Thursday, February 28, 2008

Mock Interview

The mock interview went a lot better than I thought it would. I was much more relaxed because I knew I was going into a practice interview as opposed to a real one. I also felt much more comfortable with my teacher than I would normally with an interviewer. Overall I thought the interview went well and I answered the questions fairly well; however, there were a couple of bad habits I kept catching myself doing which I would like to improve on. For instance, I kept catching myself looking at my resume that the interviewer was holding instead of making eye contact with her. I also caught myself fidgeting a couple of times with my hands or legs. One of the most important things I learned through doing this was that even though you may know everything about the position you are applying for, it is important to ask questions to let the interviewer know you are interested.

With each interview, practice or otherwise, I find myself answering questions better than the last time, but I still have some improvements to make. I think it would be helpful to go online and read articles and professional opinions on how to answer interview questions correctly.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Free Write

I have no idea what to write about so I think I'm just going to talk about what has been going on in my life in the past couple months. I finally finished all of my grad school/internship applications and now all I have to do is wait until April 21st to hear back. I'm pretty excited to figure out where I'm going to live next, find a new apartment, and everything else that goes along with moving to a new city. The only thing I'm really nervous about is finding a good roommate. I'm sure I'll end up getting an apartment with another one of the interns; I just hope it works out well.

Aside from that part of my life, senior year seems to be going well. It's a lot busier than expected, but I guess I can't really avoid that when almost all of my classes are science-based and have required 3-hour labs. I'm excited to be done with school, and sometimes question why I'm going back for two more years, but I know it’s what I have to do in order to get to where I eventually want to be.

For the longest time I didn't think I would miss Clemson, but this year has made me realize how much I really love it down here and how much I'm going to miss my awesome friends, crazy traditions, football games and of course, the beautiful campus. I'm going to be sad to leave in May, but I know I'll be back to visit as often as I can.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

CollegeGrad.com

I agree with the majority of the advice given on the CollegeGrad.com website. From personal experience, I know the author is correct when he/she talks about writing a cover letter that addresses what the applicant can do for the company, not the other way around. I also agree that it is necessary to research the company you are applying for before you do so. This, along with following up after you send your cover letter and resume, shows the applicant’s interest in the company or organization.

On the other hand, there was some advice given that I don’t necessarily agree with. For example, the author discusses the use of a testimonial as a “highly effective way to get your message across.” I agree with this statement, but I don’t know how effective it would be to attach a copy of a testimonial along with a resume. I feel that if most employers don’t even take the time to read a cover letter, they are not going to want to read a testimonial.

The other problem I had with the advice given was the suggestion to write a postscript on a cover letter. Although it probably could create emphasis, I feel that a postscript is very informal and should not be included in document as formal as a cover letter. Even though the prospective employer may read it first, I still think everything you want to say should be included within the body of the letter.

I thought the most useful part of the article was when the author explained that most employers just look at the applicant’s resume and then go on to read the cover letter if they are interested. This just goes to show me how outstanding my resume has to be in order for it to stick out amongst all of the other applicants.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Tips for the real world....which is coming way too fast.

I the first article I choose was “How to Deal with Interview Stress.” I specifically choose this one because I am notorious for stressing out before speaking in front of a class, before giving presentations, and especially before interviews. I thought the suggestions provided were fairly helpful; some ideas would have never even crossed my mind. For instance, I would never think to visualize how I wanted the interview to go. I know from experience that it is common to try to cover up something you said wrong or stumbled over by talking faster or laughing awkwardly. So I really liked the idea of taking 10 seconds to “regain your composure” if you mess up and answer or stumble over your words.

Because I am in the process of applying to graduate school, where phone interviews are not out of the ordinary, the second article I picked was “Phone Interviews: Tips to Get Called Back.” I thought this article was extremely helpful because I have never been given any tips or suggestions for over-the-phone interviewing. One of my favorite suggestions the author gave was to dress professionally. Even if the interviewer can’t see you, it’s true that the way you dress makes you feel a certain way and will reflect in the way you speak. The other idea I really like is to smile when you’re talking. I know I am always able to tell when people are smiling even if I can’t see them, and it always puts me in a better mood. Plus it’s contagious!

I really enjoy little articles like these; they are just long enough to get the main points across, but short enough to keep my attention the entire time I am reading. Sometimes I feel like I learn the most from articles like these.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

E + L + P = M

Being a nutrition major, I chose an article about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, a topic that is currently on the minds of many Americans. Because the article was written by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the ethos or credibility of the article speaks for itself. The CDC is widely renowned for its articles that are based on cutting-edge research with tons of references and resources to back it up. As for the article’s logos (appeal to logic), the argument made about calories in versus calories out makes perfect sense. In addition, because individuals are unique in size, age and activity level, the idea that each person has a right number of calories to eat each day is a very logical statement. There was not much pathos (appeal to emotion) in this article, which I thought was a good choice since the CDC is known for their factual information. There was, however, a comment about “becoming a healthier you” which was effective, but not over-the-top emotion.

Comparing and contrasting this article to Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and the speakers we had present in class, it is evident that the art of persuasion can come in many different forms. MLK’s letter is one of the best examples of rhetoric. The way he was able to blend pathos, logos and ethos together makes it almost impossible to find a sentence in the entire document without at least two of the 3 aspects. For example, when MLK writes about Adolf Hitler and the Hungarian freedom fighters, he is appealing to all of the emotion that comes with these two titles. Also, he is increasing his credibility by showing the extent of his knowledge.

As for the guest speaker we had in class, their appeal to ethos came when they introduced themselves and talked about their experiences within the Army. They also used logic in their persuasion when they spoke about how the Army could pay back the massive amount of loans that are common to college students.

Overall, I thought MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail was by far the most effective piece of persuasion out of the three, but as stated before, the art of persuasion can come in many different forms.

And if you didn't get the title before, it stands for Aristotle's Theory: Ethos + Logos + Pathos = Message

CDC "Healthy Weight" article: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/nutrition_for_everyone/healthy_weight/index.htm