Jouney to a Career in Human Resources

My career begins...

2008-08-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-15T17:57:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-26T11:19:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-06-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-02-26T23:24:00.000-08:00

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

HR Comics

2008-01-16T01:24:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-04T23:32:00.000-08:00

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.

Christmas fun

2007-12-17T22:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1513288306

Job Requirements Part I

2007-12-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

In part one of this post, I have posted a collection of common themes found in job advertisements employers are looking for in an administrative assistant position. Part two will examine how my education and skills match these qualifications

HR/ Administrative Assistant

(a) What personal traits are employers looking for?
 High degree of integrity concerning confidential information
 Strong organizational skills
 attention to detail
 Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
 Self directed, resourceful and results oriented.
 Passion for coordinating people, projects and information.
 Works independently and as part of a team.
 strong interpersonal skills

(b) What skills are important?
 Proven ability in Microsoft Office software
 Demonstrated proficiency in administrative processes.
 Proficiency with MS Word and Excel and preferably with an HRIS program
 Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
 A proven ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment

(c) What specific experience is required?
 A minimum 6 months – 3 years recent related experience
 Previous experience in an HR function or equivalent working knowledge of benefits programs, payroll process, staffing and labour standards.
 Knowledge of HR organizational programs, initiatives, policies, procedures and collective agreements.

(d) What educational requirements are expected?
 Bachelor’s degree and a Human Resources Managment certificate
 Post secondary studies in a recognized HR Management program
 Completion of or working toward CHRP designation will be considered an asset.

My Personal Characteristics

2007-12-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

As I looked over my past accomplishments. I searched for common themes. I was trying to find key personal characteristics that stood out. I also read over reference letters that had been given to me by past employers and managers.

Strong work ethic – Due to my strong work ethic I recently graduated from University of Phoenix with honors. It took just over 3 years to complete my bachelors degree in Business Management.
- I started working at Mainframe in June of 2000 as a production assistant. Within 5 months, due to my personal commitment and hard work, I was promoted to junior animator.

Integrity – I’ve been described by people I work with as having a high level of integrity. I remember one situation at the college, where I was working with a potential instructor. Prior to his employment, he had prepared in detail an impressive course outline. Unfortunately, due to financial issues we were not able to establish a working relationship. Although, I had the digital copies of the course outline, I never used them.

Driven – I’m very driven, having a strong internal motivation to succeed at things I am passionate about. At the College of Interactive Arts I really wanted to see the students succeed. To achieve my goal, I effectively led the College in the development and refinement of their curriculum to the point where we were ready for accreditation. In addition, I researched the industry and networked with professionals in order to provide our students the knowledge and skills they needed most. As a result, I helped change the school’s atmosphere from students who were unmotivated and resentful to passionate, motivated students who got jobs within the industry.

Dedicated – While working at Nova Group, I wanted to demonstrate my interest in the student’s English progress. I constantly looked at ways to improve my own teaching abilities, setting and achieving personal goals. I also encouraged students to study outside of class by providing my own homework assignments and marking the assignments on my own time. Many of the students have expressed their appreciation both personally and to the staff.

Reflection of Past Achievement

2007-12-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

With my direction in place I began to reflect on my past challenges. the actions I took, and what results I achieved in my various positions I held.

At Nova Group, a major private English teaching company:

Challege: The school held a series of special topical English lessons each month which instructors were required to create and present. However, after each lesson was completed there was no formal record of event for future planning.
Action: As the coordinator, I created a form which listed the instructor, topic, date, and number of students attended.
Result: The statistical information on these forms helped improve the planning of future lessons by focusing on the days and lesson topics that were more popular.

Challenge: The school had a resource for assisting instructors in preparing plans for their special topical English lesson. This resource was underutilized because it was unorganized and therefore inefficient.
Action: I arrived at work early for over a week organizing and labeling the files.
Result: After informing the instructors of the newly reorganized resources, usage of the materials increased.

