Month: April 2025

Natalie Maurer – Week 4 Blog Post

My Brand:

As a potential employee my brand is centered around adaptability, empathy and communication. The majority of my past jobs were fast-paced and they required quick decision making skills to deal with any unexpected events. Being in this environment taught me that problem solving and flexibility is often a necessary aspect when it comes to dealing with unexpected obstacles. Empathy and active listening helps me get a better understanding of different perspectives and makes it easier to provide feedback or support. I am able to connect with and collaborate well with others, which can be beneficial for team dynamics and stronger relationships. A weakness of mine is that I tend to overthink and doubt my abilities in the workplace, and I have been working to improve this to make decisions more confidently. I value creativity and use it to think of new ideas and brainstorm solutions to possible obstacles in the workplace.

Creative Situation Wanted Ad:

If you’re in search of someone who is a quick problem solver and a reliable teammate, then I may be the person you’re seeking. I place a lot of value on collaboration, in order to build meaningful connections and be a supportive team member in the workplace. My creativity motivates me to come up with new ideas and solutions, making it easier to tackle any challenges or obstacles in the way. 

Through past jobs I have learned how important it is to be able to quickly adapt and work in unpredictable environments. Through this skill I have learned how to stay calm during stressful situations and efficiently renavigate the plan to better fit the circumstances. I am always open to learning and make an effort to build new skills that can be used in the workplace.

My empathy shows through actively listening and communicating to others. It gives me a better understanding of different perspectives and ways that I can be supportive to others. I enjoy diving into new projects, working with others and being a team player that you can count on. I strive to create quality work and bring positivity into the work environment, and I would love to be a part of your team!

Week 3 Blog Post – Natalie Maurer

The last job that I worked at was through OSU as a Community Kitchen Assistant. The job description definitely influenced my decision to apply for the position. It was appealing to me because I would be involved with catering events and it seemed like it would be a fast paced job. It was also a very team-oriented role which is an aspect I tend to look for when applying to places.

In terms of the actual position, I would say it was generally close to the job description. The main tasks that I was responsible for was helping in setting up/taking down food lines for events, assisting students with food preparation in the kitchen and ensuring that health and safety guidelines were being followed. 

I felt a bit unprepared with the actual catering/event process going into this position. We often had transport equipment and food across campus so there was a lot of going back and forth. Although this wasn’t specifically listed on the description, I still assumed that it would be part of the role since it was a catering position. 

The job did feel chaotic at times, although we had a big team I often felt confused on how I was supposed to help and didn’t get a lot of clear guidance. I felt more confident during the actual events because we were all assigned tasks individually, but on the days we didn’t have any events the tasks were more unclear. Despite this, after a few events I became more familiar with what needed to be done. It was a very fun job and I enjoyed being involved with different people and events on campus. 

Natalie Maurer – Week 2 Blog Post

If I learned that my favorite company was involved in a lawsuit for being accused of discrimination, it would definitely affect my view of the organization. Rather than continuing to support the company, I would try my best to find businesses that have similar values to me and promote inclusivity. Most of the time there are tons of other businesses that have the same or similar products, which makes it easier to find establishments with better values. It’s always disappointing to hear when a company I like engaged in something that went against my beliefs. I would feel much better spending my money somewhere else and supporting them instead. 

I think that this would impact my desire to apply to the company in the future, it would feel morally wrong to work somewhere that went against my personal values. If the company were to take accountability and take action into changing and implementing more ethical policies and practices, it could potentially sway my opinion in the future. However, with a discrimination lawsuit, I think the business would need to put serious effort in and show that they are living up to their redefined and ethical values. I would rather work somewhere that places importance on fairness and living up to their ethical standards. In the past, I momentarily worked somewhere that had some questionable views. The work environment always had a lot of tension and it was not an enjoyable place to work at. Now when I apply for a job, I do my best to research the company beforehand to see what their views and values are. 

Natalie Maurer – MGMT 448

Week 1 Blog Post: Recruitment & Selection Process

There are several reasons an organization may focus more on using their resources for marketing or product design rather than the employee recruitment process. One reason behind this could be due to the high costs that are involved in recruiting. If a business puts more focus into their marketing strategies it could help pull in more customers and overall sales, increasing their financial stability. This way they would be able to distribute their resources more equally and implement a better recruitment process.

Another reason a business may focus more on marketing is because of the job type and its turnover rate. Some entry level jobs don’t require a lot of training or experience which often results in a high turnover rate. Due to the quick turnover, this could push an organization to adjust their focus to strengthening their brand rather than investing in a better recruitment process. 

A potential strength of an organization that focuses more on marketing, is that they would have a better ability to build their reputation and brand. By having a stronger brand the organization would gain more customers and strengthen their customer loyalty. On the other hand, a potential weakness that could occur from this strategy is it could negatively impact the work environment of the organization. If there is not much attention on the recruitment process it could cause the company to hire individuals who may not be the best candidate for the position. This could hurt the overall efficiency of the workplace and create a stressful/tense environment. 

Natalie Maurer – Week 1 Blog

The last job that I applied to was as a dietary aid for a retirement home. I had worked as a dietary aid at my previous job, where the work environment felt welcoming and well structured. I really enjoyed working there and thought that the environment would be similar at the new location, since they’re both under the same company. I heard back fairly quickly from them and got an interview scheduled, however when I arrived for the interview the manager was not aware that it had been scheduled. During the interview, it seemed unorganized and rushed, which was offputting to me. They didn’t ask very many questions and instead just read over my resume in front of me. The manager also seemed to be disengaged and annoyed that they had to do an interview. I was given an offer for the job, but my interest in it was quickly fading. 

Initially I was excited and motivated to work there, but I left feeling unsure about the job and work environment. This definitely impacted my desire to work there, since the whole application process seemed unstructured and unplanned. I also wasn’t able to learn much about the actual role of the job and what a typical shift would play out because of how rushed it was. Considering how the process went, I was worried that the lack of professionalism would reflect in the workplace. This first impression really impacted my view of the company and I ultimately decided to decline the offer to pursue a better fitting job. 

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