Day: January 14, 2012

January is coming in as a dark and gloomy month of rain and snow. The weather is turning colder and the daylight is almost non-existent. Many people become depressed at this time of year, I suppose I am one of them. I had a serious error of judgment at work and earned the disappointment I feel about myself. Now I am re-thinking what course I am on and what my next move should be.

It has become quite clear to me I occasionally have failures of good judgment when I am experiencing high stress levels. I certainly have had some this month. My worst critic will always be myself. I should have known better and wonder if I sabotaged myself on purpose.

I am seriously questioning whether I should ever teach anyone, much less continue in the work field. I wish I could just walk away from the whole thing. But, walking away from self-disappointments never really solves the underlying problem. More on this later in the blog.

In my last blog, I stated I was meeting with Michael Surkan. I did meet with Michael who was involved in setting up what he calls a “podcast show.” When he was unemployed from a local company, he realized his resumes and job applications were not getting him to the right people. He thought most likely they were being set aside in a pile of other applications and/or resumes, without being read. He tried to think of a way to talk to key people in various companies and their hiring managers that was unique and innovative. He came up with an idea to send out invitations to be on his podcast show. He set about using Linkedin to find relevant people or groups of people and to make the initial contacts with them. He emailed the people on this list and set up an interview appointment in Skype to post on the website he created for this purpose. He uses Skype as a tool for interviewing his guests and makes a podcast of the interview, which he later edits.

After the shows, he compliments and thanks the people he interviews and gives them public kudos for their participation. By doing this he has made contacts with many key business people and established his network of resources. Eventually he found employment at a techy company in Redmond. Since that time, he has given a presentation at the Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens (MOSC). He has been a guest speaker in a class at Bellevue College. He uses two job connecting links that have generated interest from both groups: 1. Linkedin; and 2. Skype. In sum, to recap, he records the interviews on Skype and edits them before placing them on his website and gets his contacts from Linkedin. Apparently he has been quite successful.

At this point in time, I am hoping to complete my internship, get the modules built and manage a passing mark and five credits by the end of Winter quarter. I do not see how I would have the time or desire to use these search tools for finding and networking with potential employers. So at this time, I will not be using his application. If I did I would modify it a bit and work it into WordPress.

Having taken a good look at myself over the past day or two, I think that I need to focus on accomplishing my internship goals. At the moment, I do not think my prospects for being hired as an instructor are particularly good. But, I knew this before I took the project on. I have been extremely lucky as a student to have two top-notch people on my team: my coordinator of the internship Michael and my mentor Robin. I am certain by now Robin has seen my short comings and my strengths. She is the type of instructor that wants any project or student she “takes on” to succeed and goes that extra mile to give them the tools they need to do so. The very best characteristic Robin has, in my mind, is the fact that Robin knows how to relate to her students and knows how to get their best work from them! This I think is an art she has developed over years of teaching.

I think there are two things in life you cannot change, the company you work for (as a whole) and a male/female person who may be your intimate other.  However, students are changeable and are seeking to grow as people when they undertake a college experience. When I go back and read my earlier blogs, I see a lot of change. Yes, I get too personal in them as I try to sort out where I am at and where I want to go. I have made many mistakes and said far too much about some things I maybe should not have. However, I once had a supervisor tell me, “if you are not making mistakes, you are not doing anything.” How wise that statement was on her part.

My bottom line belief is students should be to allowed to make mistakes in a safe environment. If a potential employer reads my blogs and thinks because I have said some things he/she doesn’t want to hear or see in a potential employee, maybe that is not an employer I want to work for. I want to work for an employer who sees my strengths and wants to work on my weaknesses with me.

I want clear guidelines and to know what my supervisor’s expectations are in that job category. I don’t want them to assume I know what behaviors are okay and what  behaviors are not; what I am supposed to be doing or not, while on the clock. People from different cultures, ages groups and religions (etc.) have had different experiences and may not know what they can or cannot do in the workplace today or what is expected of them. The workplace is changing everyday with new rules and technologies. Clear guidelines are a must. Setting up common goals and an effective team to work together as a  unit is important as well. I want to know what I am supposed to be accomplishing along with my teammates. Finally, I want to have a supervisor I can sit down with and communicate with who wants to find solutions with me and who values me as a person with certain skills and a willingness to work problems out. I don’t want to feel like I am on the firing line and the guns are pointed at me. I don’t want to feel uncomfortable with my supervisor; and I would like to think he/she knows trust takes time. If you want me to trust you I need to see, feel and hear you are as good as your word. If I put my life in your hands will you protect me from harm as carefully as you would yourself and your children or loved ones?

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