Mpho

Express yourself

2006-07-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

One thing I have learnt in this is expressing yourself and asking a question when you do not understand something. I do not have to feel like I am stuck in a negative situation if I do not understand something. Fortunately in my work situation I have a network of people, besides my supervisors. There are instances when I felt I needed more guidance from my supervisor and I emailed her to ask her about the problem. There are also instances when I felt I was doing an unreasonable amount of work then I talked to the necessary person and addressed the issue.
After confronting the concerned parties, it did help to gain a better understanding of everyone’s role and how to improve the situation.
If you are having problems in a work situation learn to address it immediately rather than ignore it or internalizing it.

Time management

2006-07-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

I have realised that “time management” has become like a buzzword for some of the co-interns. Making time in the workplace is something that I cannot ignore. Since working, I have been able to plan out my time. When having tasks, it’s not easy to do or remember everything. Just the other day I forgot to hand in a certain document to my supervisor.
It sometimes gets terribly frustrating to simply plan your work. In my work situation I am sometimes given tasks at random and that can disturb my time management plan. This is totally unlike at school where I could sit down and lay out my time management plan on paper. However I am learning to prioritise between my tasks. If I am given a task at random, I enquire about how soon I should complete the task.

A sense of responsibility

2006-07-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

I have realised that there is so much freedom attached to my work. There is a project I have been working at and with that we have to work independently to complete it. Unlike varsity where the normal procedure would be failing if you do not submit your assignment on time, my work situation gives me plenty of time to work and breathe. Our supervisors are often not in the office but we have their numbers in case we need them. They are always available to talk when I need them. I love the freedom attached to my work .It wouldn’t be nice to have a supervisor watching over your shoulder each time.

While I enjoy the freedom attached to my work, I get to learn to be responsible. I often have to remind myself to be committed and remain motivated towards my work. With the flexibility and time given, it is easy to be demotivated and unfocused. I remember one of the speakers from the WOW training who said always find something to do, if you have nothing to do. So when there is nothing to do or when I am taking breaks from my research I practice my computer skills.

The unit induction

2006-06-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today, I attended an induction by Taryn for the business unit I work for. I found it very worthy as it answered questions that were really at the back of my mind or never had a chance to ask.
From the induction I now have an overview about where I am and how my unit relates to other unit. Most importantly I now know the definitions of some business unit terms which have been mind boggling for a long time.
I am also happy about the explanation on performance appraisal. This is actually the question I wanted to ask Fiona but never had a chance to. Thank you Taryn for all the informative talk and lunch.

The problem solving skill

2006-06-01T03:59:00.000-07:00

I find the problem solving skill I use in the workplace to be a bit similar to the one I used at varsity. The major difference is that I get to deliver my results to a different audience. Like at varsity,in the workplace you also get presented with a problem and a deadline to deliver the results.
I often find myself brainstorming the ideas on piece of paper and writing everything I currently know about the problem. Thereafter, I develop my idea. Sometimes I feel ideas run out too quickly and then other times when one idea comes, then it sparks more ideas.

One other deadline to meet

2006-05-24T23:44:00.000-07:00

Another deadline I had to meet is handing out a package to some people and in return I had to get some document. This had to be done within two days and this is the fourth day. It is difficult to trace people.I understand that most people are always busy:attending one meeting after another.I have left voice messages and emailed on several occassions. With only few returning. I have even taken the initiative to walk to their offices. One thing I have learnt is that the harder I try to get the feedback, the more answers I get.I still need to check with Michele if the feedback they give me is the correct one.

Meeting deadlines

2006-05-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

For the last three days I have been working on data collecting,capturing and output for Michele Wickham. It was not easy to meet the actual deadline because some people could not give us the actual data on the day we requested it.
What I found most interested about this task is that as you are working, you know when you want to achieve your goal and thus you become more motivated.
I can compare this with one of my previous work experience where I just worked without a deadline to meet. I found the work to be so monotonous and at the end I believe I could have lost my sense of responsibility and the sense of achievement.

During the achievement of our task I must admit I got a little impatient.This is actually one of my weaknesses-getting impatient if things do not go according to plan. But thanks to Michele, she understood that some people will not give us the data right away.

One suggestion for Wits WOW programme

2006-05-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

I know Jean Power asked us a long time ago about our suggestions to improving the Wits WOW programme. But I was just thinking yesterday about how wonderful it would be to have on line blogging from the companies involved. It would be an opportunity for them to talk about their expectations from interns and also share some of their past experiences with regard to interns.
I believe this will help future interns shape their career development .

