Week 1: May 4, 2020 – May 8, 2020
Hello dear friends, it has been a long time since I last updated my blog but I’m back with exciting news to share! Previously, I was an operations apprentice at Zcash Foundation but was let go in November 2019. Now, I’m an operations apprentice again at another non-profit, details of which I will keep under wraps for the time being.
During the months while I was in between projects, I reentered the placement module of the Praxis bootcamp which is the job hunting phase of the program. If I’m being honest, I felt despair at having to return to placement because it felt like the rug was pulled out from under me right when I was settling into my apprenticeship.
But the support of my program advisor got me through one of the toughest days in my career and for that I’m grateful for her because she anticipated my needs without me having to tell her the whirlwind of emotions I felt at the time. My advisor knew I would need time to decompress, so to speak, after receiving the termination letter from my boss. This is one of many instances of why I love the Praxis program so much! Their team truly has their students’ backs!
In December 2019, I received a message from a Facebook friend of mine who asked me if I was interested in working for a notable and well-respected non-profit. My friend was looking for a candidate who embodied their principles and was willing and able to learn the business side of running a non-profit. I accepted my friend’s offer and after months of delay due to the coronavirus, and coordinating interviews and travel, I’m finally in my apprenticeship with a wonderful boss and a work-from-home position. As I’ve said earlier, I’m keeping the details of my employer a secret at the request of my friend who is now my boss.
Now that I’m restarting my apprenticeship, I’ll post weekly updates again about my progress and the projects I’m working on.
What I’m Learning:
One cool thing I learned at work this week:
Don’t be afraid to take the initiative and push things along when communication with your employer has slowed down considerably or stopped.
Pro-tip: sending a one sentence email with a simple and direct question, or action item works wonders.
Doing so will demonstrate proof to your employer that you’ve taken the initiative; this was especially important for this non-profit because one of their principles is personal responsibility and individualism. Speaking of individualism, my boss let me choose my start date which is almost unheard of.
Since this was my first week, it also meant I needed to be onboarded with the necessary employment paperwork sent to me so I emailed my boss about setting up a time to talk and reminded him what I needed from him. This is an important lesson in managing up your boss, especially if you’re an executive assistant.
One random fact I learned outside of work this week:
Retail stores will go out of their way to please their customers and many will offer price match. I recently ordered office clothes from JCPenney with a coupon but a day later the same items went down in price again. So I called them about their price match policy and they agreed to refund me the newly discounted amount. It never hurts to ask.
Also, now is a great time to go retail shopping because of this coronavirus pandemic. The lack of sales has retailers slashing prices by as much as 50% or higher and oftentimes the online prices are cheaper too. That’s more than Black Friday discounts!
What I’m Creating:
One example of how I created value at work last week:
For my first project, my boss needed to figure out which webinar platform would be ideal for our needs since he was planning a live seminar and is expecting 1,000 attendees or less. His other concern regarding this project was how to capture new email subscribers for their email list. Increasing the email list means a higher likelihood of someone donating money.
Here is my solution:
- Create a spreadsheet comparing the different webinar platforms. You can view it here.
- I suggested to choose either WebinarJam or Vimeo Premium to be our ideal streaming platform because of their affordable options.
- Have our social media marketer post in relevant LinkedIn Groups and post in the usual social media channels.
- Create a lead magnet to incentivize people to register. Offer a free ebook after an attendee registers for the event.
What project I’m currently working on at my BP:
I will collaborate with a scholar who also works for the non-profit and figure out how to educate entrepreneurs about economics. I’ve also been tasked by the vice president of the organization to pick up a large collection of books and transport it to the organization later this year.
What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall:
I’m constantly brainstorming projects that could help the non-profit and writing it down in my notebook. I plan on creating a clear proposal of what I’ll do and present it to my boss.
Weekly Monday Workshop:
What Praxis Monday session did you attend last week (ie. what was the topic & who was the guest)?
I attended “How the Recruitment and Hiring Process Works w/ Jackie Nevins.”
What was your favorite highlight from the session?
My favorite highlight was knowing that Jackie launched her HR manager career without a related degree.
What was your biggest takeaway from that session?
I learned that the majority of hiring managers actually expect and encourage candidates to negotiate for higher pay. If a candidate negotiates pay during an interview it will determine if they get a raise later on.
How do you intend to apply that takeaway to your life?
I will be more confident in future interviews and negotiate higher pay and back up my decision with figures from Glassdoor or Indeed.