How to Handle Tough Interview Questions

1. How do you explain the gap in your employment?

Make your gap in employment look like a choice you made, not a choice that was made for you. For example:
“My work is important to me, so I won’t be satisfied with any old job. Instead of rushing to accept the first thing that comes my way, I’m taking my time and being selective to make sure my next role is the right one." (http://www.womenco.com/benefits/articles/3388-15-toughest-interview-questions-and-answers)

2. Tell me about yourself.

Don't ramble; instead reiterate points that you think would make a good candidate to hire. As early as possible in the interview ask your potential employer exactly what they are looking for, and keep asking "is there anything else..."

3. The Silent Treatment

Once again don't ramble. Just because there is a silence doesn’t mean you have to rush to fill it with irrelevant rambling. Sit silently for a few moments and then ask "Is there anything else I can fill in on that point?"

4. Would you lie for the company?

Try to avoid making the choice between loyalty and integrity. If the interviewer keeps pressing you for a choice always pick integrity (you wouldn't lie for the company).

(http://dev.fyicenter.com/Interview-Questions/Sixty-Four/Question_1_Tell_me_about_yourself_.html)

Web 2.0 the Learning Revolution

Web 2.0 is changing the way we learn. For example, the use of wikis and blogs are making learning a much more interactive process. Instead of reading verbatim from a textbook, students can research a topic in class and then write a blog expressing their opinions on the matter, which other students can then comment on and discuss. This approach to learning incorporates many different viewpoints on presented material and can lead to an understanding of subject matter that goes beyond what can be read in a textbook (e-learning 2.0 - how Web technologies are shaping education).

Services such as Twitter have brought the news to our fingertips in an instant. Information can now circumvent the globe in a matter of minutes, not days. A good example of this is the death of Michael Jackson. I and many of my friends found out via text message before the news had even reached the local radio station!

It’s not only classrooms that are taking part in the Web 2.0 learning revolution; the US Military is also exploring using open source media to manage the knowledge of their soldiers. While still in the preliminary stages, wikis are being used as a collaborative base to create field manuals. Typically it can take between three and five years to compile all the information necessary to create a field manual, but the US Military hopes that by collaborating via wikis they can cut that time in half (Wikis Get Enlisted in Military Experiments).

Seeing the Military embrace open source media illustrates how our view of information has changed over the generations. Generations Nexters view information as a powerful tool that should be available to everyone in an instant, whereas previous generations viewed information as a powerful tool that should be guarded and used more for personal gain (Four Generations - One Workplace -- Can We All Work Together?).

I think that the Web 2.0 revolution will be what carries the small business owner through the Recession. Many small business owners are taking advantage of social media sites, such as Twitter, to advertise their products or services. Taking advantage of free networking services can slash an advertising budget in half, and in some cases double a customer base. I find it interesting that many small businesses are now finding contacts and new costumers solely trough twitter (Mom-and-Pop Operators Turn to Social Media).

In my local area I have noticed that many shops are now advertising “Follow Us on Twitter!” If you have every spent a lot of time in the Thumb of Michigan, you know what an amazing adaptation that is! Typically the Thumb of Michigan moves at a much slower pace than the rest of the world, with change happening gradually over a number of years. For many businesses, snail-mail is still preferred over e-mail, so to see these same business owners embrace the “new-fangled” technology that is Web 2.0 is truly amazing! Gone are the days when a Mom and Pop Store could sit idly by and watch the world progress; in today’s cut-throat business world one has to be able to ride the wave of change or risk being drowned in its wake.

Generations: X, Y, and Next

For the first time in modern history four generations of Americans are working side by side, with each generation holding viewpoints and cultural norms shaped by unique experiences.

Radio Babies: born 1930-1945; conservative, fiscally prudent, and loyal to their employers.

Baby Boomers: born 1946-1964; ambitious, most educated as compared to the other 3 generations, strong work ethic, loyal to careers and employers, multi-taskers.

Generation Xers: born 1965-1976; independent, highest number of divorced parents, dual-income families, self-sufficient (e.g., took care of chores and other responsibilities after school and before parents returned home from work).

Generation Ys: born 1977-1990; grew-up in a similar environment as Generation Xers, but with a different parenting style (e.g., timeouts, not spankings, very protective parents); extremely conscious of the global environment; open minded and accepting of differences in race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc; socially conscious; concerned with personal safety.

While this unique situation leaves room for an unprecedented blend of experience and innovation; it also opens the door for unprecedented conflict. There are steps that can be taken to minimize generational conflicts in the workplace. One of the most notable is the ACOURN method. This method was developed by the authors of “Generations at Work”. ACOURN is an acronym for:

• Accommodate employee differences.
• Create workplace choices.
• Operate from a sophisticated management style.
• Use a situational leadership style to accommodate many workplace situations and issues.
• Respect competence and initiative.
• Nourish retention.

