Category: Work Diaries

We made it. Time for everyone’s favourite! 

Think about ONE co-worker who really excels at this job, goes above and beyond our expectations, or brings a unique skill set or worldview to this position. Shine a light on those little things that might not always be noticed, but that definitely make The Commons a better place. Spread the love!

The deadline for points is Tuesday, November 28, at 10AM.

This ol’ chestnut.Time to share your knowledge! What’s a technical trick you’ve used this semester to get a client out of a bind?

The deadline for points is Tuesday, October 17, at 10:00AM.

I was recently asked by a client to convert his .pdf file into .pdf/A. All you got to do is open the file and click on save as other -> archivable pdf/a. I had never heard of it before but in fact it is just an ISO-standardized version of the file that follows certain rules to guarantee an appropriate long-term archiving. There’s more details on it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF/A

In three words, how would your coworkers describe you? How does this differ from how clients would describe you? How your friends would describe you?

The deadline for points is Tuesday, October 24, at 10:00AM.

Coworkers: agreeable, youthful, friendly
Clients: Patient, helpful, polite
Friends: Empathetic, stoic, hesitant

What is a personality type that you are most likely to conflict with at work? (This may refer to a co-worker or a supervisor). What difficulties do you encounter when working with this personality type? How do you keep yourself motivated when you encounter this personality type and ensure that everything runs smoothly in the workplace? 

The deadline for points is Tuesday, October 10, at 10AM.

I took Bheem’s advice and did the Myers-Briggs free personality test at 16personalities.To be honest, I found the test freakishly accurate. I know this might sound childish or even naive but I genuinely feel like I have improved my self-knowledge after taking the test. Anyways, I’m what they consider as a INFP – Mediator. In a general sense, I’ll always do my best to maintain a good harmony at the workplace and avoid as best as I can any kind of conflicts. That being said, I would say that the personality types I’m most likely to clash with are those with an opposite idea of what a workplace should be.

To be more specific, I’d say people who enforce a highly active, competitive and somewhat judgmental workplace would probably find an opposing philosophy on my side. As to keeping myself motivated, I really consider the connections and friendships at work as the true propellers of a productive state of mind. I would most likely try to reach a middle ground when dealing with those personalities, in a way where I would hold on to the primary traits that defines me. Then again, even though it’s not always easy to deal with clashing opposites, humans are definitely more than labels and personal traits. There is a lot that can be achieved and improved by healthy discussions. From my own experience, whenever I had this problem in a previous job, I would just act professionally and try to resolve the matter being discussed instead of our personal differences.

We are always preaching the importance of “owning the problem”, and during training I always say that this job is less about knowing the answers, and more about effectively finding the answers. Describe a time when you really took ownership of something for a client. How did your thoroughness help prevent further work for them?

The deadline for points is Tuesday, November 7, at 10AM.

Last Tuesday I had a client who wished to test out whether he had properly uploaded a few tracks from a CD to his usb stick. Well, he didn’t. Since he had just dragged and dropped, the files we’re still in the .cda extension (simple shortcuts to the actual tracks instead of actual audio files). I explained him what the problem was and guided him through the ripping process available on windows media player to converting the files into .mp3 extension. The client was very pleased with the outcome. After that I thought to myself how complicated and long that process used to be, not to mention its legal implications. I used to get the shivers every time I had to use Nero, Alcohol 120% or DVD Shrink to make a few illegal copies back in the day hahah

Imagine a new employee starts working at The Commons, and you are chatting with them about some of the challenges of this job. What client behaviour or attitude do you find most challenging to deal with? What’s one tip or trick you would share with them about dealing with difficult/challenging clients?

The deadline for points is Tuesday, November 14, at 10AM.

I find it most challenging when clients have long and time consuming questions that might take you away from the desk and affect the assistance to other clients, especially during solo shifts. In those situations, it can be very tricky to either tell them to wait or suggest a tutoring session, especially when the majority of clients like that are running late on their assignments. Also, it can be very hard to focus on helping them properly when other clients might be looking for you. My advice is to calmly explain them the situation and suggest that they think ahead of time and book tutoring sessions in advance.