Challenge: One of the younger students had moved from a group class to one-to-one lessons. She was a quick learner and the course material did not help her to reach her full potential.
Action: Using the existing material, I modified activities to help suite her abilities. In addition, since I was not the only instructor who taught the student I assisted other instructors in creating more suitable activities.
Result: As a result, we were able to provide the student with a higher quality service which not only pleased the student but also her parents.

Challenge: One of our students was struggling to achieve his desired score on an English proficiency test. He had been taking classes at the school but was not seeing the results he wanted.
Action: I saw his concern and approached him after class. We addressed his weak areas and drew up a plan, outlining specific actions he could take outside of the class. I continued to follow-up with him.
Result: Happily, he improved his weak areas and his test score increased.

At the College of Interactive Arts, an entrepreneurial private college specializing in animation and video game design:

Challenge: When I arrived at the school there were two small classes of fewer than 10 students each. The majority of the students were from overseas. Unfortunately because of program costs, attracting local students was challenging. At that time the school was registered with the regulatory agency in BC, but was not yet accredited, meaning we could not accept students with government student loans.
Action: My job was to prepare the accreditation report for the school. This was challenging because there were no formal documents in place aside from a registration form. Even, the program itself was not documented. So essentially I was starting from scratch. Fortunately, the report requirements are clearly laid out. So, most of my time was spent developing and writing business objectives, policies, forms, and programs and courses. I also needed to analyze and evaluate the existing business and what we offered. I completed the report over a 3 month period and we submitted it for review
Result: As a result we were cleared for an audit.

Challenge: Being an unaccredited school students were unable to apply for government student loans in order to pay for the program. As a result of the high cost, we were struggling to attract local students. At that time, I was responsible for recruiting new students.
Action: As I discussed the situation with my boss, we decided to offer a significant discount on the programs by providing scholarships to talented artists. Our strategy was to hold an art contest and after judging the contestants work and holding an interview the winners would be notified and offered a scholarship.
Result: As a result, we were able to gain new students and increase the image of our school. The school was registered with the regulatory agency in BC, but was not yet accredited, meaning we could not accept students with government student loans; coupled with the price of tuition made attracting local students challenging.

Challenge: College of Interactive Arts was supposed to be an animation and video game design school. However, walking into the school, you did not necessarily feel that. I wanted the students to be proud of their school and to feel as if this was the beginning of their careers in animation and game design.
Action: So I decided to revamp the curriculum. Through industry research, networking with key people working at animation and video game companies and my own experience, I was able to get a benchmark of what companies expected and develop a curriculum that prepared our students for the industry. In addition to revamping the curriculum, I interviewed and hired instructors who were active in the industry. Finally, through my networking, I was able to bring in guest speakers and even get the students a tour of a game and animation company.
Result: This helped increase the students confidence in the school and ultimately in their careers. The atmosphere changed and students wanted to spend more time at the school working on their projects and doing their own networking.

Challenge: The school was under a tight budget. We needed instructors but the salary we offered was low compared to what other schools were paying; so attracting the right people was challenging
Action: I posted positions on internet job boards and used my network as a resource to find potential candidates.
Result: In the end, even with the budget restrictions, I was able to persuade talented instructors to join our team by offering a family atmosphere, flexibility in scheduling, and potential growth opportunities with the school. Many of the instructors, who left the school due to workloads within the industry, provided replacements for their position.

Challenge: There was no system in place for collecting student’s work to display on the schools website, during open houses or during presentations.
Action: I spoke with our IT person and asked to create a specific database to collect submitted student works. Then in a school assembly I explained how the system worked.
Result: With all the students work we were able to put together a presentation which we used as a marketing tool at local high schools.

Defining my destination

2007-12-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

As I began revamping my resume I began I thinking about the type of company I wanted to work for and what position I wanted to hold.

"I’m looking for a position in Human resource, possibly an assistant or administrative position. I want to work in a creative industry such as music, or arts and entertainment. My ideal company is a mid-sized company that offers growth opportunities. It should have strong values and demonstrate integrity in its business practices both internally and externally".

