The Mighty Mandelin

I am back on that road again. I have been busy looking for the ideal position, one that will afford me some leeway time but allow me to use my skills right out of the gate. Ha! Well I have found what seems to be a few promising leads.

The first is a position I found while researching schooling for my husband. I was poking around the Green River Community College website. After gleaning the information for my husband I decided I would look to see if they were hiring. Wouldn't you know it but they are. (obvious since I am writing about it) So the position is for an Information Technology Specialist. The position requires all the stuff I know about. While it is not a management position it is not the bottom rung. The deadline for this position is July 9th and I have been working hard to write the little essays and gather the information they are requesting. I hope to have it in the mailbox tonight. Then on Friday I will casually stop by to ensure that they received the packet and then wander about for a while and hopefully bump into the Director of Information Technology. I just wish I knew for sure who that was??

I went to a job fair last week in Lynnwood. My advice, don't go to the job fair in Lynnwood. It was so sparse and most of the people are just there to advertise their company. I wonder if that is really an effective way to advertise. Anyway, I took a whole day off from work and it was wasted. Except I learned of a job that a friend from an old job would be good at, at least I was able to parlay that day into something positive.

One of the little essays that I had to write was about diversity. I thought I would share it:

We strive to employ individuals who possess the skills necessary to effectively interact with a diverse population of students and staff at Green River Community College. Our effort is to create a climate that recognizes, respects, and celebrates differences. Please respond to this statement by:
a. Describing what diversity means to you
b. Describing your experiences with diverse populations
c. Demonstrating how you apply these to the learning/working environment

Diversity, to me, means uniqueness. There is no one person who is the same as another. Diversity also means, to me, variety. Variety of backgrounds, education, lifestyle, experience and skills. As the old cliché goes: Variety is the spice of life.

I grew up in a small university town. This university recruited students and staff not only from across the country but from around the world. I met people from every continent on Earth. I learned about life in Nigeria, Peru, Australia and two dozen plus other countries. I learned what life was like on a farm and the inner-city in the USA. One of the best parts of growing up in a small university town was realizing that there was so much knowledge and talent concentrated in such a small place. Also the food was great.

I know from my experiences that everyone is unique and has strengths that can be invaluable in the work place. I learned from my management classes that a diverse work place is more productive, has less turnover and happier employees. I love to learn about people and their lives, and I like to incorporate that information into my interactions. I have found that talent and ingenuity knows no bounds.

If you think I am way off base let me know if you think I am right on let me know.