Friday, February 29, 2008
Mock Interview Reflection
To be honest, I was a little bit nervous going into the Second Life mock interview. I really didn't know what to expect, I didn't know what I was going to say, I didn't even know what I was supposed to wear! However, once I sat down and actually began the interview, I was comfortable. I expected to continue to feel nervous and even uncomfortable, but I found that I wasn't nervous at all, I was actually quite comfortable. I feel the 'jitters' left me simply because I was in a comfortable place - I wasn't dressed up - I wasn't in front of a interviewer...... I was simply alone, in a computer lab in front of a computer screen. Granted, it was a 'mock' interview, but it was the most stress free interview I have ever experienced.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Spring
My favorite part of the year is upon us, Spring time. Trees start coming back to life, the sun starts 'hanging around' longer, bears come out from hibernating, and I get the most ridiculous itch to play some golf.
Golf is one of my passions. I love every aspect of the sport: the skill, the focus, the quietness, the challenge, the competition, the excitement, the disappointment. I have learned a lot about life and myself while playing this game. I have found that I am very determined - I strive very hard for perfection at things I love. I have also found that, when applied, my imagination is very powerful and creative.
My favorite part of the game is the singularity of the sport. There is only one person on the team, there is only one person that can be credited for an achievement, and there is only one person who can be blamed for a mistake. I can't blame anyone or anything else for an error but myself. This is huge motivation factor to improve and limit these errors.
This passion is sometimes not such a great thing. As the weather becomes more ideal for play, so does the idea for 'skipping' class to go play. It is very hard for me to pass up a beautiful spring afternoon playing golf for an indoor, boring lecture class. Luckily, my dad shares my passion for golf so he is very lenient when I can resist the temptation.
I apologize for the breifness of this post, but I have a tee time to make. Toddles.
Golf is one of my passions. I love every aspect of the sport: the skill, the focus, the quietness, the challenge, the competition, the excitement, the disappointment. I have learned a lot about life and myself while playing this game. I have found that I am very determined - I strive very hard for perfection at things I love. I have also found that, when applied, my imagination is very powerful and creative.
My favorite part of the game is the singularity of the sport. There is only one person on the team, there is only one person that can be credited for an achievement, and there is only one person who can be blamed for a mistake. I can't blame anyone or anything else for an error but myself. This is huge motivation factor to improve and limit these errors.
This passion is sometimes not such a great thing. As the weather becomes more ideal for play, so does the idea for 'skipping' class to go play. It is very hard for me to pass up a beautiful spring afternoon playing golf for an indoor, boring lecture class. Luckily, my dad shares my passion for golf so he is very lenient when I can resist the temptation.
I apologize for the breifness of this post, but I have a tee time to make. Toddles.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Cover Letters
The link provided a great deal of valuable information pertaining to cover letters. The different tutorials were packed with the “do’s and don’ts” of cover letters, but surprisingly they had more to offer than I had first thought.
I agreed with the tutorial that suggested that a cover letter should be used only as part of a limited, targeted campaign to reach employees. It suggested that one should invest time into research and understanding of a company before committing in paper or email to a prospective employer.
I also agreed with the tutorial that the cover letter should not be about you, rather it should be about the individual company you are targeting. I agree that you should define what your product (you and your skills) can do for the customer (the company) and what your customer will need to by your product. A successful cover letter is a marketing tool used to move your customer one step closer to buying your product. I agree that you need to fully understand and be able to articulate your personal value proposition. This type of cover letter will pay back far greater returns than the simple “introduction to me” letter that most people use. The investment of time, energy, and resources when studying a company is valued by prospective employers.
I did not agree with the tutorial dealing with Post Scripts. This “extra splash” is not needed in your cover letter; remember, its not about you, its about the company. All your achievements, skills, and attributes are covered in your resume.
The most useful section of this article was the Cover Letter Checklist. This is the most practical and helpful area for me. It sets up and outlines the entire neccessities of a cover letter. it is a very valuable resource to have.
I agreed with the tutorial that suggested that a cover letter should be used only as part of a limited, targeted campaign to reach employees. It suggested that one should invest time into research and understanding of a company before committing in paper or email to a prospective employer.
I also agreed with the tutorial that the cover letter should not be about you, rather it should be about the individual company you are targeting. I agree that you should define what your product (you and your skills) can do for the customer (the company) and what your customer will need to by your product. A successful cover letter is a marketing tool used to move your customer one step closer to buying your product. I agree that you need to fully understand and be able to articulate your personal value proposition. This type of cover letter will pay back far greater returns than the simple “introduction to me” letter that most people use. The investment of time, energy, and resources when studying a company is valued by prospective employers.
I did not agree with the tutorial dealing with Post Scripts. This “extra splash” is not needed in your cover letter; remember, its not about you, its about the company. All your achievements, skills, and attributes are covered in your resume.
The most useful section of this article was the Cover Letter Checklist. This is the most practical and helpful area for me. It sets up and outlines the entire neccessities of a cover letter. it is a very valuable resource to have.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Avatar Interview Advantage?