Work in recruitment

2006-05-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

Part of the job that I do in recruitment is meeting candidates, working on lotus arranging interviews with agencies, candidates and the internal staff. I am loving it because it keeps me on my toes and I get to interact with people.
Today a man from library visited us and I took out a book to read more on human resource.

Involved in other tasks

2006-04-25T01:24:00.001-07:00

I am enjoying my work so far because besides being involved in the project at hand I am also learning other skills in the human resource area.
Two friendly ladies Natasha and Sina have been teaching us on how to handle and process personnel information using a computer programme.
I am using my sense of responsibility and being tactful at the same. It is essential to be careful when handling people's or applicant's information, especially when giving them feedback.

The task at hand

2006-04-25T00:51:00.000-07:00

For the past two days I have been caught up in applying my new learnt skills and computer programmes. The project requires good management tools and a lot of discipline. It might seem that there is a lot of time at hand but I know when I meet with Fiona next week, I must be up to date and have valuable ideas to apply to the project.
It also comes down to what I learnt about being involved in a project from Mr Orlin at the Constitution Hill. He mentioned that when working on a project you have to make sure that money, time and funtional performance balance each other.
As it is I am working on applying my knowledge , skills and tools to meet the requirements of the project.

Already in the world of work

2006-04-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, It's so hard to believe that I am already in the world of work. Celeste and I thought we were just going for our interview and little did we know that we were going to start working.Our first day was fabulous. We got a helpful and friendly induction from Fiona.Thanks to her, she made me feel at ease and I can find myself around the building.Also, we are already working on this exciting project.The pleasure and challenge here is that I now have the opportunity to apply my knowledge and theoretical framework into real life work.

Remuneration

2006-04-07T04:16:00.000-07:00

As someone who is beginning to enter into the job market, I believe it was worthy to get a lesson on remuneration and I believe some employers can take an advantage of this .Bonita's presentation taught me what benefits I could expect, when to ask for money- and that is from adverts and before an interview. She made it clear that you can get different options for your benefits in a company but ofcourse that depends on a company's structure. It is also important to clarify with the line manager on the company's performance management and remuneration policy before entering a job. This includes clarifying on what my expectations are and what I want to achieve.

Time management

2006-04-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

The exercise I did on time management in Janet's presentation showed that I am generally in control of my time and also occasionally pressurised. I believe that socially I am the worst time- keeper. I am unpopularly known to postpone appointments at the last minute and to be full of excuses for not turning up. At varsity I was seldom late for my lectures and was often up to date with assignments.

It is also known that one needs to have a balanced social life and working life. I cannot be a good time keeper in one thing only.

Thus I believe there's still a way to go for me to maximise my effectiveness with time. I still need to learn to prioritise between my work and social life. I must learn to see which aspects have a long range of importance and which ones have short-range urgency.

Fitting in the world of work

2006-04-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

I think the two speakers Kuseni Dlamini and Tracey Rowe touched on a very important issue which is the changing world of of work. Kuseni mentioned that the process of globalisation is at the heart of of current business trends and that one needs to appreciate the elements of change and continuity. Tracey on the other hand mentioned that the underlying philosophy of work has not changed but there are few changes with regard to new breed of employers and employees, there is the trend of job hopping rather than sticking to one job for life and success is determined by how you market your skills.

The most important lessons I am taking with from these presentations is that firstly, I have to be myself in a workplace. I know I have a dream and thus it is important to leave up to my dream.Secondly, I should have a good and respecful conduct.I think this applies to what Tina Thompson said about having a positive attitude and what Shameen said about emotional intelligence. I know a workplace is guaranteed of chaos so I want to handle my frustrations, stressors and emotions in a dignified manner. Moreover it is important to keep looking for opportunities while at the same time learning from my mistakes.

Going deeper into entrepreneurship

2006-04-04T04:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I learnt about the qualities of an entrepreneur and today Andrew Hofmeyer gave me another way of looking at business implementation. I have learnt to determine the viable and non-viable opportunities by following these steps:

Identify the business opportunity, by looking at the supply side: my skills,experience, strengths and demand side: the need from the market of the service or goods I wish to serve or produce.
Assess my opportunity by looking into my financial need, resources available, if the business is already existing and other barriers to entry.
Evaluate the viable opportunity by comparing between opportunities.
Plan to implement the opportunity.
This will be the step where I implement my business.
Track.
Assess and measure the success or weakness of my business.

