Hudson's October Week 1 Reflection
Please share how you feel about the onboarding process. What are some resources that were helpful, and what’s something you’d like to see implemented in the future?
I had a smooth onboarding and training process for this week as I felt a lot of my given tasks involved an introductory-level self-learning process. I felt comfortable with navigating the use of Google Spreadsheets, ChatGPT, and monday.com when working on tasks such as listing contacts for the Gary List and finding new storage units to potentially reach out. Continuously, I felt I had a good amount of time to familiarize myself with techniques such as Google’s advanced search (which was helpful to cross reference for email addresses). YouTube was also a great resource when I needed an introduction to using certain functions in each of the previously-mentioned resources. A resource I’d like to use more often are coworkers that I’m working closely with (e.g. my lead Sarah) as their experiences with task completion could be valuable for me to reference.
Describe your main tasks this week. Who did you work with? How did you approach the task? What did you accomplish?
My two main tasks were scouting for storage units to list their contact information and filling as many contacts as possible on the Gary List. I worked with Erin Lalongisip (a Business Development Assistant Co-op student) to scout for potential storage units and list their location & contact information. I approached this by brainstorming and thinking of a process to establish when finding a storage unit (i.e.using Google Maps and copy & pasting their addresses into another tab to see how far it is from YRES). I also asked for several tips from Sarah, inciting me to use ChatGPT to look into specific storage unit companies. As a result, I was able to expand the list of contacts by 27 (50% more)! I adopted a similar approach when tasked with the Gary List, using Advanced Search to continuously cross-reference emails and look for a company’s Instagram by directly searching for it or seeing if their website had one attached (which allowed me to fill information for over 100 companies this week).
What is one big challenge you faced this week? Who did you turn to when you needed support? Describe what you learned and what you would do differently the next time.
One big challenge was finding Storage Unit & their contacts that weren’t already listed on the Donations Campaigns/Partnership Opportunities and Contact List spreadsheet. I was initially fixed on searching “Storage Units” on Google. which took a bulk amount of time to look through the tons of results and examine each company. Seeing how inefficient I was listing contacts, I turned to Sarah Yeung for tips on listing storage units. I got the advice on using ChatGPT to discover new storage units, which then I plug into Google Maps to get a large list of their locations, and to cross-reference for contact information. I realized that I adopted further experience with using correct prompts and how to use Advanced Search to cross-reference contact information, making me realize that I should try to consider/discover new software/tools more frequently when stuck on a task.
What are three main skills U+/YRES allowed you to leverage/develop this week? Reflect on how each skill brings value to your professional development and propels you forward in the industry.
Firstly, I gained data collection skills when compiling contacts for storage units & the Gary List. This skill further built my ability to cross reference, which I believe will be vital to get used to whenever I need to compile secondary data/information for future projects. My attention to detail was also highlighted, where I made sure the contact information I listed was most suitable to contact for outreach purposes (i.e. making sure I list a sponsorship’s email that’s meant for inquiries/partnerships in the Gary List) and that the storage units I listed had well-spaced capacities YRES could leverage. Being considerate of specific expectations/features the company would need (in this case it’s YRES) when completing something that’ll propel me to look deeper into compiling information. Finally, I leveraged adaptability as whenever one thing never worked out when cross-referencing for contacts (e.g. using Advanced Search on Google), I’d resort to using new tools such as Apollo.io. Having the ability to take on new approaches when completing tasks is key for me to being comfortable with trying new things!
What personal motto or guiding principle would you bring with you to your role next week, and how do you see it helping you contribute to our organization’s mission?
The motto I’ll be following is “Action is the antidote to despair”. I’ve realized that anytime when I’m having difficulty with tasks, I end up asking others for help or using outside resources to help guide me. This was proven successful when I asked for tips from Sarah for listing storage units, which made me expand the list drastically. Thus, I need to take action on finding tips to make me complete tasks more efficiently instead of idling with my own struggles! By following this practice, I believe it’ll contribute to the organization’s mission by having my tasks completed more efficiently, resulting in getting all of the organization’s necessary resources pooled and coordinated.