Author: harrises

The most important thing I have learned in this class is how to use tests as predictors of employee fit and performance. Tests are important in the recruitment process, as they help in narrowing down potential job applicants. I now understand the types of characteristics effective tests have. Tests must first be reliable, so that the score for an applicant is consistent. This ensures that the test will produce the same result for an applicant, which makes them easier to compare to other applicants. Before using a test for recruitment, it is important to put it through a trial. This trial could consist of having people within the company take the test multiple times to see if their results are consistent.

A good test must also be valid. It should be able to measure the things we want it to. There are three main types of validity: criterion validity, content validity, and face validity. Criterion validity measures how much a test predicts job performance. Content validity has to do with how well a test measures what it is specifically meant to measure. Face validity refers to hoe the test is perceived by the job applicant. If a test has high face validity, applicants see the test as being highly related to measuring the skills they will need for the job. Tests questions can make an impression on the job applicant. If the test taker does not think the questions relate to the job, they may start to view the company in a negative way. It is important to remember that before a test can be valid in any way, it must first be reliable.

Tests must also be cost efficient. The cost of a test must be compared to how well it predicts the certain things it is meant to measure. Part of deciding on the cost of a test, is considering the importance of the position you are hiring for.

Lastly, tests should be fair. They should put applicants on an level playing field. Some tests are more fair than others. Because many tests are made to predict performance, they cannot be entirely fair. People have different cognitive abilities and tests may be seen as easier or more difficult because of this. Test creators should make tests fair in as many ways as they can, so that they only measure the specific things they are meant to.

1. What am I good at? I believe I am good at adapting to new situations. I am good at taking on new projects, understanding that things I’ve learned in the past can apply to them. I am also good at thinking outside the box in problem solving.

2. What do I value? I value my time and energy. If I notice that I am spending too much time on something that is not adding meaning to my life, I try to cut it out. I also value individuality. I think that seeing the trees and not just the forest is very important.

3. How did I get here? I got to where I am today, mainly because I found out what I did not want. In high school, I was able to job shadow and volunteer around people in two different occupations I was looking at going into. When I realized I did not want their particular positions, I knew it was because I wanted more freedom to decide. I chose a business degree because of the diverse options the field of business offers.

4. Where am I going? If I continue on my current trajectory, I will be working in an HR department of a hospital. While this does interest me, I would eventually like to get my masters degree and work for the Gates Foundation. I need to be strategic in planning the next several years of my life to accomplish this goal instead of staying at the same job for a long time.

I took the longer version of the test. My results on extroversion were average (45), which means I like spending time with other people, but I also value time alone. As an introvert, I’m actually a little surprised that I scored even that high. My score on agreeableness was high (78), which is an indication of sympathy and cooperativeness. Under this domain my highest score was in sympathy (94). I also scored high in conscientiousness (74). The highest score I got under the conscientiousness domain, cautiousness (84), was a trait I never recognized as a characteristic of being reliable and determined. I scored low in neuroticism (32), which was a relief. My highest score in this domain was self consciousness (72). I scored high on openness to experience (81), with the highest characteristic being emotionality (88).

A potential employer may look at my scores in each domain and analyze them to use in hiring decisions. They may look at my score on extroversion and realize that, while I enjoy being around people, I would not be fit for a position where I had not time to myself. I think that having an average score in any of the five domains, leaves some ambiguity. In these cases, I believe there should be more inquiry related to the personality domain in question. An employer may look at my high scores in agreeableness, and assess that I may do well speaking directly with clients. I may also do well in understanding their needs and building their trust. My score in conscientiousness is high, which would make a potential employer assume that I am able to carry out tasks efficiently and effectively. The fact I scored especially high in cautiousness may work for me, or against me. An employer may be looking for someone who is willing to take more risks. My low score in neuroticism would most likely influence an employer to believe I am emotionally stable and mature. I’m not the type to cause drama and I will do my best to keep a positive attitude. My high score In openness to experience, would indicate that I am flexible. It may convey that I am creative and like to come up with new ideas. I enjoy learning new methods and more effective ways to accomplish tasks.

As a business owner, I would choose Jaime for the essential opening in my company. While I can see the potential someone like Avery might have at my company, I prioritize consistency. Our clients depend on my business to get work done within a certain time frame. They expect a consistent output and effort from us. At the end of the day, Jaime is the best choice for my company because she will be able to keep up with tasks and put out a consistent amount of effort.

A potential job that Avery could excel at is being a lawyer. If I owned a law firm, and was looking for another attorney, I would definitely take Avery into high consideration. Some of the best lawyers may slack on cases they know they will lose or on cases they are guaranteed to win. They may, however, put a lot of energy toward a case that is more ambiguous. This may cause them to put in a huge amount of time an effort to convince the jury to see their client in a more favorable light.

In my opinion, it would make more sense to hire Jaime for a project management job. This type of job requires consistency and the ability to show up prepared for work everyday. Project managers oversee many different aspects of a project from its start to end date. It is important for the individual in this position to keep everyone on task to complete sections of the project within each of their time frames.

When applying for a job, I would like my potential employers to see that I have integrity and am a good listener. My personal brand would be presented by talking with confidence about accomplishments I have achieved as an individual and within group settings. I would also try to find a way in which I identify with their company. I might bring up part of their mission statement that I strongly agree with. I would also ask them questions about their vision for the company and show interest in what they have to say. At the end of the interview, I would like my potential employer to see that I am willing to listen to others ideas and identify and relate with them, which is a key factor in building good teams.