Job interviews help to guide the employer in their decision making during the hiring process. It is a time where interviewer and interviewee can communicate, interact, and gain a better understanding of each others skills and personality. Typically, the 'job interview' takes place that is most convenient/comfortable to both parties; however, the location is also very dependent on the job itself.
The article found at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1385 is very interesting. This article talks about a new location for the typical job interview, cyberspace. Second Life is a very powerful communication and networking system where people, in the form of their avatars, interact with one another. There was a job fair on SL where employers from different companies read resumes and interviewed many people through their avatars for real life jobs. This raises a very important question, is there an Avatar Interview Advantage?
We must first break the 'job interview' down into its main criteria and the main difference between a cyber interview and a personal interview. The main and most important difference is the communication. In normal conversation, 7% of the message is communicated by words, 38% is communicated by tone of voice, and 55% is communicated by body language. In the sense of a typical job interview, the interviewer bases 93% of his interpretation on the interviewees nonverbal communications. A job interview on SL simply cannot emulate nonverbal communication. Because this is such an important aspect of an interview, it cannot be left out and summed up in only text communication.
Having job interviews in a virtual world is a very innovated and potentially powerful hiring tool. However, it cannot be substituted for a real-life personal interview - there are simply too many unknown factors about both the interviewer and the interviewee. But, as technology and SL continue to progress, there may be sometime in the near future where cyper interviews and personal interviews will become interchangeable with one another.
The article found at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1385 is very interesting. This article talks about a new location for the typical job interview, cyberspace. Second Life is a very powerful communication and networking system where people, in the form of their avatars, interact with one another. There was a job fair on SL where employers from different companies read resumes and interviewed many people through their avatars for real life jobs. This raises a very important question, is there an Avatar Interview Advantage?
We must first break the 'job interview' down into its main criteria and the main difference between a cyber interview and a personal interview. The main and most important difference is the communication. In normal conversation, 7% of the message is communicated by words, 38% is communicated by tone of voice, and 55% is communicated by body language. In the sense of a typical job interview, the interviewer bases 93% of his interpretation on the interviewees nonverbal communications. A job interview on SL simply cannot emulate nonverbal communication. Because this is such an important aspect of an interview, it cannot be left out and summed up in only text communication.
Having job interviews in a virtual world is a very innovated and potentially powerful hiring tool. However, it cannot be substituted for a real-life personal interview - there are simply too many unknown factors about both the interviewer and the interviewee. But, as technology and SL continue to progress, there may be sometime in the near future where cyper interviews and personal interviews will become interchangeable with one another.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Letter From Birmingham Jail
Comparing Dr. King's letter from Birmingham Jail to anything else is a very difficult task. His writing was passionate, intelligent, political, religious, and powerful. However, I have selected a piece of writing that I feel can be compared to Dr. King's work, if only in the smallest degree.
An article written by Peter Singer in which Singer analyzes the voter turnout and loyalty in Australia. Although this article lacks the political and cultural magnitude of Dr. King's letter, both employ similar persuasive techniques. Singer presents his audience with facts, raw facts just as King. After establishing facts, both authors analyze the current situation of the public and line out different options that reader (their audience) has to consider. However, Dr. King directly involves his audience by asking questions, getting them to think and give more thought to the idea he wishes to convey. The biggest difference in the two items is the length and detail. The letter from Birmingham Jail was much longer and very detailed. Singer's article was detailed and focused but not to the degree as King's.
I found this exercise to be more difficult than I had expected. Dr. King's letter is just such a powerful and influential piece of work and history that it is very hard to find any other sort of persuasive document that falls in a such a unique category. The letter not only provoked emotion and response from the intended audience, but also from our nation. With such a powerful and lasting impact as this letter and all of Dr. King's other works, it is 'difficult' to compare it to anything much less an article relating to my major. However, I did enjoy reading the letter and broadening my knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement, a truly powerful and important part of our country's history.
An article written by Peter Singer in which Singer analyzes the voter turnout and loyalty in Australia. Although this article lacks the political and cultural magnitude of Dr. King's letter, both employ similar persuasive techniques. Singer presents his audience with facts, raw facts just as King. After establishing facts, both authors analyze the current situation of the public and line out different options that reader (their audience) has to consider. However, Dr. King directly involves his audience by asking questions, getting them to think and give more thought to the idea he wishes to convey. The biggest difference in the two items is the length and detail. The letter from Birmingham Jail was much longer and very detailed. Singer's article was detailed and focused but not to the degree as King's.
I found this exercise to be more difficult than I had expected. Dr. King's letter is just such a powerful and influential piece of work and history that it is very hard to find any other sort of persuasive document that falls in a such a unique category. The letter not only provoked emotion and response from the intended audience, but also from our nation. With such a powerful and lasting impact as this letter and all of Dr. King's other works, it is 'difficult' to compare it to anything much less an article relating to my major. However, I did enjoy reading the letter and broadening my knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement, a truly powerful and important part of our country's history.
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