My career begins...

This will be my concluding post on this blog. With my job beginning last Wednesday, I have know reached my destination. And so begins a new journey perfecting my skills and building my knowledge through experience.

Jimmy Ockey

Interview tips

I was having a conversation with an recruiting expert yesterday. In discussing interviewee techniques, two points came up on ways to improve answers to interview questions.

1. situation, action, result. - There are various takes on this but the concept is the same. What was the situation, what action was taken, and what was the result. To improve this process, in preparation, the interviewee can anticipate the behavioral questions based on the competencies for the job being applied for and then choose the situation where the greatest results were achieved.

2. situational questions - When dealing with situational questions or being given a hypathetical situation, a four step process can generally be applied which can strengthen your answers: 1) determine resources; 2) get input from resources; 3) develop a plan; and 4) follow-up or assess the plan.

For example, Assume you are a supervisor and one of your subordinate employees consistently arrives late to work. What action would you take?

1) determine resources - my resources would be the subordinate employee, the employee's file, and my employee handbook

2) get input from your resources - it is important to find out the details of the problem from the employee, I would also look at the employees file to determine if this is a reoccuring problem. I would consult the employee handbook regarding the tardiness policy.

3) develop a plan - together with the employee, I would develop a plan to help the employee get back on track. Perhaps I would use an EAP, if the employee requires it.

4) follow-up - finally, I would set a date to meet and evaluate how the employee is progressing on meeting his or her goal.

CHRP Candidate

Great news everyone. I finally received my results from the National Knowledge Exam I wrote back in May 2008. I am now offically CHRP Candidate status. I am now looking forward to preparing to write the secord part of the exam, Professional Practice Assessment in late 2009.

Networking

Being a member of BC HRMA has great benefits. Recently I have been attending the round table groups. Such groups include: Recruiting, Training & Development, Generalist. Each group provides a chance to gain insight on practices within other companies and network with other HR professionals. One interesting situation happened to me while sitting in on a roundtable last week. I had decided to start a conversation with the person sitting next to me. I introduced myself and then she introduced herself. When I asked her where she works, she mentioned the name of a local gaming company. Surprised, I explained my background and interest in pursuing a HR career within the video game industry. We ended up exchanging information.

Bookworm II

I have been reading the book "Hiring, Managing and Keeping the Best: The Complete Canadian Guide for Employees" by authors Monica Beauregard and Maureen Fitzgerald. This great book really outlines the steps that should be taken in staffing and retention efforts. The book even provides structured samples to give readers a idea of format and content. Those with recruiting experience will find the read may provide additional ideas on how to approach certain staffing and retaining efforts.

Informational Interviews

I have been building up my network through informational interviews. Yesterday, I had an interview with a recruiter at a local game studio. I had prepared a list of questions including:

- what are some of the differences in working at an independent develop and a producer/ developer?
- how is the strategic value of HR preceived in your company?

After some discussion and mention of my other interviews, he asks me; from you discussions with of HR professionals, what are some of the issues employees have?

This was not a direct question I had asked but had come up indepentdently through discussion. However, I thought it was a great question to add to my list.

New Resume

JIMMY RAE OCKEY
jimmyraeockey@hotmail.com

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
STAFFING
· performed job analysis and prepared detailed job descriptions
· implemented and monitored processes for attracting qualified candidates
· screened, tested, interviewed and hired staff on contract basis for small private college
· developed questions for both situational and behavioral interviews
· developed and implemented orientation policies and procedures for new employees

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
· designed development programs with specific learning objectives to meet the training goals
· facilitated the delivery of development programs to groups and individual learners; used a variety of teaching methods (e.g. classroom, role play, games)
· established measurement tools and processes to evaluate development and training programs for effectiveness relative to the needs of the individual.