In a fun, creative situation wanted ad I would list the fact that I am about to graduate college and am looking for a great start to a successful career. I might email employers I am interested in, saying that I am taking a proactive approach to finding a job. I would then go onto say that my approach is very similiar to the proactive approach I would be taking as an employee at a company. I would also include a video full of interesting things I have learned thoughout life. These could include random fun facts that have no significance at all. The facts would be sprinkled with more important facts learned in business school. Towards the end of the video I would say something like “there are so many things yet to discover” and then list questions that I do not have the answer to. One of these questions might be “what will my employers’ company colors be?” Another question could be “how many online applications will I fill out in the next month?” The video would have a positive undertone and be no more than two minutes long, as most people probably would not want to spend time watching anyhting longer than that.

The last job I had (besides my current one that I did not apply for) was a temporary position at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Portland. I had an internship with them last summer, and they asked if I could fill a part time positions between the time my internship ended and when I moved back to Corvallis for school. I was already familiar with the office environment, so my decision to accept the offer was not weighted heavily on the job description. I loved the office environment and enjoyed working with the full time staff over the summer during my internship.

The job description for the position is no longer posted on their website. From my memory, the description included that that the job title was “Associate, Leadership of Events.” The job was described as a temporary position offered to help prepare for Gala MS 2019. Next, the description provided details as to what the job would entail. It included communicating with potential donors over the phone and in person, working with Excel spreadsheets, and putting together packages for the Gala MS auction.

The actual job was similar to the description. The one thing I was not expecting was the amount of “cold-calling” I would have to do. I spent hours every week calling local businesses asking for donations for the Gala MS auction. One task, specifically, was to obtain enough wine donations to provide wine for all of the guest tables. When calling the wineries, I had to frame the donation as a way for them to advertise their wines at our event. The job description did not specify how many calls I would be making and the level of persuasion I would have to carry out.

If my favorite company had a lawsuit against them, because they were thought to be discriminating against a certain population of people, I would certainly change my view of the company. I would associate the company with negative discriminatory practices, and be less inclined to buy their products or services. I would research the claims against the company extensively before making a decision to continue to support them. If I found that they were, in fact discriminating, and not doing anything to help the situation, I would be influenced to stop supporting the company, thus stop supporting the discriminatory practices.

Knowing that this company was participating in discriminatory practices, I would not want to apply to work there. Personally, I would like to align my values with my career. Since I value equality, my culture and my beliefs, I would not tolerate them being infringed upon. I realize this comes from someone living in the developed world; I have options in terms of companies I may work for and careers I may pursue. That being said, I would not be willing to work at the company at this point in time, even if it had been a goal of mine before. If the company is able to come out of the lawsuit with a new action plan to stop the present discrimination, I may reconsider applying for the job. I would express my concerns at the interview and explain that I would like to be a part of their change in creating a more welcoming workplace.

There are two things that an organization must get right in order to succeed: marketing and product design. While some people believe the key factor in organizational success is employee morale and performance, this is simply not the case. Firstly, an organization must have a product or service that gains enough public attention that it is able to generate revenue. Without this revenue, the organization would have no way of paying its employees in the first place. In order to gain more attention to its product or service, an organization must have an effective marketing campaign.

As I mentioned above, a common counter argument for marketing and product design being the foundation of a successful organization, is that hiring the right people (recruitment) is more important. This is argued because employee turnover is very expensive and has a negative effect on an organization’s morale. This is not something an organization should have to worry about if they have a great product and marketing strategy. This is because a strong built organization will attract the right employees. If the employee turnover rate is high, it should be able to easily cover the costs of hiring potentially better, more committed people.

When an organization prioritizes its marketing and product design, it creates a stable base for the organization to operate off of. If the public does not hear about its product, then there have not been enough resources allocated to marketing. If people are not happy with the product, then there is a problem with its product design. The way in which an organization generates revenue is by people buying the product or service it offers. If they do not have significant product, there will not be enough revenue to cover its costs, including payroll.

The last job I applied for was a paid internship at Providence Health & Services. The application process for this job was definitely the most complicated I have ever gone through. I was able to look at the organization’s intern hiring process on the Providence Oregon Careers website. Reading through this process almost turned me away because it seemed really time consuming. After thinking about it, I decided that all these steps were a good thing, as it meant the organization was very careful about who they hired on.

The first action I took in their hiring process was sending in my resume. I sent this in within a couple of days after they started accepting spring applications. I waited about two weeks for a response. Finally, the recruitment manager sent me an email saying I had made it to the next stage of the hiring process. The email included a link to an online interview where I was to record myself answering a series of about five questions. The nature of these questions made me realize that this was definitely an organization I wanted to work for. For example, one of the questions asked me to describe an way of thinking I used to have about something, then how and why my way of thinking changed about the same topic.

The recruitment manager sent me an email shortly after I submitted the response videos. She told me I had moved on to the final stage of the hiring process, an in-person panel style interview. I was very nervous about this, but I actually enjoyed the style of interview. It allowed me to see different people’s perspectives of qualities that the ideal candidate has. Overall, the process was very informative and I am happy to say that I got an internship.

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