The imporantance of keywords in your job search

https://www.hrepartners.com/jobdetails.aspx?id=27703

Administered

Assisted

Coordinated

Developed

Evaluate

Managed

Recommended

Reorganized

Resolved

Strengthened

In this week’s blog assignment, we are supposed to find a job we will be qualified for upon graduation. I was fortunate enough to find a position with the State of Kansas, 18^th Judicial District in Sedgwick County to use as an example for this assignment.  For this assignment it is required that the potential new hire be willing to work with those who are under current supervision or using services by the district court.  This position requires to organize and report information in regards to the assisted client.  Additionally the person hired will be required to maintain records in regards to contact with the client(s) in order to achieve a record of contact of not only the client but also of various community agencies. 

This would be an important job.  The listing of actions and characteristics above indicate words which would strengthen and accentuate the skills I possess.  Highlighting these skills would allow me better chance to be noticed by the person(s) who will be reviewing the resumes collected for this position.  Words such as evaluate and developed indicate that I have gathered and processed information and records before.  Coordinated, recommended, and resolved would be key words to bring attention to skills I possess which would be helpful to the record keeping of clients and community agencies that I would work with regularly.  The other words listed serve to best highlight my past experiences which would highlight past experience that relate to this potential new employment opportunity.  Each of these words serve to illustrate skills that I have gained through education and prior employment which should make me a desirable candidate for the job advertisement I found with the 18^th district court.   

Twitter: An Asset

This week's class assignment is an interesting view of social media.  We are to use LinkedIn to find an interesting person who we will introduce on Twitter for a conference which begins the next day.   I chose a Special Agent from the KBI who will be the keynote at our fake police conference to write four tweets about.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-falletti-0a9568105

@PoliceConfernce

Tomorrow! Welcome KBI Senior Special Agent David Falletti, presenting on investigation, profiling, and procedures.   

@PoliceConfernce

Special Agent Falletti has 15+ years with the KBI and is also an academic and Paradigm instructor!

@PoliceConfernce

Learn more about airtight interrogation practices from the instructor!  #SpecialAgentFalletti

@PoliceConfernce

Keynote discussion of high profile Kansas crimes at begins tomorrow at Noon.  Welcome #SpecialAgentFalletti

Twitter is definitely a neat social tool to be succinct and direct in your messages, but has amazing potential to be shared and read by a wide audience.  Choose your words carefully and you might be amazed by the far reaches of twitter! 
 

This week we will be exploring project based communication.  In the upcoming week I will have homework, a work project, and preparation a meeting to complete.  Preparation for each of these tasks will need to be well thought and completed separately.  Of course it seems like it would be easier to be able to just plow through and get it all done, however the processes for each task is different, really only because each of the tasks are so different. 

First, it is of the up-most importance to remember that while there is a lot to get done, it is necessary to approach the whole in parts.  This week I have three completely separate projects to prepare and complete.  Plus each of those projects will require steps as well.  For example, in my homework for the upcoming week there are five separate projects to complete for the whole weeks assignments.  Two of the homework projects are quizzes.  For each quiz there will be a chapter and probably additional assigned readings to complete prior to taking each quiz.  I would plan to choose a quiz, read the corresponding chapter, then read any additional assigned materials, then take the quiz.  I would then repeat the process for the other assigned quiz.  My following this plan it not only eases my stress, it also communicates back to my instructor that I understood the directions and assignments. 

When approaching the whole in parts it makes the whole seem much simpler. Additionally, it makes it easier when you know that you have time to complete each task part it is not as overwhelming as if you had to sit and complete the whole thing at once.  The ability to work at your own pace is much more peaceful on one's mind (in comparison to having to rush and complete the whole project at once). 

So here we are with a plan in mind and projects to complete!  This feels kind of exciting and totally do-able now that the plan is in motion.  I now have an idea and a plan to accomplish my homework project(s).  I am also very thankful that my homework is my biggest project for the week - at least in my awareness of what I have to complete for the upcoming week, after all you never know what else will end up on your plate.  My work project is relatively simple.  A boss of mine is going on a business related trip next month and needs a list of people to contact for this trip.  I have already started this project and have created a list of people who live in the area he is going to visit.  Now I need to prioritize these contacts so that he has a good idea of who he should attempt to make an appointment with.  Since this list is in an excel spreadsheet, the ability to move names around is simple.  My next task is to review each contact and prioritized them based upon instructions I have been given.  Once the contacts are prioritized I can then review my work, and send the contact list to him.  Although the list of contacts started at over 700 contacts, by the time I send the list to my boss, he will have a workable list of less than 50 people to attempt to make appointments with while he on his trip.  Since, I have been able to follow the instructions from my boss and and reduce the overall contacts this communicates that the project goal was clear.  My work on this project will also make his work simpler and his time more effective. 

Whew!  Now the big projects are planned out and waiting on me to complete them.  All that is left is the small project.  I am a new employee and we have a monthly all staff meeting.  At this monthly staff meeting anyone who is new is introduced (again) and each person is asked to give a small presentation over their strength finders results.  When I started I really didn't know anything about this strength finders program, but it is asked of all new employees to complete the questionnaire.  Then at the next months staff meeting share what your top 5 strengths are.  This allows those who share strengths to highlight themselves.  I like this approach and I think that it promotes a healthy work environment for the whole staff.  My top five strengths are: 1) Achiever 2) Input 3) Discipline 4) Deliberative 5) Connectedness.  I am interested to see who else shares my strengths and how this improves communications among our staff.  

Whew!  That is it!  I am done!  I have a project and task based plan that will allow me to complete my projects and communicate with others well through each project and step.  I should not feel panicked or overwhelmed because I have set up a plan that will allow me to work through each step effectively which is based on the requests that are made of me.  

I think that I have potential to make every week work like this.  

Have a great week! 

In this fast paced world, we are learning that in order to be successful we must express ourselves well.   However, well can become a relative term.  Even when using specific language, our message can become lost between the intended message and the actual relayed message. 

How can we best work through potential communication issues in the workplace?  This video from the UB Social Work program may be a helpful: 
The Importance of Professional Communication
Although, this video is used for an educational environment, the messages are clear. Address the message receiver using proper titles, do not use text-speak or emoticons, be specific in the goal of your messages, and clearly indicate who the message is from.  As the cartoon above illustrates, it is always appropriate to proof read and improve your communication so that your true message comes through to the receiver. 



A good way to practice these skills is to use them.  When writing take the time to write like you would at work.  If you are used to using abbreviated wordings, this will most likely feel odd at first.  However, with practice this style of communication will become your new normal.  In the future potential employers will appreciate your communication prowess, and could better notice you in the pool of applicants.  

So what does all this information really mean?  It means that professionalism is (at least in my opinion) the most important part of effective communication.  The positive feedback and reaction from this type of communication will expand your opportunities and ease of action within the workplace.  

In the future posts, we will expand on this topic and other related workplace topics.  

Until next time,
Crystal