Vanya Wryter Consulting Services

Tag: job skills

  • Getting ChatGPT to Do My Job For a Day

    Getting ChatGPT to Do My Job For a Day

    With so much talk about ChatGPT replacing jobs (which is in fact a true concern). I wondered if ChatGPT could do my job for a day. (Mostly because it was the weekend and it’s more challenging to work on the weekend.) I asked it to do a couple of tasks. Here are some results.

    Task 1: Create a test that tests job skills

    I asked ChatGPT to create some questions to test a job candidate’s job skills. It generated an answer in a matter of seconds:

    Sure! Here are some sample questions you could use to test a job candidate’s proficiency at customer service:

    • How do you handle a customer who is upset or dissatisfied with the product or service they received?
    • Can you provide an example of a time when you went above and beyond to help a customer?
    • How would you deal with a customer who is speaking loudly or rudely to you?
    • Describe a time when you had to handle multiple customer requests simultaneously.
    • How do you stay calm and composed when dealing with difficult or angry customers?
    • What do you think are the most important qualities for someone in a customer service role?
    • How do you handle a situation where you are not able to provide a customer with the solution they were hoping for?
    • Have you ever dealt with a language barrier when speaking with a customer? How did you handle it?
    • How do you keep yourself organized when handling multiple customer requests or issues?
    • Can you provide an example of a time when you successfully turned a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one?

    Task 2: Create an answer key that can be reviewed using AI

    Perhaps I didn’t ask the right question. When I asked ChatGPT to create an answer key to a job skills test using AI, it came up with this response:

    To have AI check the answers to these questions in a standardized way, you can follow these steps:

    • Develop a set of criteria for evaluating each question. This could include factors such as the clarity and completeness of the answer, the use of relevant examples, and the candidate’s ability to communicate effectively.
    • Train a natural language processing (NLP) model on a large dataset of customer service responses to the questions you have developed. This will enable the model to recognize and understand common patterns and language used in customer service responses.
    • Use the trained NLP model to automatically evaluate the candidate’s responses to the questions. The model will analyze the text of each response and score it according to the pre-defined evaluation criteria.
    • Set a threshold for acceptable scores for each question. Responses that score below this threshold can be flagged for review by a human evaluator.
    • Review the results of the automated evaluation and make any necessary adjustments to the evaluation criteria or the threshold scores.

    Conclusion:

    When I asked ChatGPT to create a job skills assessment as well as a method to evaluate the assessment using AI, it replied with well-written responses. However, none of it was material I could use because the material was far too general. The issue was also my inability to word my task to get the answer I really wanted: to get ChatGPT to do my homework. What I learned was that it may take some skill to learn how to get ChatGPT to read my mind and do my creative thinking so I can take an afternoon off.

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  • ChatGPT and AI: A Threat to Jobs?

    ChatGPT and AI: A Threat to Jobs?

    The other day I had a most dreadful experience: the day after making a mistake at work, I was called into a meeting with the bosses. I thought I was in trouble. Instead, the opposite happened. They wanted me to try something that might help me to do my job better. 

    While feeling relieved that I wasn’t getting a notice to pack up my things, I was surprised at their request. They wanted me to try out ChatGPT because we also used our own AI and they were curious whether ChatGPT would help me do my job faster. So I tried it out, and here are my conclusions.

    Creativity Isn’t AI’s Strongest Skill

    Fortunately, my bosses couldn’t hear me working. I did as they requested and asked ChatGPT to do the task that one of my bosses had requested. I asked the AI to generate a workplace conversation. 

    The result was so generic and so far from creative that I thought it was funny. If my bosses could hear me, they would have thought I was watching entertaining cat videos on company time.

    I asked the AI to improve the conversation and gave it a more industry specific example. It effortlessly created yet another workplace conversation, but again, it sounded like the average of many conversations put together, and not a real conversation that an actual worker would have at work.

    I came to my first conclusion: creativity isn’t this AI’s strongest skill set. It had yet to create the level of writing that I do on the job.

    AI Cannot Replace Jobs that Require Special Skills

    After asking ChatGPT to complete a few more writing tasks, I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that my job is still secure. 

    One of my job tasks is to write skills assessment questions. These questions test a person’s soft skills and their suitability for jobs in specific industries. AI is not yet at the stage where it can write materials for industry-specific tests designed to test a specific soft skill. For example, it cannot design a series of skill testing questions about a customer opening an account at the bank.  

    AI such as ChatGPT can answer a question that you ask it and then refine its answer again and again, but it could not achieve the final goal on the first try. It needs lots of hints and refinements.  

    Key Takeaways

    AI can help with the initial research and generation of ideas. However, it still has a long way to go before it can think like a human. It cannot create test questions and answers unless they already exist in the public domain. 

    As such, those who have specialized skills, such as creating tests for industry-specific clients, won’t be replaced by test-generating AI anytime soon.

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  • 6 Tips to Developing an In-Demand Skill Set

    6 Tips to Developing an In-Demand Skill Set

    How economy-proof is your skill set? Companies are cutting salaries and jobs due to rising costs, but you still need a job to pay the bills. What you need to stay employed is an in-demand skill set.