The Complete Guide to Resume Writing

2007-11-28T05:22:00.000-08:00

I recently downloaded a e-book called "The complete guide to resume writing" by Louise Fletcher, founder of the company Blue Sky Resumes. Anyone looking to revamp their resume, I highly recommend this book. It provide deep thinking exercises which required reflection and research. In the end, I had a wealth of valuable information for my resume; as well, I feel better prepared for my expected interviews. I will post the results from my inspection and research.

Networking Recommendations

2007-11-21T00:40:00.000-08:00

I received some recommendations to improve my network

1. add my membership with BCHRMA to my resume
2. post my resume to monster.ca, workopolis, bcjobs, and of course the BCHRMA website.
3. contact recruitment agencies which specialize in HR jobs including:
- Adecco
- Holloway Schulz
- Hunt Personnel

Any Questions?

2007-11-20T00:15:00.000-08:00

Having successfully completed an interview the tables are now turned and the infamous "Any questions" is now asked to the interviewee. From the website best-interview-strategies.com, the author lists three questions to ask the interviewer and the completion of the interview

"What do you enjoy most about working here"? (Assuming you are speaking to an employee)
"Is there anything I've mentioned that makes you think I'm not the best candidate for this job"?
"When do you expect to make your final decision"?

Other questions that I would consider asking include:

"What is the first problem or issue that needs the attention of the person you are hiring"?
"Can you describe the opportunities for training and professional development"?

Resume

2007-11-19T23:18:00.000-08:00

JIMMY RAE OCKEY
jimmyraeockey@hotmail.com

CAREER TARGET: HUMAN RESOURCE ASSISTANT

Recent university graduate brings proven ability to achieve results through communication and organizational skills.

Internally driven and dedicated professional, known for a strong work ethic and integrity. Earned a reputation for a positive and motivated attitude in all working conditions.

“Jim Ockey is a man of the highest integrity with excellent communication skills and is organized, thorough and responsive.” Rick Kleiman, President, F.R. (Rick) Kleiman and Associates, Consultants

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

- Maintaining Computer Database
- Policy & Procedure Development
- Project Management
- Job Design
- Recruitment & Interviewing
- New Hire Orientation & Training
- Employee Relations & Retention
- Scheduling

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
- Improved the quality of a private college’s programs, administrative policies and procedures, and management of resources to the point where the school was ready for accreditation by the governing agency.
- Created an environment which substantially increased student and instructor satisfaction and motivation.
- Recruited industry-experienced instructors under difficult circumstances.

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
B.S., Business Management, September 2007
University of Phoenix, (Program GPA: 3.85)

Relevant Coursework: Organizational Behaviour, Employment Law, Human Resource Management, Diversity Issues in Communication, Human Motivation, Ethics in Management

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

Professional Affiliation
Member, BC Human Resource Management Association (BCHRMA)
Working towards Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) designation
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

NOVA GROUP/ G-EDUCATION, Japan, 2004 to Present
Major private English teaching company
English Language Instructor

Started teaching beginner to advanced English to adults and children; assessed their abilities to meet specific learning objectives, and provided verbal and written feedback. Quickly given additional responsibility at the branch coordinating and scheduling special monthly programs and managing the program’s resources.

- Revitalized the usage of the program’s resources by organizing and labeling files for more efficient use and promoting availability.
- Improved the program’s processes by designing forms and collecting statistical information.

COLLEGE OF INTERACTIVE ARTS, Vancouver, BC, 2001-2004
An entrepreneurial private college specializing in animation and video game design
Instructional Supervisor (2002-2004)

Promoted to this position to help shape the direction and services of a newly renovated college. Accountabilities included: preparing and organizing accreditation support documents, improving student moral, and assisting in building the schools influence within the industry.
- Prepared and organized the necessary documents to the point where the school was ready for accreditation by the governing agency, including:
- Developing and implementing policies and procedures, performing job analysis and preparing detailed job descriptions through attention to detail.
- Revamping the curriculum through analyzing, researching, and networking with industry experts.
- Recruited industry-experienced instructors on a minimal budget.

