Week 7: Reflection

Reflection, according to your text occurs when students evaluate sources of information, demonstrate lines of reasoning from conflicting perspectives, evaluate complex problems or objects, discuss controversial issues, or justify an important decision.

Description, on the other hand, is the act or method of describing.

What I want you all to do is to share your personal understanding of reflection and tell me how it’s different from description?

Also, share how you’re planning to use reflection in developing your e-Portfolio content pages.

Week 6 INTERVIEWS

This weeks topic is interviews. Hopefully everyone has already had at least one interview in their life.

Well you have, maybe not a formal one, but meeting someone for the first time is a type of informal interview.

First thing to do is go to: http://www.perfectinterview.com/ucf/

Now I remember doing this in my Cornerstone class, but it was different. So instead of trying to make it interesting I'm going to post the exact instructions. I hope this clears some confusion about what to do.

1. Complete one "short" interview where the selections are chosen for you. Complete one "short" interview where you make the selections. Choose at least three areas you'd like to work on the most. Note the options of the "Alternate Response" and the "Coach" that can be used.

2.You may choose to either use video capture or no video capture. If you choose no video capture you will be required to type your responses. Save both interviews.

3.Draft a reflection about your practice interview, commenting on the questions asked and your responses to the questions. You might comment on what questions were problematic. What were the strengths of your responses? What could you improve in your responses? How did you responses compare to the "Alternate Response"? What did you learn from the "Coach?"

4.Give one question about interviewing or a piece of advice that you've gained in your interviewing experiences.

5.Click on "Review Saved Interviews." Click on the "Share" button. E-mail yourself your interview and include the links in your posting.

If you can make it through that, then I had a couple side tips/advice I would like to share, since this is supposed to be an open forum of ideas and information.

I always felt that the interview is most powerful tool in getting a job. I have never left an interview where the employer didn't want to hire me. Now I might of scored differently on those idiotic personality tests where they ask you the same question in 5 different ways.

So the first thing I want to discuss is:

Expressing yourself!

For me, it was making sure I represented myself clearly. Answering all questions with at least some insight, not just yes and no. I think it is necessary to give some story to your life, but not go so far into depth that you are boring the interviewer.

Know the business!

If this is a career job, then most likely you would have done some type of research in the field you want to work in. In some cases though this isn't always true. So this tip is based on knowing the business, lets say you are applying for Bank Of America. You don't need to know that they were once called Barnett bank and was bought out by Nations bank, then became Bank of America (In most places). Yet I would feel it is necessary to know the internal hierarchy and different positions within the branch you want to work at. If a potential question is what do you want to do here? You answer by saying I want to be the lady that counts the money. VERSUS saying, I want to start out as a teller and move my way up until I have created new accounts and managed loans, so one day I can be trained to manage multiple accounts. Or whatever. The idea is simple. Know the ins and outs and create somewhere you want to go within the business.

Display your emotions!

Well in a positive way. Make sure you smile and laugh and make some slight jokes. Show that you are a positive individual that is going to be light to the company. Chances are, in today's market that most job offerings are coming from people being fired or laid off, or some type of closing. You have to show that you won't be another employee that is going to be a problem.

Ask Questions!

There comes a time where you want to ask questions, it shows that are selective and not just trying to get any job you can find. The asking questions period usually comes towards the end of the interview, or in the second/third interview. Usually it is as simple as the interviewer asking you if you have any questions. THIS IS YOUR TIME!!! Don't be afraid to start asking about whatever you feel is relevant to that part of the job. I always ask about advancement, I ask about different long term options the job has to offer, such as stock or 401k, etc. and I then ask questions that might pertain to my personal life/schedule or inquires of that nature. This shows that you are going to be invested in the job and you are looking to put some effort in.

That's all I basically have for right now. I hope to expand this into the posting and responses.

So to recap: Do the interview through the link, and follow the steps outlined above. Then after that is completed and posted, you can chose to post some tips or stories of your own interviews that you have had. I would like to see at least one tip or question you have that could possibly help you or someone else in the future.

Blog Topic #5

When you go to apply for a job, the biggest influence you make on a future employer is how you carry yourself - your attitude and demeanor can give direct cues to your personality and knowledge. But in this day and age, your attitude, demeanor, work experience and personality are all showcased in your resume – often times we don’t meet face to face with future employers until they have already sifted through hundreds of resumes. Experts in the field say that recruiters spend an average of 20 seconds looking at each resume. So how do you get yours to stand out? Well, one way I have found very useful is adding a cover letter - it adds a personal touch if done right.

To draw from my personal life, let me share a factual story about resumes. Last year, my family business was looking to fill an entry level position. We put out a few ads in hopes to receive a pool of 10 – 20 applicants. Within only 2 days of posting, we received much more than expected, a whopping 150 resumes – and trust me this was not an easy task! It was a huge endeavor sifting through these applicants, as the number of applicants kept increasing, many of the resumes fairly similar.

We can’t depend on the amount of resumes sent to employers to drop, but we can make ours stand out among a pool of others. Of the ones I sifted through that day, ones creatively composed and/or included a cover letter stood the best chance of a call. When I noticed general layout problems, misspellings, large blocks of text, and broad objective statements, I often found myself skipping forward to other applicants. Even though you may be applying for an entry level position, or one not creatively inclined, a little creativity goes a long way. Employers want to see your unique personality, your sparkle, shining through in a clear, concise fashion. Remember, short and sweet. Below I've posted a few questions to ponder this week while drafting your own distinctive resume. We also ask you to share your favorite cover letter, and any resources you find helpful.

But first, I'd like to share with you my favorite resource for resume building. Smashing Magazine is a website and blog, they have loads of useful information, and a bit too much to cover here, skim through it for some great tips! Follow this link for a great blog they did on cover letters. I also recommend to bookmark this link in your browser for future use.

1. What are ways your resume can highlight your interdisciplinarity?

2. What are some questions about cover letters you may have?

3. What are some questions about resumes that you have and/or share some advice?

4. Share your best cover letter.

5. Share any resources you've found about cover letters and/or resumes.