Elizabeth’s First Week at ADB

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have shadowed Mr. Sharma’s assistant, Kayla. I continued doing this and I help her out with little things, like continuing to work on those forms I mentioned earlier that I put into the new format. I have learned a lot about the application process and then what Kayla and Mr. Sharma do in relation to the applicants that they’re interested in. I’ve also learned about the different parts of the company and what they do and need in their workers through shadowing Kayla. More generally, I’ve witnessed just how monotonous reviewing applications can be and what the more appealing applicants look like. I wouldn’t trust myself to pick someone out, but I am getting more used to recognizing what Kayla looks at and for.
I also sat in on an orientation today for a new worker. He went through and signed a bunch of paperwork in relation to financial stuff and contracts with the company. After that, another one of the women came in and introduced ADB “culture.” This included a lot of talk about safety, which they take very seriously, and also about communication and their intent to do all of their work “all in.” They took that from a speaker who inspired the Giants late in their season in 2011 so tremendously that it eventually led them to win the Super Bowl. It basically talks about commitment to the team or whatever it is that you’re a part of. ADB has taken that too and it was super neat to hear about in the orientation.
I’m getting to know the people in the office more and more and everyone is super interesting and nice. It’s strange to think that I only have one more week after this. The days have gone by so quickly.
Tomorrow, I will do a little more work with Kayla and then I’ll sit in on an interview with a potential new hire. I’ll also go to a weekly collaborating meeting with Kayla and some other people. Then, there’s a presentation/lesson about workplace violence. I’m not sure what that means but I’ll learn tomorrow. I’ll be done for the day after that.

Elizabeth’s Second Day at ADB

My first day was short, just three hours, due to Mr. Sharma’s morning schedule. I got a quick tour of the building and was introduced to everyone there. We went to lunch (which was awesome) and after we came back, I shadowed his assistant, Kayla. She spent a fair amount of time checking emails from people who send in their resumes instead of filling out the application form, which is apparently a fairly common occurrence because of the way that their job ads are set up. Doing this with her taught me a lot more about what the company does and also how they cull out potential new hires from large amounts of applicants. Kayla also showed me her calendar, which she keeps for Ray and her since they work so closely and a lot of what they need to do overlaps with and affects the other. She showed me her various spreadsheets where she keeps the most pertinent information on the applicants and explained her organization process for emails, applications, and resumes. She has quite a complex but very effective and efficient system.
The second day I started out shadowing Kayla. In the afternoon, she showed me a collection of their old job description forms and then one of the job descriptions in their new format. Then one of the other members of the company set up a desk with two desktops for me and I copied the information from the old forms onto the new forms and put it into the correct format. I got back together with Kayla after this and we went through them, correcting a few things.
All together, everything has been awesome. Everyone is super friendly, but not overly so and you can still tell that it’s a professional and respectful environment. Also, they’ve been super helpful and real, which is wonderful. And there’s coffee which makes everything even better.

Summary Senior Project

I will be working with five different people and organizations. The first two weeks I’m spending with Mr. Sharma at ADB. The next two weeks, Melissa and I’ll be working with Mrs. Hardcastle making soaps and learning about running a business. The fifth week, I’ll work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with my church’s preschool and Tuesday and Thursday shadowing various people at Monsanto. The last two weeks, I will spend working with Coach Frye (basketball) at his company, Initial Independence.