Advice for Future Students

The first thing I would like to say to someone who has just started in English 304 is DON'T PANIC! When we discussed the client project, Web Site proposal and creation, and online portfolios on the first day, I was ready to drop the class. I couldn't, however, because I had to have this class to graduate. You are not expected to know how to complete all of these things on your own. You learn throughout the class with help from your professor and your peers. As you get started on your proposals and begin your first portfolio, you will come to realize that it is not as difficult as you may think. Angie takes you step-by-step through the whole portfolio creation process so some valuable advice is to be sure that you are in class on those days. Also, when creating your resume, memos, and application letters, use the book and the Web sites that Angie provides as references. They really do help to give you a backbone. Another thing that I advise you to do is to prepare for you interview, but do not be nervous. I let my nerves get a hold of me all day before my interview, and it turned out to be very relaxed. To prepare for your interview, think of past experiences that may compliment your major and the items listed on your resume. Other than that, I would say to stay involved. The more you care about your client project, the easier it is for you to complete it in the end. Good Luck!

It's already December?

I feel that the most appropriate thing for me to write about this week is how I am feeling at this moment. I am stressed out! I am now coming to the realization that I do not have a single moment to rest until December 12th at 11am. This week I have three tests (none of which are finals) and then I have five final exams starting on Saturday. I am sorry that I could not come up with something creative to let you read about this week, but as you can see, my mind is in another place. I have two tests tomorrow and so I will be getting started with studying...right now, actually! I hope everyone's final exams are successful and holidays are full of joy!

Article Reflection: "Employers Study Applicants Personalities"

I thought that the article was right on the money. When it says, "You can teach someone a technical skill, but you cannot teach them how to be a decent human being," they were correct. Some of the hiring techniques were very interesting. For instance, Microsoft holds their interviewees for 9 to 10 hours. That is insane. I understand their point. They don't think that people can BS a fake personality for 10 hours, but that seems a little bit over the top. I liked the way that Kaboom weeds applicants out. Their waiting room is like a playground, because what they do is build playgrounds. If someone just stands in the waiting room clinching their breifcase and doesn't sit on the playground equipment, they feel that the environment is not a good fit for that applicant.

Dual-Coding Theory

One commercial that stands out in my mind, as far as using dual-coding theory, is the K9 Advantex commercial. There is a dog singing a song about his camping experience without fleas because of the flea medication. While he is singing, the commercial shows him playing and having a good time. The actual words also come up across the bottom of the screen as he sings. I actually know the entire song and will probably never forget it. They did a great job of embedding this commercial into people's long term memory.

Business Writing Team, Tigers for Haiti

I think that my group has done a really great job so far in this class. We all get along very well, and everyone always does his or her part. Another positive thing about my group is that, so far, we have not had any problems meeting. Most of the time, our schedules matched. We decided to start meeting early in the semester so that we could spread the project out of a longer period of time.

I think that our final proposal turned out great. The effort from everyone in the group was amazing. In the end, we ended up with new friendships and a great Web site proposal that will hopefully help the AHF.

Mock Interview Reflection

Angela Rogers performed a mock interview with me on October 22, 2007. She interviewed me for a full-time position as a sales and customer service account manager at NUTRA Manufacturing, Inc. Though I have interviewed for a job before, my mock interview taught me a lot about what to expect in future interviews.

I believe that this practice interview was very valuable. Though I usually find it very easy to talk to people, I always get extremely nervous before interviews. Though this feeling of nervousness before interviews may never dissipate, the experience will only get easier with practice.

Compared to my previous interview, Angela’s questions were a slightly more difficult. She asked, very thoroughly, about my school and work experiences and why I was a good fit for the job at hand. My last interview focused more on previous personal experiences. This made me feel really good after the interview because I felt that I answered most of her questions well. There were, however, one or two questions that I should have thought about more precisely before starting to speak.

Even though I was extremely nervous all day before the interview, I think that the practice and experience will certainly pay off in the future.

Post for Oct 17

My post for this week is on the Tigers for Haiti Blog.

I was unable to do my interview this week but October 22 at 1:30pm will be just fine for my rescheduled interview.

Presentations

I remember Bob's blog the most. I felt like the humor that he incorporated made it so memorable. His topic related well to the audience. I also loved that he was in a lot of his pictures and that they were his, and not just pictures taken from the internet.

October 7th

My blog for this week is on the Tigers for Haiti Blog page. I also blogged on the group site on September 23 and forgot to mention it here.

Resume Advice

I thought that the article about finding the right key words to get your resume noticed was very helpful. I thought that the advice to search the key words in the requirements and job descriptions on ads was very smart, and i've never thought to do that before. I never really understood how employment databases worked until reading this article.

The next article I read, Eagle-Eyed Employers Scour Resumes for Little White Lies, was really quite surprising to me at first. I could not believe that 43% of all resumes placed on a site had at least 1 inaccuracy. Howeever, as I continued reading, I saw how serious just little innacuries were. For instance, when people said that they were employed for a couple months more than they actually were (to cover up months of unemployment), they were completely thrown out of the database. I agree with this article when they describe that employers realize that people are unemployed sometimes. It takes time to find a new job after leaving a job, and there is no reason to try to cover that up.

Where I want to be in 10 years

I will start with my personal life. Ten years from now, I definitely want to be married. Having companionship and love in my life is very important to me. I want to have at least one child by the time I'm 31, possibly two. I want to eventually have two or three children. While my children are in their infancy, I plan to take a few years off of work and take care of them at home. I hope to be living in a house that I love somewhere in the south east. I would really love to live in the Upstate of South Carolina, Charlotte, or Charleston. I really like the weather in the south, no matter how crazy it may be. I want to travel the world. I have never left the United States. By the time I'm 31, I really hope that I have at least made it to Europe.

After graduating in May of 2008, I hope to have a job that I enjoy. I am not exactly sure of exactly who I want to work for, or what I want to do after graduation. I would not mind finding a job in market research or pharmaceutical sales.

True Story: A biography of Jessica Odom :)

General Information
My name is Jessica Odom and I am from this great state, South Carolina. I was born in Columbia on June 16, 1986. I have an older sister named Cassi. She is the best friend anyone could ask for. I also have younger twin brothers, Cory and Cody. They are more trouble than anyone should ever have to deal with, but they are great. I went to Irmo High School and graduated in 2004. I cheered in high school, but I have really done anything with cheerleading since then. I was a Carolina fan my entire life, but just had to get out of Columbia. I am now a senior here at Clemson and my blood could not have changed from garnett to orange any faster. I will graduate in May of 2008 with a degree in Marketing.

In my spare time, like most people, I like being around the people I love. I have wonderful friends and a great family. I have been dating a guy named Matt for about a year and 8 months now. He lives in Greenville so I go there quite a bit. I like to go out and have a good time. That is me "in a nut shell."

Work Experience
I, unfortunately, have not gotten the opportunity to join the true world of business yet, but I am looking forward to after graduation. I, however, have had some part-time jobs along the way. In high school, I worked as a hostess at Texas Road House. After a couple years at Clemson, I got another job in a restaurant. I was a server at the Buffalo's Southwest Cafe on Clemson Boulevard in Anderson. The summer after that, I lived in Greenville, South Carolina and transferred to the Buffalo's there. This past summer, I worked the front desk at Peak Fitness in Greenville. It has been my favorite job so far. I know that no one actually likes to work, but I truly enjoyed working there. I got to meet a lot of great people and my co-workers were all wonderful.

Last words...
I would just like to say that I hope everyone has a great year at Clemson. I wish everyone luck with all of their ventures. Go Tigers!