Sunday, September 30, 2007

Resumes

The first article I read was entitled "Just one Job? Three Tips For Creating a Broad Resume" by Dana Mattioli. I enjoyed this article because I have had only one real job, and this gave me some great ideas on how to spice up my resume. The first suggestion is to write a short introduction following my name and contact information that includes functional strengths, transferable skills, and personal attributes. Below this introduction, it says to list employer information followed by subheadings. The subheadings should reflect different skills and show progression where possible. Thirdly, it advises to create a section for highlighting relevant experience acquired in internships, volunteer work, professional organizations, etc. I believe all three of these tips are easy to include, and will be very beneficial. These are simple ideas that a person may not realize would greatly strengthen their resume.

The second article I read was "Eagle-Eyed Employers Scour Resumes for Little White Lies" by Cheryl Soltis. I found this article very interesting! It tells what the most popular white lies are resumes that companies watch for. One popular white lie is when a person lies about employment dates to cover up periods of unemployment. Another common lie is when someone says they have a degree but never finished the requirments. This article recommends for people to say how many credits they have towards a degree. Deidra Adams, principal human-resources consultant for Constellation Energy Group Inc. states that when most companies discover an exaggeration, they do not pursue the candidate. I found these facts interesting. This article reinforces the concept that people should not lie on their resumes because many companies do check. A small white lie could do more harm than good!

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Interviews

I found two articles written by Dana Mattioli very interesting at careerjournal.com. The first article is entitled "Ability to Pull an All-Nighter can be as Useful as a B.A." This article gives college students some great ideas about skills to mention in interviews that they do not even realize they have. I never realized that some companies would like to hear that I have the ability to function on 4 or 5 hours of sleep, work late at night on projects, frequently work on group projects, use some of the latest technology, etc. This article says pulling all nighters demonstrates time-management skills, working on class projects displays cross team collaboration, and completing assignments in general shows you have the ability to meet deadlines. All of these things are good business skills that companies are interested in.

The second article is entitled "You Can Say too Much Without even Speaking". I always thought using a lot of eye contact was a good thing, but this article says you can use too much eye contact. Using too much eye contact can cause you to develop a "stalker stare". The article also says fidgeting is annoying and distracting to recruiters. One good way to keep from fidgeting is to bring a pen and pad to the interview so your hands will be occupied. Crossing my arms is a natural habit for me, but this article says crossed arms are considered the universal sign of unfriendliness. It shows defensiveness and tension. The article suggests using open hand gestures to display friendliness. I will definitely remember all of these great ideas, and refer back to this website for more good ideas during any future interviews.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

My Life in 10 Years

In the next 10 years, I hope to have graduated from Clemson University with a degree in elementary education. I would like to have a teaching position at a local elementary school teaching 4th or 5th grade. I want to teach for a few years, and then begin graduate school. I plan to pursue the administrative supervision program because I would one day like to be an assistant principal or principal. Eventually, I would like to get my PH.D. In 10 years I would still like to be in this area because I like the small town environment, and do not want to leave.

In my personal life, I would like to have my own house, be married, have a child, and a dog 10 years from now. I am really close to my family including my aunts, uncles, and cousins. In 10 years I hope we are all just as close as we are now. I also hope to have traveled to more places around the world. Hopefully after graduation, I will have some time to do this. I would like to travel to Spain, Australia, Hawaii, return to Italy, and many more.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Web 2.0

I believe Web 2.0 is a nickname for the internet. Web 2.0 affects someone who is ready to enter the workforce because the internet is a major way of communication in today's society. People communicate through email, webcams, instant messaging, and many other ways. People can also post their resumes on the internet. Web 2.0 could be the way you find a job. Most companies and work places use the internet and want their current employees and the ones they hire to advance with it as it changes. Web 2.0 also affects people already in the workforce by putting their jobs at risk. Technology and the internet continue to advance. If people in the workforce do not keep up with the changes, the company may replace them with more qualified employees. Current employees cannot get lazy. Because everything is changing, many issues surface such as privacy, copyrights, identity, commerce, etc. As I said earlier, much more communication is now done over the internet causing privacy and identity issues. People from all over the world can see the information people put on the internet about themselves. It is important not to get too detailed because we have recently seen an increase in identity theft. This is a risk you take if you choose to put all of your personal information on the internet. There are advantages and disadvantages to posting information on the internet. It could help you find a job or meet people, but someone could also steal your identity. Copyright is also an issue. Many journals, books, songs, movies, etc. can be found on the internet. They can be copied and distributed by anyone. People also need to rethink commerce. Many products are now available on the internet. In the future people may completely convert to doing their buying and selling over the internet leaving many stores and businesses to close. I believe there is alot to think about because communication and technology has changed so quickly in just the past 10 years. I hope technology and society continue to progress, but everyone needs to thoroughly think about the advantages and disadvantages to all of these changes for that to occur.