HR PLANNING
· forecasted HR supply and demand needs for growing private college
· researched, analyzed and created reports on potential HR issues affecting the college and on job opportunities for its students
· encouraged interaction between the college and its stakeholders (e.g. Private Post Secondary Education Commission, animation and video game studios, associations, and vendors)

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
· developed, updated, communicated and provided support for HR policies
· developed a conflict resolution for resolving conflicts between school, staff, and students
· recommended action in response to known and suspected incidents of conflict

HR INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
· developed systems and procedures to improve employee record keeping and meet the standards of fairness and privacy
· assisted in the design and implementation of a computerized database system

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTOR/ PROGRAM COORDINATOR, 2004-08
Nova Group/ G-Education, Oita, Japan

INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISOR, 2002-04
College of Interactive Arts, Vancouver, BC

ANIMATION INSTRUCTOR, 2001- 02
College of Interactive Arts, Vancouver, BC

COMPUTER ANIMATOR, 2000-01
Mainframe Entertainment, Vancouver, BC

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT, 2000
Mainframe Entertainment, Vancouver, BC

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Bachelor of Science, Business Management, 2007
University of Phoenix, On-line

Diploma in Digital Arts, 2000
Center for Digital Imaging and Sound, Burnaby, BC

CHRP - currently working towards designation
Canadian Council of Human Resources Association

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION
BC Human Resource Management Association (BCHRMA), 2007-present

TECHNICAL PROFICIENCIES
Microsoft Office Suite: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access.
Computer Animation Software (i.e. Maya, Soft Image, 3DS max)

REFERENCES
Available upon request

Going back to school?

I have been thinking about going back to school recently and take some Part-Time courses. I contacted a program advisor at BCIT. She will contact me next week to discuss my options. I was thinking about Occupational Health and Safety, Labour Relations or HRIS.

HR Bookworm

I have been reading a great book by Stephen Hammond. He has a background in law and is know a consultant, speaker, and trainer in the field of workplace Human Rights. The book is called "Managing human rights at work”. Stephen writing style keeps the reader intrigued by simplifying the language and by using real life examples. I have gained a greater understanding behind what people can and can not say in the workplace or perhaps should and should not, accommodation, and what constitutes harassment and I am not even half way through the book.

Business Cards

I am considering designing a business card for a networking tool during my job search. There have been a couple occasions where I feel it would have been professional of me to provide a card.

National Knowledge Exam

On May 3rd I wrote the National Knowledge Exam at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC. I got to the exam pretty early and refreshed my mind by skimming over the notes I had took during my studying. I was not too nervous. I felt I had done my best to prepare myself.
During the exam, I encountered a few surprise questions. I had not covered these topics in my studies in any detail so it was just a matter of guessing. However, most of the 150 questions, I felt pretty confident about my answers. I am now waiting until July to find out my final mark.

Interview experiences

I recently went through an interview process with a company back in Vancouver. Because of my location, the main interview was conducted over the phone. As I thought about the process of not being about to see the applicant, I wondered if the chances of discrimination and interview errors decreased. For example, since the interviewers did not know what I looked like, whether or not I had a disability, or was attractive, there was no unintentional judgment. In addition, non-verbal behaviours, such as eye contact, head nodding, smiling would have no influence on the decisions; rather the interviewer is forced to rely on their carefully crafted questions in order to make their decision.
I contrasted this to my experience living in Japan and going through a hiring process for my replacement. In Japan, there is a standard application form which includes a place to submit a photograph and birth date.

Googling a potential employee

A while back I read an article about increasing one's on-line presence. Since then, I have created blogs, commented on other blogs, posted my resume on job boards, and joined networking groups such as Facebook and Linkedin with the purpose of getting my name out there. In other words, if a potential employee was to do an internet search of my name, I wanted them to get positive results.

I recently went through the hiring process of a new instructor at the English school I currently work at. We had already decided on the new instructor; however, I decided to do an internet search on the names of the some of the candidates, out of interest. What I didn't realize, is the potential legalities in performing such a search.

In reading this article, two points jumped out at me. One, an internet search of a potential candidate is a test; therefore the testing must be fair, consistent, and relevant. How does a candidate’s personal information on the website demonstrate relevance? As the author clearly pointed out, it would be very difficult to “define or quantifiably measure the relevancy of someone’s blog, or a random mention in a Google reference, to the job you are filling”. The second point that caught my attention was the potential to discriminate based on marital status, religion, or age should a Google search provide such information one should not consider when hiring.

I thought the article concluded nicely, with a question anyone involved in the hiring process should ask themselves, “how does it relate to the person’s job?”.

