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The most important thing that I have learned in this class is how complex the recruitment and selection process is and the most effective ways to select effective employees. Recruitment and selection are one of the most important parts when it comes to running a business or operating in teams. Overall, the most effective ways to select which applicants will be the best fit for a given position are by administering a series of tests. Without these tests we are left to the feeling of a hiring manager which has proven to be ineffective over and over. Knowing how important tests are and which tests are ideal when it comes to a given position is key when going through the hiring process. On one hand, we do not want to spend way too much money on tests that are irrelevant for a situation, yet we do not want to skimp on certain aspects of the job that can be determined by tests just to save a little money off the bat. This can lead to increased employee turnover which makes the company lose money on many levels. Overall, we must pick the right tests based on each specific position so we can determine the best applicants. I also learned how personality tests are ineffective when it comes to determining who to hire, however they are quite useful when it comes to putting teams together after the employees are hired. I think that another useful thing that I can use right out of school is how to answer test questions while applying for jobs. Being able to determine the answers that the organization is looking for is absolutely invaluable. I am thankful that I have taken this class especially in my last term of school and I believe that it has helped prepare me for my future career.

What am I good at?

I am good at communicating with others and making things happen. I am a natural leader who can motivate people to push themselves and inspire them to reach their maximum potential. I am a fast learner and always willing to try new things.

What do I value?

I value honesty and integrity. I want people I associate with to be truthful to themselves and others. I want people and organizations that I surround myself with to treat others how they would want to be treated.

How did I get here?

I got to the place I am today because of the support from my friends and family. My loved ones have always believed in me and been confident in my success. Sports have also played a huge role in my life and pushed me to work well on teams and helped me gain a competetive edge.

Where am I going?

I am going to be successful in whatever industry I decide is best for me. I want to be a project manager where I can push people to do their best every day. I love maximizing the potential of others as well as myself.

My top trait that the personality test identified was extroversion.  This talks about how I tend to be enthusiastic, action oriented and how I am likely to say yes to many situations.  My top categories under extroversion are excitement seeking and activity level which I think matches up pretty well with my personality. The category that I least matched up with was openness. This seems to have to do with how likely I am to try new things and push my comfort zone.  Openness also talks about enjoying art and being interested in learning which I think are two things that I lack in.  It is not that I do not like any art and do not want to learn, but I do not enjoy all art and only enjoy learning about specific things that I am interested in at the time. 

I think that a potential employer might think that it is a good thing that I am extroverted.  Depending where I end up applying for jobs this could be a good thing for different reasons. If I end up applying for a job where I am interacting with customers, this is great because I will not be afraid to ask them if I can help or give them some information on what I know. If I work on a project management team my extroversion will also benefit me.  It will help me to reach out to people I know and resources to help get things done.  I will also be able to use these skills to ask for help when I need to instead of wasting time trying to prove my autonomy like someone who is more introverted would.  As far as my biggest weakness determined in this personality test goes, I think that it would not be too much of a problem for the fields I want to enter.  The category of openness seems to be needed in fields like phycology and is less important in working as a project manager.  I do think that it is helpful to see that this is one of my weaknesses so I can work on being more open in the future. 

To choose between top talent and consistency is a very difficult thing. As a manager I would recognize the importance of matching talent to the right job. Some people have natural, innate skills that allow them to succeed at a certain profession over someone who dedicates themselves to try as hard as they can to be successful at the position. If I needed to fill an essential opening for a position in my company, I would go with the person with the highest performance ceiling, Avery. To me, having the best talent is the most important thing. It is something that cannot be trained, everything else can be managed and worked on.

A job where it would be more beneficial to hire a high performing person like Avery would be one that is of a specialty job. This type of job has roles that require certain skills and not just any average person could be successful in. These jobs are more unpredictable and require critical perspective and decision making. For example, forestry, craftsmanship, designing, and construction. A job where a person like Avery with lower performance potential but high consistency would be better is one that has predictable work, particularly physical work. These jobs include ones such as welding on an assembly line, food preparation, packaging of objects, or other work that is team based and includes line work. These types of jobs hinge on the expectation that work inputs form employees will be the same every time to effectively predict and calculate what needs to be done on each shift. Often times these jobs are not one specialty position but contain multiple positions of one type of job to be filled by different people. In this case, talent is still, but key operations cannot take place without the predictability and perfected routine that happens in such jobs

I am hard working problem solver.  I enjoy putting my mind to something before and following through to create he best finished product possible.  When I am faced with a challenge or a problem, I look into the possible solutions. Next I decide which solution will have the best overall impact and the least negative impact on the project. Once I have identified the best solution, I take action and put the solution into action.  I enjoy weighing pros and cons when it comes to problem solving and feel I have a very good grasp on what will make the best outcome after solving a problem.

