Working in the tech world is a valuable opportunity that many people should consider having. It can open many doors for progressing in your career in one of the most flourishing fields that we have in the present, and that continues to grow exponentially towards the future. Thanks to the fast-growth that startups experience there are always new things to learn that challenge you to adapt to different situations, and develop new skills. You can also get the chance to explore a universe of knowledge and tools for improving your work, contributing to the success of internal processes in the companies and to the quality of products and services that final costumers receive.
This week in Praxis, we are working on defining the roles that we want to take once we start our apprenticeship at one of the Praxis business partners. After doing some research and analyzing very well the positions in sales, marketing, operations, and technical, I chose the area of operations; because this is the one that matches the most with the experience that I have. I am also passionate about knowing how the internal processes of startups work. In Praxis we started to brainstorm and evaluate some possible projects we are going to start creating for our portfolio, for gaining skills and start building real value that we can showcase to our future employers.
Some skills and traits I want to prove that I have through my portfolio project are:
Organizational skills: This is one of the top competencies that employees need to have in operational roles. I want to prove that I am excellent at organizing all the things that are required for succeeding at different tasks. From scheduling meetings and duties for different people in a group, planning company events making sure that everything needed is available on time, managing different MCR software, and managing email automation software.
Quick learning and adaptability: One of my goals for my first portfolio project, is to show that I can learn how to use different tools for completing tasks in a fast and effective way. Learning to manage marketing automation software is going to be a challenge for me, as I am not familiar to them yet; but being able to prove that I can adapt quickly and get used to those tools mastering them with professionalism is something I am looking forward to doing.
Communication: Proving that I can communicate efficaciously for showing results and improvement in a project is something that I would like to do. I plan to do this either by documenting my work through blog posts or through videos that evidence my value creation.
Discipline: Having the discipline for learning to manage new tools, getting work done for my project portfolio and documenting it on time every week during the next module in Praxis is a trait that I want to prove that I have. Having control over my work is a fundamental characteristic I identify myself with and being able to reflect it through my projects is going to give me some advantage during my job hunt.
Reliability: It is crucial that all the people I work with trust in me and my work, knowing that I manage high responsibility standards and that they can count on me for getting the job done. Whether the task is small or complex, I want to prove that I am always willing to put myself in charge of situations for solving them in the best way possible.
Five initial project ideas that I have for developing through my portfolio are:
Sign up for demos/free versions of every major CRM/project management software, create video/content showing how to simplify email, file sharing, bookkeeping, payroll, tasks, crm, etc.
Write documentation for my storybook brand and showcase how specific processes have improved thanks to the successful use of certain CRM/ project management software(s).
Model the same project in three different project management platforms and compare/contrast the benefits of each.
Find new software tools like email tracking add-ons, TextExpander, etc, and show how they can be implemented to benefit a business.
Write documentation for a business or organization I work with. Frame it as a value add: “Before I got here, everything was just institutional knowledge, making it very hard for new hires to learn on their own. Now we have documentation of processes, so a new person can come in and train themselves".
As I advance in the Praxis program, every module becomes more challenging than the previous one; but it also opens more opportunities for me to learn and discover my abilities and passions in business. The fun part just began, and it is time to work hard to gain the skills that will help me to achieve my goals. Creating this first portfolio project is just the beginning of many others that will help me to sharpen my content creation skills. I am so excited about seeing what I am capable of doing during the upcoming weeks!