Career Connection

Career Connection

            The graphics communication industry has seen significant improvements recently due to technological inventions and innovations. The improvements, however, come along with competition that keeps on toes, those venturing in the industry as a business. The increased competition comes with the need for quality control so that a firm can maintain a strong position in the business. The graphics communication industry works in process stages that include the origin of an idea, reproduction of the idea, finishing, and distributing the idea in electrical transmissions. The quality of the processes involved should be kept in check to maintain the quality requirements. A product inspector has the responsibility of carrying out a visual inspection of the products obtained from a process to check for abnormities, cracks, or even connectivity mistakes. Product inspectors require excellent skills to help them in performing quality inspection services to avoid risks that come along with low-quality products.

Max Bridge is a product inspector at Graphico ENT. Graphico ENT is a graphics communications industry that deals in the production of video recordings and photo editing for medium-sized and large companies.  The services offered are not selective of the type of service that a company is willing to pass and covers all forms of graphic designs ranging from advertisement posters to advertisement video clips. The government even hires the services offered by Graphico ENT on frequent occasions due to the quality of the work submitted: “We are currently receiving orders from the government and we believe our success is built on the quality of our services”. The quality of products seems to attract new customers each day, and this can only be attributed to the high standards set on the quality levels that have to be achieved before a product is released to the client. The company works under the concept that clients’ satisfaction is the benchmark for a successful business. Product inspection plays a significant role in ensuring efficient logistics in the processes of production (Tao, 2016).  The position of Max Bridge as a product may appear to be an easy task that requires little attention. However, Max could be the busiest employee in the company. “Our company does business for 24 hours in a day. I have to be in office for six hours for updating records and at least ten hours in the inspection room for the inspection procedure…” Max. Max is only assisted by one assistant inspector, and the company recruits interns for the inspection process, which requires that an inspection manager has to be available for smooth flow of activities. What Max does is pretty straightforward according to him. First, Max has to oversee the inspection of every single product before he approves it for the next step of the final production. The approval involves acceptance and rejection of good and poor quality products respectively. Finally, Max prepares a report concerning the production process for the CEO daily.

Daily Tasks

The inspection process cannot be paused at any point. Every production stage is as important as the other, and the inspection stage approves or disapproves the success of the production process: “A company committed to provide high quality products cannot risk having gaps in the quality control depart, and you can ascertain that…” A successful inspection department is one that ensures continuity since a gap in the process can cost the company in terms of quality control (Khalid, 2016). Like any other employee, Max has daily tasks that have to be completed before leaving the office. The tasks assigned to Max are in line for the guidelines provided by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) concerning quality control. The inspection department is a critical department in quality control, and thus several quality control activities revolve around it. The position of Max requires flexibility since the tasks assigned always change from day to day depending on the season. For example, recession seasons mean that there are few activities in the inspection room and thus Max dedicates the inspection duties to his assistant. The dedication of duties gives Max some time to remain in the office to update documents carefully and lay down procedures for the peak season,which he says comes during the December holidays. The final daily task that does not change is the analysis of day’s work, where Max reviews the requirements set by ISO and comparing the levels achieved by the production process.

Skills Required

The quality control systems have to take into consideration the ever developing technology. The graphics industry depends explicitly on technology for its business. Information technology is critical in the smooth functioning of any firm (Bartel, 2017). Since information technology has been proved to behind the increase in productivity in the production processes, Graphico ENT employs individuals with excellent skills in information technology. For max, the first skills before employment were on computer operation. Almost everything in the company is computerized, and thus excellent computer operation skills are required. Also, the inspector should be conversant with the current trends in the industry to ensure that the standards maintained are at par with the ISO requirements. The basic skills are the individual’s relationship with the work they are doing, and every skill can constitute an entire career path if an individual is not interested in combining skills. There is always a direct relationship between an individual’s set of skills and what they love: “I am proud of everything I do here because it is simply what I love…” Max’s love for high-quality products has played a more significant role in creating a passion for learning relevant skills in the inspection field. In addition to technical skills, leadership skills are critical as there is a relationship between the performance of workers and the leadership employed on the theme.

As the scope of graphical communication is evolving, there is a need for those in the field to follow passion and determination in a bid to foster recommendable performance. It may be challenging to determine the education path that will lead someone into the position of their choice. The wisest choice to make is choosing a career path that is motivated by passion and then leaving fate to determine destiny. Max did not grow directly into quality control but had to go through different paths before settling for technology and then decided to perfect his skills in technology. The passion for high-quality goods was a driving factor in choosing the career path, and then fate brought him to the position of an inspector.