The reasons why I went into the social sciences

2006-03-31T03:26:00.000-08:00

I did my studies from the humanities because my intention was to work with people, I was also curious about people's differences and their general well-being.At the same time I also enjoy helping out in the community wherever I can.

Yesterday I was humbled to be in the presence of Ghadija Vallie. I was greatly inspired by her as she gave me a different outlook in doing community service. I believe that most importantly she instilled very good values which motivated to have a good vision, be creative and have the ability to recognise opportunities. I know that before, when I saw a social problem I always depended on financial and professional help. But she has helped me to look beyond that as she shared some of her touching experiences as a human activist.

Today I was pleased to find out more about the organisation, Independent Development Trust. I have always wanted to work in an organisation that focuses on community development and poverty alleviation while at the same time work with people in fields like HR.
Audrey and Bertra's presentation was very informative as they addressed clearly their mission and modus operandi of the organisation.

Nedlac

2006-03-29T03:35:00.000-08:00

I found the presentation on Nedlac to be very beneficial as it deepened my understanding of what Nedlac stands for and its modus operandi. It was interesting to know that it deals with addressing socio-economic issues such as unemployment, poverty, inequality and economic growth. What I didn't know is that the community can also play a role in Nedlac. Also the fact that all 4 chambers have a chance of tabling their wish list which is then negotiated and decided by this body . I often thought decision- making was made in government and how- I didn't know.

The art of writing and speaking in a business context

2006-03-28T21:57:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of her presentantion Lesley Emanuel used the phrase," Credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs.- Sir Francis Bacon". This is important because good and effective communication in a business takes place when a person conveys his/her thoughts, ideas, feelings in a way that enables the receiver to obtain an accurate and clear picture of the intended message. Lesley emphasised that business writing is an extremely important extension of a business/company. As an academic person I am now faced with the challenge of changing my writing to fit a business context and that goes to even emailing. I can imagine that most daily running-business depends on conveying a message, receiving, reading and answering different messages.
For business writing I have to be concise, clear, choose my words carefully and proof read my messages.I greatly appreciate Lesley's tip for organising information and that is the sprat tool . According to this I have to look at the situation first, then the problem, resolution, action and thanks.

While writing is one thing, speaking is another thing. The two speakers Des and Robert alerted me that there is a difference of presenting to your peers/colleagues at varsity and presenting at a company. I must say I can never get over the feeling of standing up,presenting and to people I do not know. But there are points I am taking with from Des and Rob's presentation and that is:

Presenting (know my audience,rehearse, and prepare venue and equipments).
Purpose (grab attention, give clear message, spell out the relevance of the topic and give examples).
Presence (as speaker I should establish my presence).
Passion (if you have drive, people will believe you).
Personality (as a speaker I should always remember to be myself).

Entrepreneurship

2006-03-27T05:03:00.000-08:00

Throughout Marius Venter's presentation, I asked myself the question of whether I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. The reason being that I have always viewed entrepreurship to be a difficult undertaking as it involves risk taking. I have also seen many businesses fail because of missing some of the characteristics I have learnt today.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurship I learnt of the difference between intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship. The first kind involves operating from within the organisation ,with already available resource with the motive of making more savings for the organisation. While the entrepreneuship is working outside organisation with limited/no resources and as acoording to Marius, with the motive of profit-making.

Today I have learnt the importance of working on developing to be an entrepreneurship. I know I might have the passion and creativity to develop a consulting business in future but I need to add to these values. I have to see that my business has a vision for the future and survival, consider the risks I will be taking, network with more people, plan my business with an advisor and use my communication and networking skills.
Moreover, as Shameen Naidu said in order for one to be successful you need emotional intelligence. I need to work on handling my stress, emotions and arguements that may occur within my business in future. I believe that this would start by being exposed to an organisational context and from that I will be able to learn and develop.

What I look for in an intern.

2006-03-26T22:09:00.000-08:00

After Gordon Freer's presentation I was motivated and felt worthy as a potential intern. I further on wished that all employers were like that. Gordon made it clear that an internship should be a two-way process- what is the organisation's expectations and the intern's expecations. As an intern I should know what I am expecting from the internship and in my case that is to gain hands on experience and to see how my theoretical framework/what I learnt at tertiary fits in with the world of work. I know that I should also add value into the organisation, to think independently and in some situations collectively in a team.
At the same time I am driven by passion to learn more in my internship. I want to use it as a means to discover my true career potentials and to develop personally and career-wise.

