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.