a-wonderfulfuture

[a-wonderfulfuture]

Communication Challenges

Image Courtesy of Digital Workplace

Some of the communication challenges and barriers I face would be that I stress a lot in simple situations and overthink a lot. Finding a way to get around that would help with day-to-day activities in my personal and professional life. _According to Staffbase, ‘an example of a communication challenge and barrier would be if an employer is not giving any feedback to an employee. Receiving feedback from an employer is important as it shows that the employee that they are doing a great job, and will continue to do so’. (Lockley, N.D.) _

At times, I find myself being less motivated and having a hard time staying on track. I making a plan would help with my long-term goals. Sometimes I procrastinate, which makes things harder. I think keeping a personal calendar and setting clearly defined goals and deadlines may help with that. I also need to set aside more time for home life and focus less on my work-life and schooling.

I tend to keep things inside and not talk to family, co-workers or management about issues I may be experiencing. A few strategies that may help with these issues is to be honest and discuss with my fellow employers what my concerns are.

Recently, I have had some issues with a certain co-worker. We made a plan to speak and discuss problems that have been happening. After discussing the problems with my coworker, I found that working together and communicating properly fixed the issue at hand. Getting problems out in the open and discussing them honestly is a great way to solve them.

If you have any type of issue with your coworker or employer, I find that it is better to speak in person rather than sending an email or letter. Talking face-to-face and working through any type of problem is better as you can ask questions or explain anything that needs to be. For example, if you sent an email to certain staff, they might not get the full understanding of how you are feeling. You may leave out important information and the other person may not understand fully and understand what you are trying to explain. According to Scott Berkun, ‘writing may be harder to express certain information as there isn’t any body language to see or any vocal sounds as everything is in written form.’ (Graham, 2012)

[a-wonderfulfuture]

Career Aspirations

Image courtesy of Shine Learning

I feel that completing the office administration program is a great start to preparing for my future. Continuing my education allows me to gain new skills and refine my existing skillset. My focus is on completing this course and then, with the goal of using my new credentials and prior work experience, to obtain a new job with a better salary. According to Hays Recruiting Experts, ‘it’s important to keep your resume up to date along with any social media platforms such as LinkedIn, so employers can see your most up to date information’. (Unknown, Careers & Workplace Advise From Hays, N.D.) After I complete this program, I plan to take additional courses in business administration to keep up to date and competitive in the current job market. According to Indeed Career Guide, ‘some employers may ask what your career goals are and if they coincide with their policies and work schedule. They may ask what type of managerial experience you have if you are applying for a manager position’. (Unknown, Indeed.com, 2020)

Going to school while being a parent and working full-time is very time consuming and can at times be rather stressful. Doing all of that during a global pandemic does not really help. However, I believe this will be rewarding for my family and I and therefore in the end worth it. My children often ask why we decided to go back to school even though we are older. Explaining to them, the importance of education and gaining more knowledge is an intense conversation that I hope sticks with them for their future.

My goal is to advance past my current job position and move up into a higher-level role with better pay. My long-term goal is for my family and I to buy a new house in the countryside, ideally by a lake. Currently, we live in the city but the idea of living in the country is delightful. A place on the lake with plenty of trees and the smell of clean air is a part of our long-term goals. A place where we can have a large garden and a very large yard where the children to play and grow. Our current city is not very big, but living just outside the city would be great, especially if there is a lake that is close by to go fishing and boating. My children love the outdoors and love being around nature and enjoy everything it has to offer.  

[a-wonderfulfuture]

Social Media Influence

Image courtesy of probcon.weebly.com/about.html

Currently, I have accounts with Facebook and Instagram that I use to keep in touch with family and friends. I also have a few coworkers and business contacts as “Facebook friends” for business purposes. I have never posted on YouTube for personal reasons or professionally, although, my children enjoy watching YouTube to learn about things they are interested in.

I find social media to be unnecessary for small children. Social media is mostly uncensored and contains graphic images, behaviour and language that children should not have to deal with. Limiting screen time is very important for little growing minds.

When I post on my social media account, I am very careful about what I post and when. In today’s world, knowing that employers may check on your social media accounts before requesting an interview, it is best to keep things to a minimum and be careful what you post as you never know who might be reading or looking at your personal page.

According to Entrepreneur Insider, ‘employers may check their social media accounts and may look for any type of behaviour that may affect their business. One suggestion from the Entrepreneur Insider would be to keep your accounts private and limit any type of posting or behaviour that could later affect your job applications’. (Spencer, 2018)

When setting up your social media accounts be sure that it does not contain any type of distasteful information and be sure to keep it professional. As employers may make decisions on what they find. Liz Seasholtz, of Social Hire, advises job hunters to ‘not post anything that may affect your job searching, referencing drugs and alcohol is a definite no or any type of photos that may be inappropriate. Also, keep in mind that making any type of comments about your previous employers online may also affect getting an interview in the future’. (Seasholtz, N.D.)

For business owners, using social media is a great way to advertise your business. For example, if you owned a restaurant business, you could advertise the daily specials on your page. Doing this keeps customers up to date and informed about any new and exciting meals and deals. It is cheaper to make a quick update on a business social media page than it is to make updates to a business website or pay to have staff field constant inquires about these updates. It is also quicker and easier for a customer to check your social media page for the latest updates on your business than for them to look up your phone number and make a phone call to obtain the same information.

One of the social media platforms I have researched is LinkedIn. It is suited specifically to business professionals, allowing them to network and create new professional connections.

According to ResumeGO, using the social media platform LinkedIn ‘is well known and it makes it easier for employers to find you and read about what you can provide to the company’. (Unknown, ResumeGO, N.D.)

The site has many additional features not normally found on social networks, such as LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning allows its users to take courses relevant to their field of employment, taught by expert instructors via online video tutorials.