Week 5 - Professional Societies and Professional Indemnity/Risk Management

Class Date: Thursday, 18th August, 2011

It was a very busy class today. Prof. Shortis gave the floor across to four groups of guest speakers. In the first hour representatives of three professional societies hopped up to sell their wares to us. First off was RICS. I was aware of them from an event at Melbourne University that I attended in my first year. I am also on their emailing list. I've even taken advantage of their international scope. I was curious about gaining work in Japan so I looked up their Japanese representative and sent him an email. I got a very informative reply. So the international reach of the group was already an attraction for me. Previously I thought that if I end up a cadastral surveyor then I will attempt to becomea member but I'm now unsure. I can see how it would suit the career aims of some people but would be unnecessary for others.
The SSSI was next. The role of the SSSI as a multi-discipline body was the great selling point for me. They pointed out that the boundaries between the different disciplines in the geospatial industries are disappearing. By having one group provide information and services for members of the broader geospatial community then there will be a cross pollination of ideas. The threat of becoming stagnant is decreased. I was impressed that SSSI allows membership to all people in the field, not just those with qualifications. In the past this allowed me to attend some events put on by the Young Professionals group while I was working and before I had decided to persue a career in surveying.
Mr. Scott Jukes was the representative for ISV. For me his major point was that the support and the options that these groups provide can assist you in developing your career. If you already have a notion of where you want to be in 5 or 10 years then you can be put in contact with people who can assist you in reaching that position. If you are unsure of your future then there is a possibility that a germ of an idea might nestle in the mind when attending an expo, chatting with a colleague at an industry event or while reading one of their publications.
All three groups have their own purposes and aim to act as advocates for their members. All have worthy roles in the geospatial community. I just wonder which ones I'll be a member of in 5 years’ time.
The second hour was filled by Ian Marler who is the director and chairman of Acsis. They provide insurance for surveying and spatial information industry. His talk looked at risk management and how it relates to professional indemnity. His talk was the rare trifecta of being interesting, informative and entertaining. I especially enjoyed his straightforwardness in regards to the errors we shall all make in the future and the consequences of not picking them up.  His speech really reaffirmed the need to check and recheck work. He also stated clearly there is an expectation to get everything 100% right 100% of the time. And even if something does go wrong and you have not got anything to do with it you might get sued anyway. What fine times we live in.  So it is best to keep this as unlikely as possible by managing your risk and having good in house quality management.

Week 4 - Quality Management

Class Date: Thursday, 11th August, 2011

This weeks class provided us with an introduction to quality management. This is an area that I use to have an aversion to due to being told that becoming a consultant/analyst was the most likely career for me when I was studying philosophy. The idea of constantly reviewing business structure and management was not at all appealing, and definitely not exciting. But now I am more orderly (perhaps just older) and I've also had the experience of working for an employer who placed great emphasis on quality management. I saw the results gained from a well considered and constantly evolving system. It was not based on a model like Sigma Six of TQM but rather one refined from experience. So I can now see the importance of quality management. Rarely do works of a consistent quality just appear due to just doing the work. But the system being instigated must be sincerely followed. Merely stating that you are certified in an attempt to garner trust and business defeats the whole purpose of quality management.

From the lecture I found the best advice on the first slide: say what you do; do what you say; prove it; improve it. To me the rest appears to be details. The case study we looked at showed just how many details can be included. And with a group like RMIT it seems that there is a constant requirement, as well as need, to constantly review different aspects of the institution. 

There is also the chance that some organisations might become too transfixed on quality management and the process ends up degrading instead of improving the business. Something similar to the bureaucratic dystopia of Terry Gilliam's Brazil.  And then there is the question of who reviews the reviewers?  On and on it goes. A rabbit hole that I hope I never have to venture too far down.

Week 3 - Employment Applications and Professional Interviews

Class Date: Thursday, 4th August, 2011

Today's class could be considered a guide on how to get that job. The first part of the class dealt with applications. What to include, what to exclude and how to judge whether your content is relevant. I found it to be a very useful topic and I now have a hand-out that I shall be referring to again and again in the future.In the past I've been so worried about producing a good application that I can't maintain a clear perspective on whether or not my application is appropriate. Thankfully I've always had good proof readers but now they shouldn't have to work so hard.

I also liked the advice on getting information about the perspective employer. It is something that I've known about but I've always been timid about. Prof. Shortis' instruction that it must be done under whatever guise possible encourages me to make the approach. 

The interviewing topic was also interesting. This is something that I've never felt overly awkward about. I just assume that everyone in the room is nervous. But the reinforcement of the notions of preparation were very good. I assisted my housemate by being a mock interviewer when he was applying for his first medical placement. He in turn did the same for me when I was applying for my cadetship. While these mock situations don't strip all the fears away they do give you a confident platform to start from.

Overall I believe the messages of this weeks lecture is that we should research, prepare and pay attention to all the details of each application we make. If our applications show that the correct consideration has been put into them we are likely to make the shortlist for the interviews. And if we have prepared ourselves to the best of our ability then whatever the outcome of the interview something will have been gained, if only for the next time.

Links

You're Hired!

An interesting piece from America on seeking work and staying sane during a recession. A lot of it is not directly related to this weeks class but it shows that often a mindset, an attitude and persistence offers a good start.

Applying for Jobs Guide from ANU

I found it a few years ago and it has since been the base upon which my applications are always built.

The Trainspotting Interview  (contains adult content)

Once seen it is never forgotten. Spud does his very best to not get a job, while tyring not to look like he is intentionally bombing it so that he keeps his dole payments.While this may not be the most proper content to go on a school blog I feel that its appropiateness to the topic grants it permission to be here.