While no method is perfect the ACOURN method outlines a systematic approach to dealing with generational conflicts, and while this approach requires some effort on everyone’s part, it has been proven effective.

Discussion Questions on Record’s Management

1. It is important that an administrative professional effectively manage the flow of records throughout a company because the administrative professional could be held personally accountable for not being able to find a record. Also lost or misfiled records could have major financial and legal ramifications for the company beyond time lost trying to find a missing record.
The adoption of HIPPA in the mid-nineties added to the responsibilities of the administrative professional. Administrative Professionals must now have an understanding of HIPPA to ensure that the records management system remains in compliance with the strict privacy rules set out by HIPPA (The Administrative Professional, pg. 174)

2. Having a systematic approach to records management means having a system in place within the organization that determines how records are filed, how long to keep the records active, and what to do with inactive records (The Administrative Professional pg. 175).

3. There are many different Electronic External Storage Media available on the market today, each with its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages.

A. Floppy Disk: 150/200 MB in 1999 (Floppy Disk, 2009)
The floppy disk is easy to label or color code and relatively easy to store. The problem with floppy disks is that they do not contain a lot of memory, and are quickly being phased out by more powerful CDs, and Flash Drives. Most laptops no longer even accept Floppy Disks without an adapter.

B. CDs: up to 700 MBs (CDs, 2009)
CDs allow for a variety of information to be stored and transported with relative ease. CDs are easy to label and easy to store, allowing for fast data retrieval. CDs are also easy to scratch and break, diminishing their overall portability.

C. USB Flash Drive: up to 16 GB (USB Flash Drive, 2009)
USB Flash Drives are small, portable, work in almost every computer on the market today, and relative to their size, can transport large amounts of data. However, they are also easier to lose or steal than a floppy disk. USB Flash Drives are more durable than Floppy Disks, or even CDs/DVDs, but are still susceptible to damage; for example, leaving a flash drive in your pocket with car keys may comprise the data stored on the flash drive. USB Flash Drives are also harder to label and store than Floppy Disks or CDs/DVDs.

D. External Hard Drive + 1 TB (External Hard Drive Buying Guide, 2009)
An External Hard Drive basically allows you to back up your entire computer on one device. You can find external hard drives with crazy amounts of storage available beyond 1 TB (TeraByte). The problem with external hard drives is that portability goes down as storage capacity goes up. The typical 500 GB external hard drive is very portable, almost pocket-sized; while external hard drives boasting 1 TB of storage are heavy and not designed for travel. Also one must consider the increased risk of keeping all that data in one spot. If a smaller external hard drive was lost or stolen, 500 GB of data would have to be recovered instead of 16 GB with a flash drive, or 700 MB with a CD.

E. File Hosting Service: varies with company (File Hosting Service, 2009)
Using a File Hosting Service as an external storage media allows users to access the information from any computer at any time. A File Hosting Service also takes up no physical space in an office, while keeping records safe and secure. Files stored on a File Hosting Service are also easy to organize, retrieve, and share. The downsides of using a File Hosting Service include: susceptibility to hackers, and the cost of storage.

4. Paper records will always have a role in records management, however with more records being stored and accessed electronically, that role will continue to fade from importance as times goes on. Eventually, paper records will become a minimal component in a records management system.

5. Steps for effective decision making in records management:
A.) Where should this record be kept?
B.) How should this record be filed?
C.) What is the best way to access this record?
D.) How long should we hold onto this record?

Personal Strategy

Personal Strategy

A good employee, or a good person for that matter, is not someone who never makes a mistake. Rather, a good employee is someone who can step up and say, “I screwed up; now what can I do to fix it.”

The hard truth is that everyone messes up eventually, and what someone does at that moment says more about their character than their performance during the million things they did right.

I believe that having the humility and strength of character to step up and admit a mistake, and try to learn from it, rather than pass the blame, or cover it up, is a personal strategy I want to live by.

Rules to Work By

Rules to Work By

1. Respect the Golden Rule

- Treat everyone as you want to be treated.

2. Give 100% everyday, no matter what your doing.

- Remember, your work is your reputation

3. Don’t assume: anything won’t/can’t happen to you, or that someone else will take care of it.

4. Don’t Gossip: Anyone who talks to about other people will talk about you to!

Innovation: What you need to live, thrive, and survive in a Recession

Remember people, that no matter who you are, and what you do to live, thrive and survive, there are still some things that make us all the same. You, me, them, everybody, everybody. Everybody needs somebody….
- The Blues Brothers “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”

As I see it, there are two ways to approach life: standing still hoping you don’t get run over and running head of the pack. In the past, I was a stander, content to watch life pass by, very laissez-faire about the whole ordeal. All that changed about six months ago, when the total failure of the economy finally forced me to move. And you know what, I liked it! There is something empowering about taking control of one’s life and the direction it is taking. I learned a valuable lesson, that if you are not innovative and proactive in the choices you make, and the companies you keep you will be left in the dust.