Competencies
Project and Task Management
This competency was put to the test during my most recent work experience, as I had to prepare weekly activities for the little boy I was Au Pairing. I had to make sure each activity I planned for him was safe, fun, and different each week. I also had to come up with activities that challenged him, for example, taking him to the pool to work on his strokes or helping him with schoolwork. At the beginning of each week I would have these activities in mind and implement them. I would also have back up plans in case the weather changed on us, or a car was not available for us to use. In addition, I had to be on call in case his mother needed to look after her own mother who was suffering from cancer. At first I was very uncomfortable with planning a week of activities all by myself for this little boy; however, as the weeks went by, I became more comfortable with trying new things and exploring new opportunities.
On another note, I was very privileged to work as a soccer coach in my hometown for a man who taught me soccer when I was little. During this work experience, project and task management was vital as I was responsible for ten children as opposed to one like I had during my time as an Au Pair. I not only had to create soccer drills for these children, however, I had to continuously keep them moving, entertained, and interested in the drills I was implementing. Furthermore, directing these soccer camps, I needed to make sure that each child was being carefully watched and the environment they were in was safe.
Teamwork and Communication
With any new work experience, it is extremely important to adopt skills that help you work with team members. As an Au Pair, I was not only working with the members of the family, I was also living with them, which took teamwork to a whole new level for me. Every single day, we were all working together to make the day run smoothly in terms of who was using the car at what time, who was going where, and who was making what for dinner. Without a doubt, teamwork and communication go hand in hand- every good team has good communication. These are the types of things that I would run through with the family members at the beginning of the week to make sure that we had a general idea of what the week would look like. If there were any changes to the schedule we would let each other know. Furthermore, I adopted a good habit of consistently letting the little boy's parent know where I was with him at all times and what time we expected to arrive home. Also, I made sure that the boy's grandmother could reach me if she had any problems and could not reach her daughter.
Furthermore, during my time as a soccer coach, teamwork and communication was one of the biggest things that we focused on as there was a high number of children participating in these camps and a handful amount of coaches. Each coach needed to be aware of where their children were at all times and let other coaches or employees know where they were or what they were doing. As you can see, these work experiences define multitasking extremely well!
Personal Management
I think personal management is one of the most important competencies any person should learn to master. As people get extremely involved in their work, they often forget to take care of their health or recognize what they really need, whether that is more sleep, better nutrition, or more exercise. It is extremely important to check up on yourself while involved in any work experience. During my first couple months as an Au Pair, I got extremely carried away with building my relationship with the little boy and making sure that I was fitting in with the family to the point that I would over exhaust myself- this lead to poor nutrition and not enough exercise. However, as I finally started establishing a regular and familiar routine with the family, I was then able to concentrate on my own needs and adapt to their schedule by fitting in some of my previous workout routines that I would complete while I was in school and living on my own. It's very easy to let time pass by and develop bad habits without even noticing as you partake in a new work experience- your physical health and mental outlook should always be monitored and taken care of.