Reference
Bruce, Steve. (April 16, 2008). Hiring based on internet searches: are you dodging the bullet or becoming the target? HR daily advisor. Retrieved April 18, 2008 from hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/archive

Experiences of an English Instructor

For the past four years I have been teaching English as a second language in Japan. I have grown to love the Japanese culture and have learnt to value cultural differences. As I have prepared for my career transition into Human Resources I have reflected on the skills I have gained over the past four years. As a teacher, I am constantly explaining why native English speakers use specific structures or the differences between one word and other word. In doing so, I have increased my knowledge and ability to properly use English.

When I came across an article in the February, 2008 HR Voice newsletter, I realized a further connection between my experience teaching English and the growing challenge of communicating to a diverse group of employees. The author, Sondra Thiederman, places the responsibility of helping others adjust and learn the language on the native speaker. Having the experience as an English instructor has taught me to be aware of the phrases and words I use to express myself and has given me the ability to help others become more familiar with the nuances of the English language

more interview questions and answers

What experiences have you had working on a team?
Well, one of the biggest team experiences was working as an animator. There was about six people working on my team at the time. We were responsible for completing the animation sequences for a television series episode. I remember putting in long hours together in order to meet our deadlines. Because we worked so closely together we built strong relationships. I still keep in touch with some of my old team mates.

What are your weaknesses?
I have a difficult time coming up with things on the spot. I’m the type of person who likes to be prepared; for example, scripting out a conversation. Recently, I have been trying to overcome this challenge by putting myself in awkward situations. I feel I am becoming more comfortable with these situations.

Lack of experience directly with in HR. That was also my weakness when I was working as instructional supervisor. One of my responsibilities at the time was to hire new instructors. I had never hired anyone before. However, through research and practice, I was able to conduct interviews with professionalism and tact. In addition, I was able to improve the quality of instruction at the school by hiring the right instructors.

One of the things I have been working on recently is follow-up. I was used to making an appointment or delegating a task and then expecting everything to follow-through as planned. I have found that things don’t always work out that way. So, I have been building the habit of following-up so that I can feel more confident about the situation. In fact, in most cases, I have found that the recipient really appreciates the reminder.

What are your short-term goals?
My short-term goal is to demonstrate my commitment to the Human Resource profession by passing the National Knowledge Exam and working towards becoming certified.
Another goal is to give back to the community by participating in a marathon. In fact one of the things I really like about this company is its involvement with in the community.

What has been the most satisfying/ disappointing experience?
The most satisfying experience was completing and submitting an accreditation report for a private college and receiving a passing letter from the agency. This was satisfying because of the amount of work involved in completing the report and the lack of information I had when beginning the report. Connected with this is the most disappointing experience. Although we passed the initial stage and were accepted to receive an audit, the school did not have the financial resources to go ahead. As a result I never got to see the full benefits of all that work.

What is your mission statement?
To know as a person of integrity and dedication; someone who continually sought to improve himself and maintain a positive attitude.

Always try to leave something better than when you found it.
For example, when I was given the responsible of coordinating special events at Nova, the first thing I did was examine the processes involved. I questioned why I did things a certain way and thought about different ways that could accomplish the same task. I looked for problems with the systems and thought of ways to improve those problems. I then discussed these ideas with my supervisor. One idea that was implemented was a recording system which improved the data being kept from the events.

What has been the toughest decision you had to make this past year? Why?
Definitely, moving back to Canada. When you have a decision that involves a lot of people, especially when they are so close to you, it becomes more challenging. I remember, leaving the private college to move to Japan. I had worked hard to provide the students with the best atmosphere I could. I really wanted to see them succeed. This made leaving more difficult. However, when I returned to visit my family last October, I I ran into a couple of my former students. I was really excited to hear they were working in the industry.

HR Comics

Being involved in the world of HR provides many humourous opportunities I imagine. I came across the work of Randy Glasbergen. You can visit his website at www.glasbergen.com/office.html

Interview Questions Part II

Describe for me a time when you had to adapt to a difficult situation. What did you do?

