Background to Disaster Management and Charity Organizations - Essay Example

?Background to Desired Work Area (Disaster Management and Charity Organizations) I desire to be recruited into a disaster management or charity organization. Disaster management organizations are institutions that are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that disasters do not happen and in case they do, their impact on humanity does not become devastating. Disaster management is such an important component of national development that several nations have enacted laws that enforce and regulate the institutionalization of national disaster management policies. For instance “The Disaster Management Center has been established under the National Council for Disaster Management in accordance with the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act No. 13 of 2005 passed by the Parliament of Sri Lanka” (Ministry of Disaster Management, 2011). Most often than not, disaster management organizations are more focused on disaster prevention rather than reducing the harm when disasters strike. This is because as it is said, prevention is better than cure. Charity organizations work in much the same way as disaster management organizations and their duties are actually interrelated. This means that charity organizations need disaster management organizations and disaster management organizations need charity organizations in the jurisdictions of their responsibilities. It is worth noting that disaster management and charity organizations may be handled by non-governmental organization and in most cases, these organizations are non-profit making. Works therefore work as volunteers. On the there hand, there are some organizations that employee staff and pay them duly (Inland Revenue Department, 2011). Because of this, the staffs are always required to meet certain basic qualifications. The latter scenario is what applies in this personal development plan. Why I desire chosen recruiters There is a notion that people seek employment for financial gains. But seeking employment should not be all about financial gains. It is very important that a person has a lot of passion for the desired job he or she seeks. With such passion, one is able to develop a lot love and commitment towards work and by extension help in increasing productivity. The development of passion for a particular job offer does not also come unaided. With my personal experience, apart from the fact that my academic area of study relates to disaster management, I have a lot of passion for disaster management and charity organization because I regard the act of helping others as a social responsibility. I have a philosophy that we all are each person’s keep and so in my own little way, I have to take up a career or job that will in itself help me to offer help and assistance to other people. Even more, I am highly for the concept that prevention is better than cure. For this reason, I want to be part of a team that will be tasked with finding ways of helping in the reduction of disaster risks in society. Overall Tasks and Responsibilities The specific recruiters in question are Deloitte & Touche LLP's ("Deloitte & Touche's") Audit and Enterprise Risk Services. The specific position being offered is Senior Manager: Business Continuity Management & Disaster Recovery. The potential candidate is supposed to meet certain skills and knowledge requirements. These skills and knowledge requirements have been summed into the overall tasks and responsibilities of the potential candidate. Highlighted areas of tasks and responsibilities are given as Identification and evaluation of business and technology risks. This task requires the senior manager to have insightful knowledge and skill in the use and operation of modern technology and risk assessment techniques. Assisting with the selection and tailoring of approaches, methods and tools to support service offering or industry projects. This call for the skill and knowledge in visionary planning that will help in the institutionalization of methods and approaches that are directed towards the overall growth of the organization. Identification of opportunities to cross-sell other services. This means that the manager must be a team player, who will not be concerned with only the growth and development of his department but be in a position to work with people of all other departments of the company to achieve collective growth. Demonstration of general knowledge of market trends, competitor activities, Deloitte & Touche products and service lines. This task requires that as preferred candidate have a very good knowledge and background in economics as this skill is needed in basic marketing and understanding competitive advantages. Proactive leadership of industry driven activities. This presents a requirement for the candidate to have leadership skills that will lead to the application of the right leadership style as and when it becomes applicable. [adapted from Deloitte & Touche LLP's ("Deloitte & Touche's") Audit and Enterprise Risk Services, 2011] Present competency in relation to requirement Taking a personal assessment of myself in relation to skills and knowledge requirements above, I would say that I am highly on course with my present competency level. Presently, I am pursuing an academic course in disaster management. This means that I fall within the scope of the job being offered. What is more, I have been very consistent with my academic performance, recording improved grades from semester to semester. With specific area such as knowledge in information technology, I would classify my competency as very high. I also have some knowledge in leadership as I have taken a number of leadership seminars and courses. Above all, I am a person who relates easily with other colleagues wherever I find myself. This means that I am in a position to co-operating with other sectors of the company to achieve the collective goals of the organization. Areas for further development The above competences not withstanding, I would need a lot of further studies and development in economics and marketing. It can be seen that the responsibilities being required does not only have to do with the detection of disaster risks and the management of the risks thereof but also with a collective idea in how to market the organization to achieve growth and expansion. Since I do not have any background in economics or marketing as at now, I would need further development in this area. I would also need further development in business management as the preferred position is more of a managerial portfolio. Threats and opportunities My greatest threat for picking up this job would be the availability of times and funds to undertake the supplementary courses that will enhance my ability of winning the job placement. By extension, there is the threat of global competition as the job being offered has an international appeal, which means that a lot of applicants from all parts of the world are equally eligible to apply for the job. Because of such international competition, it is very important that I do not fall short in the slightest way in terms of the requirements needed. Meanwhile, I would need to complete my current academic before I can think of taking up any other additional courses. If not, there will be too much pressure on me as far as learning is concerned and this might affect my performance. With respect to opportunities, my present educational status is a major opportunity for me to take up the further development studies. It is common knowledge that further educational studies come with minimum requires of very good foundational studies. This is something that I have. Again, going to through a new system