I think that I would excel in a job that presents me with many creative situations.  I am flexible when it comes to figuring out tasks on a regular basis.  I can often times figure out how to improve processes and tasks after only being exposed to them for a short period of time. I would be happy doing something different every day of work because I would not be so stuck in a routine.  If I did something different every day, I would be able to figure things out quickly and conquer the task.  I would enjoy the variability day to day and would be one of the best types of people to do this.  I have the energy to learn on a regular basis even if I will learn something that I supposedly will only use for one day.  I am constantly learning more and applying things I learn from one aspect of my life to the next. I would present myself as being competent and resourceful when it comes to performing my daily tasks.  I would make sure define the task that needed to be done and plan out the steps to complete it.  Once it is completed, I would make sure I completed it within the criteria and call it a successful day. 

(The prompt for part 2 was confusing and I think there was an error in the way it was written.)

The most recent job that I still have is not a position where there is a job description or an application process. I currently work for my parents who work for themselves in property management. They manage rentals as well as renovating houses they have bought. I enjoy working or them in this industry because it is flexible, and they are always doing something new. Today I am going to help them put on siding that we took down and refinished. We had to strip the house down to its bones and replace studs as well as all of the plumbing and electrical. It is coming down the home stretch as we are about to finish the exterior which was a long process including replacing windows and moving doors. When referencing this position on resumes I have used “Handyman” as a title which really only scratches the surface of what I have learned over the years. I have interacted with tenants on a regular basis while repairing small things while they are still occupying the unit. I have also done electrical and plumbing repairs and replacements as well as a ton of carpentry. I should come up with a job description that would help me better explain my experience working in this diverse job that has presented me with many opportunities to learn new skills. Another reason why I like working in this type of job is the fact that I am able to use my problem solving skills on a regular basis.

The outstanding claims of discrimination would affect my feelings about the company in a negative way.  I would not feel as confident in my choices to use the company’s products or services.  For example, I am currently in the hobby of owning aquariums and have started to breed fish.  I have heard bad things about Petco and how they treat their animals, and this definitely discourages me from shopping at their stores. Instead I try to go to local fish stores to buy my fish food and other supplies.  I feel like it is important to shop at places that we support even if it costs a little bit more or we have to use slightly different products.  In the end if we support companies that make the right ethical decisions, it will help our society make a cultural shift in the right direction of encouraging ethical behavior at all levels of business. This is similar to any other company if they had been discriminating against their employees. I think it would be tough to not apply to work at a company that was discriminating against certain employees because I feel a need to reach justice and try to fix problems.  If I had to would definitely apply for a job somewhere that I might disagree with their choices because I might be able to help them shift in the right direction.  Using my previous example of fish stores, I would rather apply at my local fish store because I could grow their reach and keep them moving in the right direction but I would be  willing to try to make a change in the way that Petco handles their animals. 

• The main time that a company would value market research or product design over employee recruitment and selection is in a competitive industry where there is a high supply of employees. It is never really the case there there is a high supply of top notch employees, but depending on the company, they may have simple jobs that require little to no skill. If this is the case, then the company can use their marketing and to create a brand that people want to end up working for. This idea of an enjoyable work environment can draw in enough people in to justify less money being spent on recruitment. The same idea can be used with product design. If a company has a solid product design that distinguishes them from other competitors, it will be easy to get quality employees without spending money on recruitment.
• Prioritizing other factors of a business is a higher risk, higher reward way to operate. Having a solid set of employees is the best way to ensure consistent operations, however if you know the employees you have are excellent, it is less risky to focus your resources in areas other than selection and recruitment. The reward however comes if you are successful at focusing on marketing and development and your company separates itself from its competitors. I think of Nike as an example who has a huge section of the market on athletic apparel and gear. Their reputation is so huge that they attract massive numbers of employees only based on their brand reputation.

• Describe your experiences from the perspective of an applicant for the last job you for which you applied.
  • The last job I applied for was a classified sheet metal worker at Streimer Sheet Metal in Portland, Oregon. I didn’t actually apply for it, but I was asked by my cousin if I was looking for a summer job and I said I was. He said that they needed bodies and the pay was pretty good for an entry level temporary job. I got in touch with the hiring manager through my cousin and I told him when I was out of school. He set up a training with me and I showed up. I did not send any resume or anything. Once I showed up, I went through a few hours of training and got sent to a job the next day. At first, I thought I was not ready to get on the job, but quickly realized I had the skills to keep up.
• Explain how your experiences during the job application process shaped your impression of the job you were applying for and your desire to work there (or in some cases to not work there).
  • The experience of being a “needed body” rather than a valued person was definitely something that turned me off to the experience. Once I got to the job site, my foreman realized that I could handle tasks on my own and quickly gave me more responsibility. If they had seemed less desperate for workers I think I would have been more exited about starting. Their desperation made the work seem unappealing, but once I started I realized there was simply so much work they were turning it down. They did not have the people to keep up with the demand and this was a pretty large private company. I enjoyed my time working there and I learned a ton, but the work was physically demanding and would be tough to do for the rest on my life.

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