Month: May 2020

What am I good at?

I am unique in that I played Division I college volleyball which gave me a lot of strengths. The biggest of those is having developed leadership skills. Being named captain as a sophomore and maintaining that position through senior year put in me in many situations to grow this trait. The biggest takeaway I’ve noticed from this trait is that I have a tendency to bring people together. Secondly, I have developed great time management skills. I had to learn how to prioritize things over others in the absence of time, and I have carried that on to all other areas of my life outside of sport. I’m very organized and have plans for almost everything. Third, I am very athletic. Growing up having played multiple sports, I am active and love to compete. Lastly, and what I believe is most important to me, is I love to help others and I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I am a very positive person who likes to make the best out of all situations.

What do I value?

What makes me happy and what is important to me is knowing that I’ve made a difference in people’s lives. Making the world a better place is my ultimate goal. I want to spend most of my life in service to those who struggle in this world.

How did I get here?

I got here by choosing to play volleyball in college, and then choosing to attend Oregon State after that. I had other options but I chose this school because it was close to my hometown and family, I was comfortable with the campus and athletic program, and it was the most competitive conference to play in in Division I volleyball. I chose business because it gave me the most options career wise. I was very confused on what I wanted to do, but I eventually had to choose, and I thought business would give me several options that I’d be happy with. Coming to Oregon State and making the relationships I did helped me find myself and figure out what I want going forward. I chose to go on a service trip with other student athletes and I fell in love with giving back, and that is what made me realize it was how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. It is funny because I was initially wait listed for this trip, and got accepted last minute. Little did I know it would completely change my life and what I believe is most important.

Where am I going?

If I continue on my current trajectory, I will play international professional volleyball for 2-5 years after graduating college. I hope to continue to expand my knowledge about global politics and economics while playing my sport, so that after I am able to pursue my passion of service and non-profit work.

The results of my tests show that I am average in extraversion, high level of agreeableness, high level of conscientiousness, average in neuroticism, and low for openness. I agree with these results and I think they reflect me very accurately. For extraversion, I enjoy being with others but I also very much enjoy time along. Depending on the situation, I can be either extroverted or introverted. For agreeableness, I definitely have a strong interest in the well-being of others. The results said that because I scored high in this area, I am pleasant, sympathetic, and cooperative; and I would agree that these are traits that I carry on a day to day basis. For conscientiousness, the results state that I set clear goals and purse them with determination and that people regard me as reliable and hard-working. For neuroticism, it said that my level of emotional reactivity is normal to the general population and I am generally able to get over feelings of stress and frustration. Lastly for openness, the results show that I think in simple in plain and simple terms, and that others would describe me as down-to-earth, practical, and conservative.

From and employer perspective, based on my results I think they would see me as a reliable employee. My strengths would include caring for others, being able to understand my emotions and react accordingly, and being cooperative with teammates. I would say that based on the results my weakness would be that I care too much about the well-being of others. From my personal experience with this, I avoid conflict more than I should. It is hard for me to speak up in situations of conflict, and I tend to go with what other people want most of the time. In a career setting, I think that this would be a negative quality because I wouldn’t offer ideas if I think it might cause a problem.

If I were in the in the shoes of a business owner and had to choose between hiring a slacker who can be extremely talented when they’re at their best (Avery), or a consistent person but lacks the talent to go above and beyond (Jaime); I would choose Avery. I would choose Avery because I hope to believe that if I were an actual business owner, I would be able to get Avery to perform at the high level they are capable of on a more consistent basis. Whether this be through incentives or just motivation, I think I would be able to them to slack less and work more. 

Although I think I would hire Avery in most cases, I think Jaime could be a better choice for jobs that only require consistency. For example, jobs like being a barista, waitress, receptionist, server, etc., that ask the same thing of their employee every day, I think someone like Jaime would do just fine. I think Jaime would be a better hire for this job because there are very rarely situations that arise that call for more than what their job descriptions ask them to do.

On the other hand, I think a person like Avery would be great for a job that requires a lot of thinking and problem-solving, skills that are difficult and unique to many individuals. This would mean that if a clutch situation did arise, Avery’s skills would help pull-through. I think Avery would be a better hire for a job in which the description calls for people willing to be put in tough situations.