of further studies will not be difficult for me even if I have to pursue such courses outside my country because from my present course, I have learnt how to relate and interact with people of different cultural backgrounds. Assessment test in place by recruiters The recruiters have several phases of the selection exercise. The need for varying the phases of selection exercises is in place in order to ensure that the very best of candidates are shortlisted for the job. For this reason, each phase of the selection process try to reduce the number of applicants. Some of the tests used by the recruiters are non-structured, whereas some few others are structured. The non-structured test takes the form of vetting the documentation of applicants so that candidates with fake documentations and those candidates who do not meet most of the requirements are thrown off board. Structured test comes in after the first phase of selection. Surviving candidates go through interview, after which by virtue of performance, another group of applicants are rejected. The next test takes the form of written aptitude test. This test helps in further reducing the number. Finally, there is a field test whereby the final batch of candidates is made to under take practical field work. Out of this, the final candidates are selected. It is worth noting that the processes put in place by the organization to select candidates fall within the recruitment legislation that ensures fairness to all candidates (HR Advance, 2011). Potential post graduate course to enhance chances I aim for two major post graduate courses to enhance my chances of qualifying for the position I long dream for. These two major post graduate courses are economics and business management. I have selected these courses because I see them as the courses that present me with the brightest chance of qualifying for the position. Apart from the fact that they are major requirements for the vacancy, they will also enhance my scope of professional qualification. They will also make me a better manager when I finally settle in my desired job. The American Economics Association (2011) explains that “economics is the study of how people choose to use resources.” This means as someone who wants to master in disaster management, I must be in a position to use resources at my disposal effectively so that my economic expertise will lead to the identification and management of disaster. With studies in business management also, I will be in a position to be a very productive disaster management manager because “Business management is the process of the planning, co-ordination and control of a business” (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2011). This means that my knowledge in business management will lead to the overall growth and expansion of the company. Steps toward post graduate studies Two things cannot be denied about preparations towards post graduate studies. These two things are academic standings and finance. In a typical United Kingdom University, the following are entry requirements for admission for post graduate studies: i. Academic Qualification: a first or Bachelors degree of a good standard ii. Professional Experience: Post Grad (2011) posits that “in some fields, such as medicine, education, social work or business, you will normally be expected to have between two and five years of experience in your profession before entering a Masters programme” though this requirement is not constant with all other courses. iii. English Language Expertise: All post graduate courses in the UK are offered in English. This requires a very degree of English language competence. iv. Good Personal Statement: the Post Grad (2011) notes that for post graduate courses, “you are asked to make a personal statement about why you are applying for the course and why you feel you are a good applicant for the programme.” v. Good References: Applicants are expected to have two or three people to write in their favour, confirming that the applicants are of very good moral and ethical standing. vi. Good Research Proposal: In doctorate courses, applicants are required to present a formidable research proposal, of which they will later develop into a major research project work. Having considered the requirements above, my major steps towards post graduate studies includes i. Having a very good first degree class; specifically first class or second class upper. ii. Taking more English language courses to better my chances of admission entry. iii. Take my research work at the undergraduate level very serious so that writing a good research proposal for higher learning will not be a problem for me. iv. Living a very good moral and ethical life so that having people to authenticate my moral and ethical background as referees will not be a problem. Analysis of Regional, National, International issues linked to sector Disaster management is an issue that have global background. This means that there are regional, national and international policies that regulate the activities and operations of disaster management and charity organisations. One typical disaster management agencies in the United Kingdom is World Vision UK. World Vision UK works according to a strict policy, legislation and present events. World Vision UK works according to the principle of readiness always. One important issue and legislation surrounding World Vision UK is that the agency is not discriminatory with its disaster management aids and programs. For this reason, the agency has a civil-military engagement. In September 2007 for instance, “World Vision embarked on an initiative to assess the impact of changing trends in military and police engagement upon its operations, policy and strategy” World Vision UK (2011). This strategy adopted by the international agency, World Vision UK is in the right direction and in accordance with the principles of disaster management. Evidence of Developing a Professional Network Professional networking is an important part of tertiary education towards the development of a bright future career such as the one I seek currently. Professional networking comes in many different forms. Personally, I am involving myself in professional networking through the following procedure: 1. Cold Calling 101 2. Resume Business Card 3. Business cards 4. Attendance of formal networking events 5. The use of mentors 6. Professional social networking Through these professional networking procedures, I am always in touch with colleague students and professional who are in a position to link me to as many job openings as possible. Even more, I through the networking learn how to position myself better for my future jobs. Job Hunting Strategy In order to expand my scope of reach to job openings, I use the website. There is no denying the fact that the internet offers the world’s biggest reaching base. With the internet, I am not limited to jobs in my country alone. REFERENCE LIST American Economics Association, 2011, ‘What is Economics?’ Accessed November 5, 2011 Canadian Encyclopedia, 2011, ‘Business Management’ Historica-Dominion, Accessed November 4, 2011 Deloitte & Touche LLP's ("Deloitte & Touche's") Audit and Enterprise Risk Services, 2011, ‘Senior Manager: Business Continuity Management & Disaster Recovery’ Accessed November 4, 2011 HR Advance, 2011, ‘Recruitment: Summary for Employers’ Accessed Novemner 3, 2011 Inland Revenue Department, 2011, ‘Charitable Organizations’, Accessed November 3, 2011 Ministry of Disaster Management, 2011, ‘Disaster Management Centre’, Accessed November 5, 2011 Post Grad, 2011, ‘Entry requirements for postgraduate students’, Accessed November 3, 2011 World Vision UK, 2011, ‘Civil–military relations’, Accessed November 3, 2011 Read More