    Workers with in-demand skill sets are snapped up by another company if they are laid off, or they pivot with ease into a new industry. These are the perks of an in-demand skill set: these skills ensure a stable income. To stay in demand, you’ll want to continuously improve on this skill set which includes the following expertise.

    Tip 1 Speaking Skills

    The ability to capture an audience and establish credibility depends on your speaking skills. Clarity and confidence are important on the job for people to understand you and believe what you say. To develop your speaking skills, work on the following:

    • Time and record yourself speaking about one topic for one to three minutes. Listen to the recording. Does your speech have a beginning, middle, and end? Do you speak smoothly, or fill your pauses with ums and uhs?
    • Watch videos about public speaking and try to implement a tip into your speaking practice. For example, focus on the volume and pitch of your voice one day, and focus on your vocabulary use for an impromptu speech on another day.
    • Create a list of job interview questions, write out your answers in point form, and then practice your answers until you’re confident you can ace your next job interview. 
    • Practice giving presentations at home to sound more confident when you present at work meetings.

    Tip 2 Writing Skills

    Writing skills are just as important as speaking skills. The difference is you have more time to think about what you want to say. As a result, there is more expectation that you’ll write with better grammar and organization. Spelling and punctuation mistakes suggest a lack of care and professionalism. To improve your writing skills, work on the following:

    • Copy a piece of writing that is in the style that you want to learn. By copying it as practice, your brain learns that writing style.
    • Practice writing each day, for a few minutes each day. Use editing apps to review and find suggestions for improving your writing.
    • Make a list of your common offenders, such as misspelled words or bad grammar, and check that your writing doesn’t have these mistakes. 
    • Outline your ideas to organize your thoughts before writing your email or report. 
    • Make a habit of completing writing tasks ahead of schedule so you have enough time to take a break. Then return to your task and re-read your writing with fresh eyes. You will have a better chance of catching your own mistakes.

    Tip 3 Tech Skills

    Tech skills are vital to survival in the modern world of work. Fortunately, it’s easy to find videos on YouTube, LinkedIn, and other applications and platforms to teach you the skills you need. If your co-worker or company IT department hasn’t answered your tech question, you can educate yourself on whatever technology you use. To improve your tech skills, try the following:

    • Download free versions of applications or software to learn how to use them if you’re looking for a job. After practicing how to use these applications, you can add them to your resume.
    • Create a portfolio of work using these applications or software. For example, if you’re looking for a graphic design job, create a brochure using Canva. Add these projects to your resume.
    • Challenge yourself to learn how to use technology on the job. Learn to host an online meeting for twenty participants. Learn how to present the statistics using Excel, even though you haven’t used Excel’s advanced functions before.
    • Volunteer to take on a project to practice using a type of technology. For example, take the lead on moving company tasks to a management tool such as Click Up.

    Tip 4 Leadership Skills

    Career advancement is difficult without leadership skills. Empathy and understanding the people you work with, and being clear and organized about when you want something done are both in-demand skills. Here are ways to improve your leadership skills:

    • Volunteer to take the lead for a project, even if it is a project for a team of one. Set your own project goals and deadlines. Set milestones for reporting updates to your supervisor and demonstrate that you can complete a project on time without supervision.
    • Step up to lead a team for a project for which you already have a lot of experience. If you already have the skills for a similar project, you already have the confidence. Now your next goal is to prove you can help your team complete that project together.
    • Take the initiative to anticipate what needs completion. Suggest ways to improve current policies. 

    Tip 5 Sales Skills

    Sales skills are crucial. You want to sell an interviewer on hiring you. You want to sell your boss on giving you a raise. Sales involve much more than money exchanged for a product or service. Here are ways to improve your sales skills:

    • Read books and watch videos about sales tips and techniques. Understand the psychology behind why some sales techniques are effective.
    • Practice mock job interviews if you are looking for a job. Focus on how you speak, your tone of voice, and enunciation. Do you sound confident? Does your body language suggest confidence?
    • Do your research. What does your audience want? If you want to ask for a raise, research what skills are valued in your industry. Look into your company’s goals for the coming year. Then show how your skills can help the company achieve its goals and why you deserve your value.

    Tip 6 Language Skills

    Language skills are highly valued, whether you’re monolingual or you’re a polyglot. Learning a language is a way to connect with and better understand other cultures. If you have a strong command of a language, you can be a professional writer, speaker, or translator. Here are ways to improve your language skills:

    • Practice a language with a coworker during lunch. Learn new words and learn about a culture at the same time.
    • Take classes or lessons online, with a class, or with a tutor, until you can work as a writer, editor, or translator.
    • Practice as a volunteer translator or volunteer at work until you have more experience for critical situations, such as translating to a client at your company.

    Key Takeaways

    Many skills are transferable from one career or industry to another. In times of economic hardship, these skills will continue to find you steady work. Strong speaking, writing, leadership, and tech skills are always in high demand. Can you think of any other transferrable, high-demand skills? Comment below!

