Author: masseygr

One of the biggest takeaways from this class is that integrity is a huge part of employee recruitment and selection. I found that it can be very easy for applicants to lie and cheat their way through the recruitment process. The tests given to potential applicants assess various skills and traits, but for ones regarding personal aspects of an individual, answers can be easily manipulated. Tests that assess an applicant’s skills are the best measures of skill and future performance, because it is unlikely someone can fake their talent on a specific test. It is scary to think that for jobs that do rely on personality measures and a judgement of character, that people can act differently than they truly are to try and match the organizational culture. A second thing that stuck with me is the idea that discrimination in the workplace plays a role in some organization’s hiring process. How I was raised, and also in the midst of the injustice taking place in the world right now, I just don’t understand how leaders of organizations discriminate between applicants based off anything that doesn’t have to do with their actual skill, knowledge or talent. The fact that applicants can be chosen over others that may be more qualified because they are white or because they are male is so extremely ignorant to me and just makes absolutely no sense at all. It’s frustrating to me that organizations have just in recent years have spoken out about becoming more diverse and how diversity it is important to them, when I just get why it isn’t equal in the first place. I know racism and discrimination against minorities and women is rooted in America’s history, but the fact that it is still an issue in today’s day and age blows my mind. It is a good thing companies are trying to fix it, but it shouldn’t have had to be a thing to “fix” in the first place.

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. 

My first impression that I would want to present to potential future employers is that I am a hardworking, successful student athlete in division I college athletics. I have met with the student athlete development people here at OSU many times, and they say having this on a resume can help me get far in the future. Play collegiate volleyball, being named captain as a sophomore, while maintaining a high GPA says a lot about my dedication to what I do. My strengths include dedication, leadership, and perseverance, most of which I gained through my volleyball career in college. What makes me unique from other candidates is my commitment to being the best at everything I do. Growing up playing every sport, I became very competitive, and still am. Whether it be in volleyball, school, or even board games, I strive to be the best possible.

Since I want to continue to work in the athletic field, it makes sense to convey this information in a situation wanted ad. I would present myself in my ad as a former DI volleyball player, competitive, driven, and hardworking, who is looking for a job in the athletic industry. I would explain that I’m open to challenges and will strive to be the best I can in whatever is open. I know athletics well and want to continue to be a part of it, even as a retired athlete. I want to play professional volleyball overseas for a few years after college, so I can include that in my description as well. One way I could make my ad visible to prospective organizations is by posting my ad on the “Beaver Athlete Network” forum, or on LinkedIn. The Beaver Athlete Network brings together all current athletes at Oregon State who are currently playing, retired, graduated, or connected to OSU athletics in some way shape or form. There are several people on the network I have connected with who work in various athletic industries including Nike, the Trail Blazers, Adidas, and many more. Not only can you upload your resume and explain yourself on your page, but you can post to a community forum. I would post my ad there, in hopes of someone who works in the prospective industry(s) seeing it and showing interest.

The last job I had was my senior year of high school as a barista at Black Rock Coffee Bar. I decided to apply for the position because my two older sisters worked at the same coffee stand, and they loved their jobs. The job description called for excellent customer service, being able to memorize many drink recipes, and make quality drinks for customers. My experience matched the description closely, but it also called for a lot more than what the description entailed. Being a barista in a small coffee bar was harder than I expected. Working five to six hour shifts while standing the entire time was exhausting. I also worked in the summer, which are busier times for coffee bars in Oregon because of the nice weather. This meant that there were almost always long lines of cars, and we had to work very quickly but correctly. There hardly no room for error because if you mess up a drink, not only does it slow down the line because you have to remake it, but it also leads to customer dissatisfaction. So, the description did not make clear the true amount of work and energy needed for this job. Being a barista may look easy, but it was an extremely exhausting job for me. Unfortunately I do not have the posting available at this time.

If it became public that a company I originally supported widely discriminates against something I associate with, I would most definitely no longer support that company. Even if I did not associate with the group they discriminate against, but I find it wrong, I still would not support them. For example, it was public knowledge that the company, Chick Fil A, discriminates against homosexuals. Before I knew this, I was a big fan of their food. My mom was actually the one to inform me of this. She said she wouldn’t take me to eat there because she did not support what they believed in. After I knew they highly discriminated against this group of individuals, my views of the organization changed. I didn’t like the fact that I would be giving money to a company that wasn’t accepting of a lot of people I that know, and that are close with my friends, siblings, and parents. I stopped eating at Chick Fil A for a while until my mom again informed me that they publicly stated that their views have changed. Of course, no one can really know if this is true, but my older sister’s friend who is gay, applied and got a job there, and said he really liked his new job. I am not someone to only give support to things I agree and believe in. If I believe a company discriminates against any groups of individuals, I most likely will not be a customer of that company, especially if it is a group that I personally associate with.

Organizations might decide to dedicate more resources toward marketing and product design rather than recruitment and selection because those are what the consumers see directly. Marketing produces advertisement and product design results in the finished product, which is what the public sees and decides wether or not they are going to invest in it. If the marketing and product design are not catching the eyes of the target market, then it will result in the company losing money. Prioritizing marketing and product design over recruitment and selection of employees has its positives and negatives. The positives that could come out of this are bringing high amounts of attention to the company and getting successful reviews from the customers. This is more likely to be the case if the company has been building for a while and has a strong foundation and culture. They negatives that could come out of this are giving all of the resources to these divisions of the company and potentially not getting the result they were aiming for. The only way to know if the company will be successful is after they produce the product and if the customers are satisfied. That being said, if they prioritize marketing and product design and start selling their product, there is no guarantee that they will be successful. Just because the company prioritized these divisions, does not mean that they had the best people within them to produce a successful product. But, who knows, if the company is confident and has a strong foundation, they could be successful in the end.

The last job I applied for was to be a barista my junior year of high school. Although this was now almost four years ago, I still remember the hiring process fairly well. Both of my older sisters worked at the coffee bar I was applying to, which was the reason I chose to apply there in the first place. Since my sisters worked there for a while before me, the hiring process was pretty laid back. Their managers were their friends, and they knew I would be great addition to the team because they loved my sisters. All I had to do was fill out and send an application and have an informal interview with the manager of the coffee bar. After going through the hiring process, my views of the job did not change from before. I knew that just because I was hired quickly and without much question, the job would still require a lot out of me. In my interview, the manager explained to me that working 6 hours in a coffee bar is not as fun as it might seem. Opening at 6 am and standing for the entirety of the shift while would be difficult, and maintaining great customer service would always be most important. Hearing that it would be a challenge excited me. I know that this hiring process wasn’t a typical one, and in my future they are likely to be much more difficult, but at least I have had the experience and know how it works for less-professional, customer service jobs.

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