Current Web Presence Analysis Arizona State University Professor Rodrigo TWC301
Executive Summary
The purpose of my current web presence analysis is to overview the skills I have acquired over my academic career, both as a design student and Army ROTC cadet. This analysis provides an understanding of the careers I am interested in and dissects the strengths needed to succeed in these fields. My analysis provides a clear representation of the strengths and weaknesses I possess and how I may continue to develop them professionally in order to align my experience with the careers I have chosen to pursue.
Table of Contents:
Title page.1 Executive Summary2 Table of Contents.3 The Future Professional Me.4-6 The Current Me..6-8 Conclusion: Bridging the Gap.8-9 Appendices10
The Future Professional Me:
Upon graduating from Arizona State University with a BA in Design Management and a Commission from the United States Army, I hope to one day enter the field of design as a Brand Manager. I have always looked up to my parents who spent their lives serving in the United States Army, and their service has inspired me to do the same. My decision to become an Aviator is credited to my fathers distinguished career as an Army Aviator; following in his footsteps would keep a respected family tradition alive. As an ROTC scholarship cadet, I have a contracted obligation to repay the Army for the opportunity I have received to attend college. Although my contract states that I must serve for a minimum of eight years, I see myself serving a minimum of thirty years. The requirements necessary to be an Aviator include the ability to coordinate the employment of Aviation Soldiers and aircraft at all levels. After attending Basic Officer courses and Flight school I hope to begin my design career as an entry-level Design Manager. My creative tendencies have driven me towards a future in design. Design management requires exceptional leadership and communication skills that are present in every aspect of my military training. Since I plan to start a career in Aviation before transferring into Design Management, the first job advertisement I selected was a position as a UH-60 (Blackhawk) pilot with CSC, out of Daleville, Alabama. Basic qualifications for this position are; a bachelors degree, experience flying a UH-60M, project management skills, analytical and problem solving skills, a secret security clearance, ability to work independently and as part of a team, presentation skills, willingness to travel, and communication skills. Although I currently lack a few of these qualifications, I feel that my future training in aviation will ensure these qualifications are met. The first design related ad I came across was an entry-level design manager position for the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The position involves basic project management capabilities, were qualified candidates will be responsible for maintaining brand management and a consistent look across print campaigns. Requirements that the position lists include experience in Adobe suites, color management, experience in planning or scheduling in print-production, creative application of problem solving skills and most importantly a Bachelors degree. I can see myself looking into this position, because it offers experience I seek to obtain along my desired career path.
The last advertisement I read was an entry-level Coordinator position for Jack Morton worldwide in the greater Los Angeles area. Jack Morton Worldwide is a global brand experience agency. Their main mission is to create experience brands, which entails creating strong relationships between brands and the people who matter most to them. The requirements for this position include a college degree and strong project management skills. They specify that organization and communication skills along with the ability to develop others and work effectively in a team are crucial. The responsibilities stated for this position include coordination of effective communication between team members, participation in creative brainstorming, creative research, maintain lists of action items and additional administrative support as needed. This position would allow me to gain the experience as a manager and put the skills I already have to use in this field. The First LinkedIn profile I viewed was of Aviation Warrant Officer Nate Woelke. I chose this profile because Officer Woelke has completed the necessary training that I hope to have in the near future. Officer Woelkes LinkedIn profile shows that he is currently a Chief Warrant Officer in the US Army. His education states that he attended West Point Military Academy. His experience includes an array of military positions ranging from Platoon leader of the A 1-227 AVN to Company Commander of the A/1-2 AVN REGT, 2 CAB. Other experiences include education in the field of Biological Chemical Sciences and a position as a Chemistry teacher at CUHSD. Officer Woelke list specialties in logistics, operations, public education and rotary wing aviation. Although his profile has nothing to do with design, I hope to gain similar experience in aviation as I progress through the military. The second profile I came across belongs to Rajan Kalra, a Senior Brand Assistant for Disney. Mr. Kalras profile is strewn with experience ranging from an internship at State Farm Insurance in 2006 to his current position as Senior Brand Assistant for the Walt Disney Studios. His education includes a business and management degree from Pepperdine University along with a degree from Penn State. His summary states that he is a creative, enthusiastic marketing professional with proven ability to manage and coordinate large teams with 10+ years of exceptional written and verbal skills. His Specialties include event planning, marketing, development, programming, brand entertainment and promotion of new television and music products. Mr. Kalra has portrayed experience in a career that I hope to some day occupy. The last profile I viewed was Jon Iscas, an Assistant Brand Manager at
Newell Rubbermaid. Mr. Isca education shows that he attended the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. His past summary indicates that he was a Student Manager at Indiana University Auditorium, a Business Intelligence Intern at Vera Bradley and a Direct Mail Marketing Intern at direct Mail Marketing. Some of his more notable specialties include creativity, promotions, Photoshop, InDesign, competitive analysis and Brand management. As an Assistant Brand Manager for Newell Rubbermaid a few of his responsibilities include; trade show management, sponsorship management, market share and pricing analysis, production of new items for the Dollar store and retail account management. Although the first profile I analyzed had plenty of experience I prefer Mr. Incas profile, because it states all the responsibilities he held in each of his positions. This quality really helps characterize the different specialties Mr. Inca has developed along his career path. When searching for profiles on LinkedIn, I tried to focus on specific professions that relate to the job ads I came across. I was able to find profiles that perfectly exemplified the positions I hope to one-day hold. It is obvious that Officer Woelkes profile has no relation to Mr. Karla and Mr. Incas profiles, but I was able to find several soft skill similarities among these three professionals that I could use to gauge similar professionals with. The skills that seemed to correlate include the ability to develop others in a team setting, problem-solving skills, strong communication skills, creativeness and the ability to handle multiple tasks. I find these soft skills effectively identify the qualities professionals need to succeed in the fields I chose to research.
