Month: May 2020

1. What am I good at?

I think that I am good at being a leader. I naturally find myself in this role and I am conscious of how I treat others as a leader. I try and ensure that each part of the team is able to have their voice heard which is what makes someone a good leader, in my opinion.

2. What do I value?

I value respect. I think respect is really important in relationships. I think if there is no respect then there is not a foundation of a healthy relationship. I think respect correlates with value and everyone wants to feel valued and like they matter and I think that starts with respect.

3. How did I get here?

I think that I got to the place that I am with hard work and some of my own privilege. I was not given everything in life, I had to work my way through college and pay for everything since I was about 16 years old. On the other hand, I could not have done it without the privilege that I have. I am lucky enough to live in a place with financial aid and I have a loving and supporting family which not everyone has.

4. Where am I going?

I hope to go on to make a difference in people’s lives. I am a management major because I want to be a leader. I want to be able to lead a team and support them to ensure that they are meeting their greatest potential and I want to create an environment that welcomes all people. I think by accepting people for who they are is a way I can make a difference.

I chose to take the IPIP-MEO Narrative report test. This test looked at aspects of my personality looking at different characteristics. The first characteristic is extroversion where I tested very high on almost every category with the highest being cheerfulness. I think this is accurate because I do consider myself to be an extrovert and I strive to see the positive side in every situation. I also tested high (90) in assertiveness because I think I am good about vocalizing what I want in various situations. For the next category agreeableness I had extreme highs and lows. The test shoes I am very trusting but extremely low in modesty and overall agreeableness. I tested high in conscientiousness with high levels of self efficacy and achievement striving which I think is true because I consider myself to be a self starter. I tested low in orderliness which I agree with because I struggle with organization. Additionally I tested overall high in neuroticism which is not surprising to me considering I have ADD and have a hard time with compulsion control and resisting urges which my tests show. Finally I tested the highest (92) in liberalism and adventurism. High levels of liberalism means I have a readiness to test authority which I agree with.

From an employers perspective I think my results could reveal some strengths and weaknesses. I think some of my strengths include extroversion which makes me able to ask questions, work well in a team setting, and be able to voice my opinions. I am also very trusting of people and assume people have the best intentions which is a positive characteristic from an employers perspective because they would assume I am open to training. Another strength is my achievement-striving characteristic and self efficacy which makes me a confident employee who strives for excellence. Some potential weaknesses I have as an employee include challenging authority which would be hard for me if I felt like I had an unqualified supervisor. I also tested relatively high on the  neurotic scale with a high level of anxiety and a low level of ability to control my impulses which makes for a difficult employee. I think employers prefer employees who are more thoughtful and cautious with their actions rather than someone who jumps to conclusions. I think I could work more on my self discipline which would help with my impulse control in order to be a more desirable employee from the employer’s perspective. 

If I were in the position to choose to hire Avery or Jamie I would pick Jamie. Jamie is a consistent worker, he is the one who will show up to work on time and can meet my expectations. It means more to me that an employee is consistent rather than outstanding but a slacker. I think the more consistent worker is the one who is engaged in his job and the company. Considering Avery is a slacker I assume she is not invested in her job or the company as a whole because she is not eager to improve the company. 

A job that would fit someone like Avery is a surgeon. Surgeons need a high level of expertise in their jobs and their own individual skill is very important. Surgeons don’t have to worry as much about the day to day as long as she is using her skills to the best of her ability during surgeries. Avery is better than Jamie in some ways such as being highly skilled and high performing. She also does better under pressure than Jamie. 

Jamie would be successful in a job such as working in a call center or inputting data. Both of these roles involve a high level of consistency and the job itself if rather consistent. These kinds of jobs are typically not too stressful which means Jamie will not be pushed out of his comfort level. He is consistent and can handle the average day to day. He needs a job with not too much variability or skills needed.