The scourge of HIV/AIDS and in the workplace

2006-03-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

The scourge of HIV/AIDS has become a serious and a sad phenomena in South Africa and throughout the world. Having been to Christine Randall's presentation, I came to the conclusion that so many challenges are still facing the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Firstly there is the problem with the education itself. As Zanele mentioned, most people are illiterate and do not understand messages in the media. Also Christine mentioned that there should be a concerted effort to educate the youth about sex and its effect because they are the people who are most at risk.Then there is the role of stress in HIV. Again some people from certain cultural perspectives regard HIV and the whole concept of sexuality as a taboo. Thus they do not find it easy to reveal their HIV status and begin to harbour it in inside. As a result they die quickly because of stress. Shameen also mentioned in her presentation that 80% of people who report sick are not exactly sick but are undergoing stress.
Thirdly there is the role of stigma and discrimination. As long as some people still fear and are ignorant about HIV/AIDS we will not go anywhere as a country. For as a human being living in South Africa I know people who died from AIDS and thus cannot begin to judge. Then there are problems with the spread of HIV/AIDS caused by alcohol consumption especially amongst the youth, the role of sex workers and poverty.

Christine also mentioned that it is important for the workplace to be considerate about HIV/AIDS. Some employers are very supportive of their HIV positive employees. The role of education should play an important role to alleviate stigma and to prevent employees from being infected. Lastly I also believe that HIV/AIDS does not only affect the infected person emotionally and physically but involves also their family, community and other workers. Thus the employee assistance programme should also play a role in assisting the infected workers as well as their family and fellow workers in dealing with HIV/AIDS.

My eye on business

2006-03-22T22:05:00.000-08:00

I think it was imperative that the programme also include soci-economic issues. As someone who plans to have a management consulting business in the next few years, I found the presentations on corporate citizenship, Nepad as well as competition, collaboration and cooperation very useful.

Thanks to Paul Kapelus I now know the rationale on why companies exists. A company should not only concerntrate on profit-making but should add value- meaning to the people/society it operates upon. I believe job creation projects and support for entrepreneurial small businesses feature prominently in corporate social investment. Through my future business endevours I will always remember to invest and connect with a company that adds value to society and has a future-oriented vision.

Josie Rowe-Setz enriching presentation was an eye-opener as I can now see my potential business in clusters.Through my management consultant business I can see other sectors (clusters) forming such as financial, marketing, communication, office automation, teaching and development. This would also mean job creation.

I agree with Peter Metcalfe that it is sad that there is a misperception/misuse of the meaning of Nepad and BEE. I believe as a prospective entrepreneur I will perhaps add value in creating wealth (employment) and along the way eradicating poverty.

Interviewing skills

2006-03-22T06:17:00.000-08:00

Thank you Wickus Joubert and Willemien Strydom on your advices on cv writing and interviewing skills. Your answers might have contradicted what I already knew or thought was right around interview and cv. But most importantly you added valuable information. I am already working on my cv.
Although I can never say I am prepared for an interview, I now know that it is important to add confidence, attentiveness and alertness to listening and answering techniques. The first presenters on the programme also talked on the importance of living a positive attitude and confidence when in an interview and after an interview.

Lessons on stress management and customer service

2006-03-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

Firstly I would like to thank Shammen Naidu for highlighting the importance of adopting healthy techniques as a manner of dealing with stress. As people we sometimes fall into bad habits such as drinking, drugs and bad eating as a manner of dealing with stress because they offer immediate reaction and are simple. As much as I will be practising the healthy stress management techniques (talking to people, positive thinking, assertiveness, mediation, healthy eating and exercise) I will be also dessimating the message to people around me.

I also learnt a lot from Aki Kalliatakis's lively presentation on the evolution of customer care.I will remember that it is the way a company treat its customers that determines whether they will come back. The most important lessons I am taking with is that when a company's delivery is more than the customer's expectations then you get delighted customers, when the company's delivery is equal to the customer's expectations then you get satisfied customers while when the delivery is less than the expectations then you get unhappy customers.
I believe that if a company is striving to produce quality products, it should also strive to produce quality service. It is the little things that counts when we become associated to a company.

