What is the number one thing Americans fear? Of course it must be snakes, spiders or heights right? As a matter of fact it is none of the above; the answer happens to be public speaking. Some people say they would rather die than have to give a presentation and public speak! With that said, I think everyone has really shown confidence the last few days of class and I have really enjoyed all of my classmates five minute presentations.
To narrow down to my top three, I will have to select Harry's on "The Myths of Asians," Scott's, covering the new invention of "The Jetlev-Flyer," and Mike's which explained "The Inter-Ac Basketball League." What made each of these topics so enjoyable, was a direct result of my interests and hobbies.
First off, Harry's presentation was absolutely hilarious, he touched on the jokes associated with his ethnicity, which really gave him credibility or ethos. He had some really awesome clips from comedians, which made what can sometimes be a serious topic funny. I think he was effective because he kept the class engaged and entertained. He really put his background aside and embraced the topic to get people's attention by using pathos. Lastly, Harry connected with his audience and picked a topic he knew most people would get a kick out of. All and all, "the Myths of Asians" is my favorite presentation most recently.
In a different way, I really enjoyed Scott's presentation because I learned about something new. I had no idea such a cool water technology had just came out and the whole concept was intriguing. I really enjoy spending time on the lake and the discovery of this new jet pack makes me want to try it out someday. The presentation was enjoyable because of the clips showing the pack in action and all of the features associated with the jet pack. Lastly, Scott was an effective speaker because of the topic and the interest I had in lake activities.
The third topic I really enjoyed was "The Inter-AC Basketball League." Again, it came down to my interests, I love every sport and it was cool to hear his direct experience with future and current NBA stars. I think he was effective because of my knowledge of the sport and my personal interest. Moreover, he had plenty of ethos, which made me pay attention and get his perspective of his own personal experiences playing against the athletes. It was great to learn where many great basketball players have come from and it will be interesting to see if more develop into NBA stars from Mike's area.
I am looking forward to more presentations on friday!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Covering the Cover Letter
No matter who you are there is always more to learn, and everyone who applies for jobs can always do something better. After perusing Collegegrad.com, and reading the advice on cover letters, I now have learned a few awesome tips to help with designing and improving my personal cover letter. Therefore, in this blog post I plan to cover the cover letter and the advice I have picked up in my little research.
Cover letters play a critical role for employment and they must be tailored to the specific company you are applying to. I agree with almost all of the advice offered by the articles on Collegegrad.com, especially the format. The three paragraph introduction, skills/benefits and close is a very effective and simple way to reach a prospective employer. Also, I really liked the two techniques offered, the postscript and testimonial techniques. This advice is a great way to establish your credibility and motivation to join the company. Moreover, I think the sample cover letter is the most useful part of the tutorial. I believe it is going to give me a general idea for which I can personalize my letter. Sometimes by seeing an example it really helps put the pieces to the puzzle together and spur greater thinking. Reading all of the articles have given me some great ideas to brainstorm on and how to go about constructing the cover letter.
Any surprises? As a matter of fact, I had no idea it was appropriate to write a post script, I thought that would be somewhat unprofessional. After reading the article, I have to agree that this will emphasize a person's value to the company and is a great way to get the reader's attention immediately. Additionally, I was unaware that most human resource managers always look at the resume first and push the cover letter aside until they are interested. I guess this does make sense, since they really need to see if someone is qualified before they go any further. All and all, I plan to use the post script technique and the testimonial technique because I believe these will definitely emphasize my skills and benefit to companies. I know there are so many other articles that will help me develop the best cover letter, and I plan on learning more before my job applications next year.
Cover letters play a critical role for employment and they must be tailored to the specific company you are applying to. I agree with almost all of the advice offered by the articles on Collegegrad.com, especially the format. The three paragraph introduction, skills/benefits and close is a very effective and simple way to reach a prospective employer. Also, I really liked the two techniques offered, the postscript and testimonial techniques. This advice is a great way to establish your credibility and motivation to join the company. Moreover, I think the sample cover letter is the most useful part of the tutorial. I believe it is going to give me a general idea for which I can personalize my letter. Sometimes by seeing an example it really helps put the pieces to the puzzle together and spur greater thinking. Reading all of the articles have given me some great ideas to brainstorm on and how to go about constructing the cover letter.