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  • Improving Your Writing Skills for Work

    Improving Your Writing Skills for Work

    Writing is as important as speaking in the workplace. Whether you compose emails, write direct messages, draft reports, or compose speeches for presentations, clear writing can convey your ideas and avoid confusion. Many don’t find it easy to write well. School doesn’t prepare you to write clear and concise emails and messages for work. As a result, you may find yourself talking on the phone to clarify confusing messages to coworkers. To improve your writing skills for work, try the following tips.

    Read and collect writing samples

    Composing an email to ask for a favor or inform a team member they need to do a better job takes tact and a careful selection of words. If you’re wordy or too blunt when you write, start a collection of writing samples that you can refer to for specific writing situations.

    Read blogs and books that teach you how to write the type of writing you want to improve on. Keep samples of these types of writing on file so you can copy the structure and wording the next time you need to compose a similar piece of writing.

    Too busy to learn how to write better? Learn as you go. If you find a fantastic piece of writing in your email box, put a star on it to use as a template for a future email. These writing samples can come from sites you subscribe to, your coworkers’ emails, or your clients’ emails. Your examples can be as simple as some sentences or phrases that others use that you would like to include to improve your writing.

    Write regularly and get feedback

    Writing often and getting feedback sounds like school. Writing is the same as exercise – you need to do it often to improve your confidence and see improvement. 

    Ask to write the first draft of a report or important email. The first draft is the hardest. You need to organize your ideas and decide what to say. Then ask a coworker to review and provide constructive feedback before you ask your supervisor to do the final approval before sending the report or email to a client. 

    Asking for feedback is especially important for critical emails. Maybe your ideas aren’t coming across as clearly as you thought. Your coworker could suggest alternate wording, or suggest another idea you can include.

    To improve your writing speed, set a timer or time to complete your task. If you procrastinate or experience writer’s block when you have to write something that isn’t a routine work task, setting a completion time can reduce time spent procrastinating.

    Study grammar and use tools

    A solid understanding of good grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling is important for good writing. You can improve by studying grammar books and taking writing courses on writing style and word choice.

    If you don’t have time to study grammar (or consider studying grammar as boring), you have plenty of resources to help. Your word processing program has grammar and punctuation checker features, and a thesaurus to suggest writing tips to you. 

    Take note of the writing suggestions that your writing tools are suggesting to you. Make it a goal to avoid making the same spelling and grammar mistakes the next time you write.

    Key Takeaways

    Writing is a crucial skill that can impact job advancement, salary, and career choices. Even a simple direct message at work can convey an important message. To improve your writing skills, study and collect writing samples that you can use as templates. Ask for feedback from coworkers and use editing tools to check your writing. These small steps you can apply daily can improve the quality of your writing over time.

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  • Interesting Facts About Santa’s Job

    Interesting Facts About Santa’s Job

    Christmas Eve is an exciting time of year for those who celebrate Christmas. Children hope that Santa has decided they made it on the nice list, not the naughty list, and they will wake up to gifts under the tree and in their stockings. Parents have wrapped up gifts with the label “From Santa.” But that’s not all.

    Many people have been employed to dress up as Santa or Santa’s elves for parties, the shopping mall, or other events. Photographers are busy taking photos of Santa with children.

    And because this blog enjoys taking a deep dive into the details of different kinds of jobs, today, we will look at interesting facts about Santa’s job. (Note: we will not discuss whether Santa Claus is real – we know the truth.)

    Interesting Facts About Santa’s Job

    Santa Claus is said to live at the North Pole with his wife, where he spends the year making toys with the help of his elves.

    “Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second.” – Source

    “Considering that the surface of the Earth extends over 510,1 million square kilometers, Santa must travel at a speed of 16,451,612 kilometers per hour to cover every last corner of the world in the 31 hours at his disposal.” – Source

    “…there has been a 121% increase in requests this holiday season compared with last year but there are 15% fewer professional Santas available. ” – Source Comment regarding concerns for social distancing and COVID for older men who would be ideal to apply for the Santa role.

    “Anecdotal evidence suggests that the earnings of professional Santas vary considerably, depending on the type of employer and duration of the work. The most lucrative work reportedly comes from contracts with shopping malls and photography companies, from which a professional Santa can earn up to $20,000 in one holiday season.” – Source

    “Salaries depend on where and how long Santa grants holiday wishes, too. The most ‘lucrative’ Santa jobs come from working with malls and photography companies, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, where you can earn up to $20,000 in one holiday season.” – Source

    “…while legends claim that Saint Nick is almost 2,000 years old, most Santas (39.14%) are Baby Boomers, which LinkedIn identifies as those born between 1946 and 1964. About 27% of Santas are Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, followed by Gen Xers (about 19%), born between 1965 and 1980.” – Source

    “In the early 1890s, the Salvation Army needed money to pay for the free Christmas meals they provided to needy families. They began dressing up unemployed men in Santa Claus suits and sending them into the streets of New York to solicit donations. Those familiar Salvation Army Santas have been ringing bells on the street corners of American cities ever since.” – Source

    “How much does a Santa make? As of Dec 16, 2022, the average annual pay for a Santa in the United States is $61,639 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $29.63 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,185/week or $5,136/month. ” – Source

    How old is Santa? Many sources cite his age as 1752.

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