Our branch’s motivation was really low due to the financial trouble of the company. The employees hadn’t been paid on time and the future of the company was uncertain. I tried to be a role model for the other instructors by maintaining a positive and helpful attitude and by focusing on the students. While the situation for the company never improved, I believe those around me were able to work a little better.

Tell me about a time when you hired (or fired) the wrong person.

While developing the curriculum at the College of Interactive Arts, we decided to add an “Introduction to Programming” course. Prior to that, all the courses were art-based. Since I was responsible for hiring the instructors, I needed to find someone qualified to teach the course.

I had little knowledge about programming so I did as much research as I could to familiarize myself with the qualifications we would need. When it came down to interviewing I focused a lot on finding the person with the right skills and abilities.

In the end, we hired a very talented programmer. Unfortunately, he did not stay very long. His personality did not fit the school. I learned that finding the right person meant more the skills and abilities. Some of the best teachers we had were not the most talented but their personalities brought out the best in our students.

Tell me about something you did – or failed to do – that you now feel a little ashamed of.

I always try to look at things from a positive side. You know, what can I learn from this? I have found that dwelling on regrets or past mistakes only holds me back.

What Recruiters look for in a resume

On LinkedIn's "Ask a Question" section, Eugene Rembor, CEO of Rembor & Partners Ltd gave an intriguing answer to the question "what would be your 'top' 5 things to check in a resume"?

Here are his answers along with my commentary:

1. Language, grammar and spelling (communication skills)
Many of the HR positions I have seen require attention to detail, and excellent verbal and written skills. Having a resume free from grammar and spelling errors that communicates well helps demonstrate these skills.

2. Duration of jobs (job hopper or loyal member of staff)
Dedication and commitment can be demonstrated by the length of time one spends at a company. I have tried to highlight my progression in my past jobs as I have been promoted.

3. Measurable contributions (or just another overhead)
Some of the key words that have come up in various job posting were "proven ability, demonstrated proficiency". Including measurable achievements on my resume shows potential employers what I can do for them. It's important to match the achievements listed on the resume with what the company is looking for, so relevancy in important.

4. Initiatives (self-starter or kick-starter)
"A motivated self-starter" is one of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities listed on a job posting I recently applied for. This is one of my skills that I have highlighted on my resume.

5. Qualifications and courses taken (resting on his laurels or continuing honing her skills)
Candidates can demonstrate their dedication to their profession by highlighting their involvement in associations and industry events, and by continuing education. I returned to school to build on my experience as an Instructional Supervisor. I recently graduated with a B.S. in Business Management and I am now working towards receiving my designation with Canadian Council of Human Resource Association as a Human Resource professional. I plan to take the National Knowledge Exam in May of 2008.

Increasing one's on-line presence

I just finished listening to a mp3 recording of an interview with Jason Alba, author and creator of jibberjobber.com, at 2007 Global Telesummit. He gave 5 great tips on increasing one's on-line presence. I have listed the 5 tips below with additional comments of how I have applied or planning to apply these tips.

1. Get a blog and post on it at least three times a week.

I currently have two blogs. One is titled, "Journey to a Career in HR", and describes my personal journey (ie. goals, experiences, thoughts) as I build my career in the world of Human Resources. The second is titled, "Becoming a Human Resource Professional", which discusses the "Required Professional Capabilities" covered in the Canadian Council of Human Resources Association (CCHRA)'s National Knowledge Exam and is a resource for HR practitioners studying for their certification as an Human Resource professional.

2. Get accounts on various networks.

Three Google friendly accounts that were mentioned included linkedin, jobster, and emurse. It was also stated that the accounts should contain common acronyms and buzz words. I have various on-line accounts. Included is a list of places where resume can be found:
linkedin.com
emurse.com
monster.com
workopolis.com
BCjobs.com

3. Comment on blogs in your space.

Contributing to blogs within my industry is one area I have not pursued. Some of my favorite HR blogs I plan to contribute on include:
Human Resource 101
Career Hub

4. Keep it clean.

When posting information or comments remember that what you say is associated with your name.

5. Substantiate yourself. For example, volunteer

Being in Japan it is difficult to volunteer in my industry. However, I have been working on a podcast which is a companion to my "Becoming a Human Resource Professional" blog. I hope will substantiate myself from others.