given adequate funding. In combination, focusing on marketing and connecting with consumers can lead to better market presence, connection with consumers, and build a more competitive edge. Thus, having a larger presence can lead to more revenues and opportunities for the company. 

In comparison, a weakness can be seen in employee quality of work. By not prioritizing recruitment and selection of employee’s candidates that are not best suited for the position may be hired. As a result, it can lead to poor quality of outcomes, and it can reflect badly on the organization.

Lastly, retention of employees can be poor as employees may not feel valued and properly supported/trained for their positions from the start. Leading them to pursue other opportunities because of a lack of support within.