There is no I in we

2006-03-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

I liked the way Brad Arden used the phrase," there is no I in we". I have always been pro-teaming and team work and his presentation accentuated my liking and knowledge for team work.
I found that in the different presentations I had to do for postgraduate, it was easier and faster to come to come-up with an idea when I was in a team of 4/5 than when I was alone. This could be attributed to the fact that people share their different abilities when in a team and thus increase productivity.I also found that the more diverse the team, there more it was easier to tackle the task at hand.
I also often found myself to be more committed to a task when I was in a team than when I was alone.
I also believe that teamwork can make one feel more motivated and confident because you know that no matter what you come up with, has a backing of different expertise.
Another thing I enjoyed about working in teams is that it improves communication and thus your mind becomes stimulated to more ideas. When working alone I had more of an internal communication and it did not help to make me resourceful.

Thee intelligence for social science students

2006-03-16T06:23:00.000-08:00

I often find myself distrurbed by society's pre-conceived view and that is people who take career paths in the lines of humanities and social science do not have a mental ability. Ofcourse it did not make sense because when faced with a problem a psychologist, sociologist, social anthropologist, economist and politician can reason, make a decision and in the process act effectively from their own perspective.
ShameenNaidu mentioned that successful people get to where they are because of emotional intelligence. It was afterall emotional intelligence which helped Patricia Gallup launch and grow a computer firm with just a degree in anthropology. She was always open with her staff and had the ability to communicate. I read from http//:www.eiconsortium.org/research/what-is-emotional-intelligence.htm, that most successful US Navy leaders were more warmer, outgoing, emotionally expressive, dramatic and sociable.
If I further think of students from the prestigious engineering, life science or commerce I can observe that they also need "thee intelligence " to get along around campus and life.They too need to be aware of their feelings (why are they stressed before an exam), know how to manage emotions (deal with their stress), have the ability to persist in the face of setback (to go on if they fail) and be able to sense what others are feeling (know how their mate feel if they do not do well) and handle their emotions.
The ingredients for success is ofcourse 67% of thee emotional intelligence and 23% academic intelligence.

The missing pieces of my job-hunting puzzle

2006-03-16T03:19:00.000-08:00

Before being motivated by Tina Thomson's presentation, I used to be confused as to why I never secured a job for myself. I had a very low self esteem, lacked enthusiasm and dreaded going to anymore interviews. The whole thing of listening to tips of job hunting just didn't work.

But now, I have found two pieces to fill in my job-hunting puzzle and they are resilience and a positive attitude. Tina mentioned that a workplace is guaranteed of chaos and that you need the two values to put up with the compressing work situations. From my experience with the interviews is that they can be not what you expect them to be or have prepared them to be. I now know that it does not take you wearing an impressive suit, having a prestigious educational history or having all the necessary experience, what is important is leaving a good impression that you are enthusiastic and optimistic. Afterall it all makes sense that no employer can hire a non-assertive and gloomy- looking person. I read somewhere in the Star 2003 an article,"Secretaries: the new management" and in this article it said that in today's century the question is no longer about who is the boss but who has what it takes to be a boss and that is a positive attitude.
I am now looking forward to my next interview and that is to leave a positive impression, well spoken words and effective non-verbal communication (that say I am enthusiastic). While at the same time I will remember to practice those tools of resilience when going to an interview or in a work situation.

I was further motivated by what Michele Buthelezi and the two past interns said as they also emphasised on those two pieces- resilience and a positive attitude.

Stepping into WOW training and internship

2006-02-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

I am very fortunate for being accepted to the WOW training and internship. As a postgraduate whose been job hunting, it is a relief to finally be in a programme that is so well- structured and caters for my needs.
The introduction kick started with a serious and welcoming tone. The meeting with Lesley shook me and made me aware of the reality of the program. Although I thought she might have been too serious when asking us for specific times to call us, I was nonetheless pleased with the level of professionalisms and the fact that we will be getting honest feedback.

As someone whose been trying to get into the job market, I cannot emphasise the importance of getting feedback from potential job providers. By discussing the job seeker’s strengths and weaknesses, will help in improving their job-hunting skills.

Having been through the introduction, I find myself anticipating with anxiety each day. I am conscious of the shift to a new schedule. Each day I get concerned about my potential host organisation, the nature of work I will be given and whether my performance will meet my employer’s expectations. I often wonder about whether the organisational culture will be stimulating enough for an intern. It is a known fact that organisations differ in terms of rules, procedures, objectives etc. As a potential intern, I would have to comply with those restricted regulations.
I have already come into terms with maintaining a good attitude, appearance, ethics and be complying with the internship expectations. While at the same time I am aiming to be responsible and committed to the training and internship experience.