Animation Instructor (2001- 2002)

Hired to prepare and organize curriculum documents necessary for the opening of an animation and video game design program at a large college in China after the previous program manager left abruptly. Prepared, taught, and maintained files for various classes on animation principles.

- Prepared and organized the curriculum documents to be sent to China’s Peking University Founder Technology College for the animation and video game design program.
- Helped the student’s improve their portfolio by teaching industry-relevant skills and designing assignments that highlight student’s ability.

MAINFRAME ENTERTAINMENT, Vancouver, BC, 2000-2001
Industry leader in computer generated animation for television and direct-to-video
Animator (2000-2001)

Initially hired as production assistant; promoted after 5 months to position of animator. Created complex animation sequences and managed digital files efficiently under demanding production schedules.

- Actively pursued challenging animation sequences delivered under tight deadlines.
- Consistently met and exceeded weekly quota, while still producing quality animation.

In addition, my resume can be found on-line at " jimmyockey.emurse.com"

Interview Questions Part I

2007-11-19T23:08:00.000-08:00

In order to better prepare myself for my job interviews I have began to reflect upon my past experiences and future goals with the following questions and answers.

1. Tell me about yourself

"I’m looking to get into Human Resource. I have two years experience in various HR roles both administrative and strategic. Prior to returning to school, I developed various administrative and strategic documents necessary for the completion of the accreditation report for a regulatory agency in BC. I’ve recently graduated from university and would love to apply my business degree. I like working with people and enjoy group projects, but am also a self-starter who doesn't mind working on my own. My goals are to obtain my CHRP designation and broaden my experiences with Human Resources. What I am looking for now is a company that values its employees, where I can join a strong team and have a positive impact on employee relations and the organization".

2. What do you feel has been your greatest work-related accomplishment?

"When I arrived at the school there were two small classes of fewer than 10 students each. The majority of the students were from overseas. Unfortunately because of program costs, attracting local students was challenging. At that time the school was registered with the regulatory agency in BC, but was not yet accredited, meaning we could not accept students with government student loans. My job was to prepare the accreditation report for the school. This was challenging because there were no formal documents in place aside from a registration form. Even, the program itself was not documented. So essentially I was starting from scratch. Fortunately, the report requirements are clearly laid out. So, most of my time was spent developing and writing business objectives, policies, forms, and programs and courses. I also needed to analyze and evaluate the existing business and what we offered. I completed the report over a 3 month period and we submitted it for review. As a result we were cleared for an audit".

3. What is your greatest strength?

"I'm good at organizational skills, prioritization and time management. But my greatest strength is my ability to effectively handle multiple projects and deadlines."

4. How do you handle stressful situations?

"At the college, a particular stressful time was around our open house events. There was a lot of preparing that needed to be done in order for it to be successful. To maintain stress levels, I used time-management skills like making “to do” lists and delegating tasks when possible. I remember one particular time, at the last minute my boss wanted to display our student’s work on the computer screens. However, I didn’t have easy access to the student’s work. I was able to find a few images and animations. However, I made a point of talking to the students and collecting their best work for the next open house".

5. What is the toughest problem you've had to face, and how did you overcome it?

"Being an unaccredited school students were unable to apply for government student loans in order to pay for the program. As a result of the high cost, we were struggling to attract local students. At that time, I was responsible for recruiting new students. As I discussed the situation with my boss, we decided to offer a significant discount on the programs by providing scholarships to talented artists. Our strategy was to hold an art contest and after judging the contestants work and holding an interview the winners would be notified and offered a scholarship. As a result, we were able to gain new students and increase the image of our school".

6. Have you ever had to discipline a problem employee? If so, how did you handle it?

"I remember one of the instructors was constantly coming in late for class. He had been with the school since the beginning and was not satisfied with his personal progress with the company. I knew he needed someone to talk to so I listened to his situation and empathized with him. I then tried to help him see from the student's perspective. I challenged him to be on time and said I would follow up with him about his progress. Unfortunately, his bad habits didn't change. We sat down again, and again I empathized with his situation. However, this time I stated the consequences if his behavior didn't change".