Any surprises? As a matter of fact, I had no idea it was appropriate to write a post script, I thought that would be somewhat unprofessional. After reading the article, I have to agree that this will emphasize a person's value to the company and is a great way to get the reader's attention immediately. Additionally, I was unaware that most human resource managers always look at the resume first and push the cover letter aside until they are interested. I guess this does make sense, since they really need to see if someone is qualified before they go any further. All and all, I plan to use the post script technique and the testimonial technique because I believe these will definitely emphasize my skills and benefit to companies. I know there are so many other articles that will help me develop the best cover letter, and I plan on learning more before my job applications next year.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Client Visit
This week our client, Jennifer Goree was able to stop by and explain to us our project for the semester. The project is to become involved in the Healthy Campus Initiative program already running on campus. So far there has been the ice skating rink first semester and the Tiger Fitness Challenge currently going on at Fike. Our objective as business writing groups is to come up with new ideas on how to reach the students at Clemson and spread the word. After listening to Ms. Goree, we all realized the project can really go anywhwere it is very broad and is exactly like a creative inquiry. Ultimately, we really must strive to broaden the perspective of health on campus and are already on our way to developing some good ideas.
Brainstorming
As we discussed things further with Ms. Goree, she mentioned three project ideas that need to be expanded on. She really would like to begin healthy campus longterm planning, new marketing techniques and making students more aware of the student organic farm. Our group has come up with a couple of ideas mainly focusing on marketing and spreading the word around campus. So far we have discussed a facebook group that will encompass the six elements of health: physical, environmental, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social. Basically, we want to lay a framework for students to access information in a place they go most often. Another idea mentioned, was to create a video series that could be entertaining to students and involve Clemson students. It is something that is really appealing to me, yet we are not sure what direction we are going in exaclty. Currently, we are going to do some research and see what other campuses are doing to incorporate the six dimensions of health.
Concerns
As far as concerns go, I do not have any major concerns since we are still in the development stages. If we are going to create a facebook group, I think the biggest issue will be setting it all up, which may bold difficulty because of the internet and technology. Personally, I am not extremely good with computers and execution will be key to this project. Also, if we are to create a video series the same goes. The technology side of things may be the hardest part, yet I am not concened because our group will definitly put the effort in to make the project work. I think our group is working really well together, and we may be able to involve all of the ideas we have come up with in some fashion.
Questions
The Healthy Campus Initiative Project is so broad that I really do not have any immediate questions. I am just wondering if we will be given the technology necessary to complete the project? I know there is very little or no budget for project, and I just hope we are able to access everything we need. Lastly, I would love to know what Jennifer Goree thinks about our group's ideas as of now; are we headed in the right direction? Is this what she had in mind?
All and all, I look forward to more brainstorming and I know our project will help spread the word around campus.
Brainstorming
As we discussed things further with Ms. Goree, she mentioned three project ideas that need to be expanded on. She really would like to begin healthy campus longterm planning, new marketing techniques and making students more aware of the student organic farm. Our group has come up with a couple of ideas mainly focusing on marketing and spreading the word around campus. So far we have discussed a facebook group that will encompass the six elements of health: physical, environmental, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social. Basically, we want to lay a framework for students to access information in a place they go most often. Another idea mentioned, was to create a video series that could be entertaining to students and involve Clemson students. It is something that is really appealing to me, yet we are not sure what direction we are going in exaclty. Currently, we are going to do some research and see what other campuses are doing to incorporate the six dimensions of health.
Concerns
As far as concerns go, I do not have any major concerns since we are still in the development stages. If we are going to create a facebook group, I think the biggest issue will be setting it all up, which may bold difficulty because of the internet and technology. Personally, I am not extremely good with computers and execution will be key to this project. Also, if we are to create a video series the same goes. The technology side of things may be the hardest part, yet I am not concened because our group will definitly put the effort in to make the project work. I think our group is working really well together, and we may be able to involve all of the ideas we have come up with in some fashion.
Questions
The Healthy Campus Initiative Project is so broad that I really do not have any immediate questions. I am just wondering if we will be given the technology necessary to complete the project? I know there is very little or no budget for project, and I just hope we are able to access everything we need. Lastly, I would love to know what Jennifer Goree thinks about our group's ideas as of now; are we headed in the right direction? Is this what she had in mind?
All and all, I look forward to more brainstorming and I know our project will help spread the word around campus.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Job Interviewers Everywhere
No matter who you are, there is always a little stress and jitters in the nerves when it comes to job interviews. It is the basic fear of the unexpected, what questions are they going to ask? Am I going to screw up in my responses? The main thing to remember is be confident and no matter what you will have a great interview.