The Current Me
Currently my online identity is limited to Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. I have been tracking my online profiles through search engines like Yahoo and Google to ensure that my privacy is kept and my identity is secure. I feel that my online identity will mature as I gain experience in my chosen fields of Design and Aviation. The Army is adamant about making accommodations public since they can be used to show hard work and character exemplified in the military. On the other hand, my design identity has yet to make a mainstream appearance. I hope that my future experience will aid in promoting a professional identity that is well rounded. Currently, I have a design identity that is germinating and waiting to sprout as soon as I land my
first professional position. Tracking and monitoring my online identity is an ongoing process that I hope will insure my desired career paths. The online profiles that I currently have registered include a Facebook account, which I use to keep in touch with friends, family and peers. I currently have three groups that I maintain close contact with. Those groups include my family page, my platoon page from camp and a facilities management group that is shared with my class team. My profile indicates my field of study and the images I chose to incorporate relate to all of my accomplishments and interests. MySpace was definitely a precursor to Facebook, and I chose to keep my account because it allows me to keep track of my favorite bands and new artists in the generas I enjoy. It was a starting tool that taught me how powerful social networks can be, and the importance of maintaining my privacy. Although my LinkedIn profile is fairly new, I hope to use this service to track my experience and network with professionals around the world. Being that LinkedIn is an online resume of sorts, I will treat it as such by monitoring my connections and keeping an honest track of my accommodations and experience. So far, my LinkedIn profile illustrates my education in Design Management at Arizona State, as well as all the experience both of my disciplines have provided. After searching endlessly for myself on Google and Yahoo I was unable to locate myself, it seems that I am not as popular as I originally thought. My digital identity with regards to my registered profiles mentioned above, adequately portrays that I am a student at Arizona State studying Design Management as well as a cadet on the verge of commissioning as an Army Aviator. I feel that my identities portray a student capable of leading others in both of the fields I am interested in. I can attribute my leadership skills to my major in Design Management and minor in Leadership. I have exemplified my leadership skills by graduating from Warrior Forge Leadership Assessment Camp as well as the numerous positions that I have held as a cadet in my Battalion. The skills I portray in my digital identities seem to be in alignment with the skills I need to further my career goals. Below is a list of the skills and how they relate to the professions I anticipate holding. Problem Solving: Although this skill is hard to observe in my online
identities, I feel that my accomplishments have proven that I can be an effective problem solver. My identities show that I can incorporate the education I have received into a not so common career path. This skill will affectively translate into both of the professions I have discussed. Ability to develop others: This skill is important for a team leader, because it shows a sense of selflessness and commitment required to be an effective manager. I feel that my experience in ROTC and group work in class reveals my ability to develop others who wish to succeed. My digital identities currently represent this skill indirectly, but with future experience, I feel that it will slowly start to pronounce itself more clearly. Creativeness: My decision to be a Design Manager and Army Aviator are key indicators of my creative skills. I say that because not many Officers decide to study design. Although my digital identity is limited, it is still an effective indicator of my creative ability to merge these two fields. Ability to multi-task: The experiences displayed on my digital identities show that I am able to multi-task effectively. My experience shows that I can undertake two disciplines that most people would not relate. I feel that I can better portray my multi-tasking abilities as I continue to add experience to my online identity. Communication: Communication skills are crucial for both my Military and Design careers. My experience alone shows that I can effectively communicate in both verbal and written form. Both my major and minor are clear indicators that over my academic career I have developed the ability to communicate in a classroom and field scenario. The communication skills that I have gained will continue to develop and improve over time, and I know that with the experience gained in the military alone will aid in this progression.
Conclusion: Bridging the Gap
The strengths that my online identities portray indicate a foundation in leadership and problem solving. I find these strengths to be the key to my future success, and I hope to fine-tune each one through my careers. My ability to lead others comes from my education in design Management and Military Science. Both studies established an understanding in leadership and management, that I feel will be the 8
key to future success. My ability to problem solve comes from the resilience and dedication I have portrayed in my academics and military training. These strengths will continue to be tested along my career, and I hope my future experiences will only make these skills stronger. The weaknesses that I can observe in my digital identities are flexibility and lack of experience. Since I would like to eventually hold positions as an Aviator and Design Manager, I feel that there will be times were my commitments are going overlap. Ideally I would like to keep these careers separate, and have the ability to incorporate my strengths in each profession. The second weakness deals with my lack of experience, which is normal for a student. I have spent the past four years gaining knowledge that will transfer into the fields that I have chosen. And I expect to build the experience needed to fulfill the responsibilities of both an Aviator and Design Manager by mirroring individuals who have succeeded in these careers.
Appendices
Appendix A: Online Identity Profiles Facebook: [Link] MySpace: [Link] LinkedIn: [Link]
Appendix B: Job advertisements [Link] viewJob=&jobId=2285160&srchIndex=0&trk=njsrch_hits&goback= %2Efjs_army+pilot_*1_*1_I_us_*1_*1_1_R_true_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_ *2_*2_*2 [Link] 59395/ [Link] viewJob=&jobId=2273699&srchIndex=0&trk=njsrch_hits&goback= %2Efjs_brand+management_*2_*1_I_us_*2_*1_1_R_true_*2_*2_* 2_*2_*2_*2_*2_2
Appendix C: LinkedIn Profiles [Link] [Link] [Link]
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