Interview Mistakes
The article assigned this week in class touched on almost all of the mistakes people commonly make in job interviews. Mainly, these mistakes arise because candidates just forget to do the simple things. One of the simplest and biggest mistakes mentioned is not asking for a follow up, or forgetting to follow up with email or a thank you note. By avoiding this mistake, it shows the interviewer that you are really excited about the opportunity. The second biggest mistake that can easily be avoided, is to simply be prepared, practice does in fact make perfect. One mistake the article failed to mention, is interviewees not arriving ON TIME, I believe this can make or break the interview right off the bat. All and all, each mistake is easily avoidable, and I completely agree with all ten that were mentioned in the article.
Personal Job Interviews
Over the last few years, I have been on many job interviews for part time and internship positions. All interviews are different and thus adequate preparation is needed to be successful in any interview. To begin, I have had many part time job interviews that are less formal, yet you must be ready to go. The questions seemed to be more direct and a more getting to know you process. Some were describe yourself? What are strengths, interests? In addition, the company normal describes the position, hours and other details of the job. Almost all of these interviews turned out successful for me and it was all a matter of being prepared, having a smile and answering honestly.
My most recent interview was with Hilton Head Health Institute, for a program internship. This was the most intense interview to date for me personally, and I am super excited that I will be heading down there in the fall. The process was very long and that is what made it a little nerve racking. I really like to get things going and plan out my future, yet with this interview process being so competitive that was not immediately possible. The first interview I was in front of two people and it lasted about an hour, which was definitly a good thing. I was able to learn more about the company and the position, yet there were some serious questions. I answered all of them really well and was able to relate them to my experiences and skills. After the first interview, it was determined that I would be better suited for the program internship. Therefore, I first spoke with the Fitness Specialist Ms. Walker over the phone and then was asked to do a third interview via webcam. The questions were not difficult, I just made sure to be myself and show my passion for health. In conclusion, the process was very grueling, but I really learned how to answer questions and tailor them to my KSAs.
7 TIPS for Success
Interview Mistakes
The article assigned this week in class touched on almost all of the mistakes people commonly make in job interviews. Mainly, these mistakes arise because candidates just forget to do the simple things. One of the simplest and biggest mistakes mentioned is not asking for a follow up, or forgetting to follow up with email or a thank you note. By avoiding this mistake, it shows the interviewer that you are really excited about the opportunity. The second biggest mistake that can easily be avoided, is to simply be prepared, practice does in fact make perfect. One mistake the article failed to mention, is interviewees not arriving ON TIME, I believe this can make or break the interview right off the bat. All and all, each mistake is easily avoidable, and I completely agree with all ten that were mentioned in the article.
Personal Job Interviews
Over the last few years, I have been on many job interviews for part time and internship positions. All interviews are different and thus adequate preparation is needed to be successful in any interview. To begin, I have had many part time job interviews that are less formal, yet you must be ready to go. The questions seemed to be more direct and a more getting to know you process. Some were describe yourself? What are strengths, interests? In addition, the company normal describes the position, hours and other details of the job. Almost all of these interviews turned out successful for me and it was all a matter of being prepared, having a smile and answering honestly.
My most recent interview was with Hilton Head Health Institute, for a program internship. This was the most intense interview to date for me personally, and I am super excited that I will be heading down there in the fall. The process was very long and that is what made it a little nerve racking. I really like to get things going and plan out my future, yet with this interview process being so competitive that was not immediately possible. The first interview I was in front of two people and it lasted about an hour, which was definitly a good thing. I was able to learn more about the company and the position, yet there were some serious questions. I answered all of them really well and was able to relate them to my experiences and skills. After the first interview, it was determined that I would be better suited for the program internship. Therefore, I first spoke with the Fitness Specialist Ms. Walker over the phone and then was asked to do a third interview via webcam. The questions were not difficult, I just made sure to be myself and show my passion for health. In conclusion, the process was very grueling, but I really learned how to answer questions and tailor them to my KSAs.
7 TIPS for Success
- Be yourself (don't try to be someone your not, let the interviewer get to know you)
- Show up on time (simple, but very important)
- Smile (as the saying goes, a smile goes a long way)
- Dress for success (dress for the part you want to play)
- Relax (its just an interview!)
- Try to get the interviewer talking about themself (relationship building)
- Be prepared (do research on the company, find out important facts - it will help you later)
- Ask questions (employers want you to enjoy your job)
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