With March only a couple of days away, one thing seems to be on everyone's mind: Spring Break. Trying to find a low cost, fun, and warm destination seems to be most people's priority and the aspect of life we are most willing to work on at this time. Last year, my roommates and I were extremely lucky when it came to planning an amazing trip. Two weeks before Spring break and we still didn't have any plans, so we were just going to all head to our homes to spend a week with family and friends. To our surprise, we received a phone call from Advantage Property Management, who we rent through, and we had won $3000 to go towards any vacation within a years time. Of course, we immediately thought Spring break and headed to the travel agency where the money was in our name. Lots of places were booked and with that short notice, flights were out of control. Finally, we came across Punta Cana located in the Dominican Republic. Everything was great and all we needed to do now was get passports in only two weeks. That same day we went to the post office, filled out a form, got a picture and spent a rediculous amount of money for a little book. Not only did we have to overnight our information there and pay for them to overnight it back, but we had to expedite the passports as well. In reality, this is a stupid thing to complain about seeing how we all just won an amazing trip that ended up costing $200.
Unfortunately, we are not in any raffle or contest this spring but we have managed to find some fun things to do. We are all going out separete ways, mostly in Florida, but I'm sure that we will manage to have a great time, somehow !
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Cover Letters
Something that really struck my attention was the first piece about the reality of cover letters. I agree on some points, but I can also still see the other side to the issue. When it states that a cover letter is never really looked at unless the employer is interested in the resume, I can see two sides. First, I can see that if it is a big corporation or company that this would be the case. On the other hand, if it is a smaller, more personable atmosphere, I see the boss taking the time to look at the effort put into the resume from beginning to end- looking at the whole package, not just the qualifications.
I do agree however, that cover letters should be directed for the intended audience, not to show who you are as a person. It is important to pitch yourself to the company, not just yourself to see if they like you.
I also learned that sending out mass resumes is not a good idea. I always thought "the more, the better" but as stated in the article, big corporations have teams designed to go throught resumes, and these unsolicited resumes often get passed by.
I do agree however, that cover letters should be directed for the intended audience, not to show who you are as a person. It is important to pitch yourself to the company, not just yourself to see if they like you.
I also learned that sending out mass resumes is not a good idea. I always thought "the more, the better" but as stated in the article, big corporations have teams designed to go throught resumes, and these unsolicited resumes often get passed by.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Preparing for an Interview
I chose to read the article "A Crash Course in Interview Preparation" for this week's blog. I found it very helpful with the hints and tips on how to not only make it through your interview, but to really impress your possible employers.
The first and most helpful hints for me where the ones on supply preparation. Having ample number of resumes and any other documents you may want to hand in is a great idea. Also, simply having everything organized and neat is also a great way to impress the company you are interviewing for.
A simple, yet very useful hint, that I would not have thought of is to have plenty of tissues! We have all been in a situation when we needed a tissue and there is none to be found! It may sound silly, but I think that this is a great tip to have when going in for an interview.
Another great tip was to have an umbrella on hand. The weather in Charleston is pretty predictable, but the occasional afternoon storm can come out of no where and have you soaking wet in two seconds. Having the umbrella really goes to show you are prepared and thinking about any possible situation that could come your way.
The mock interviews with either a friend or yourself is a great tip as well. Although they may not ask you any of the questions you practiced, the mock interview can help you think on your toes and create smoothe transitions between aspects of the interview. This preparation is another way to impress your possible boss.
All these hints really helped me to realize what I will need to do when my first rounds of interviews begins after graduation.
The first and most helpful hints for me where the ones on supply preparation. Having ample number of resumes and any other documents you may want to hand in is a great idea. Also, simply having everything organized and neat is also a great way to impress the company you are interviewing for.
A simple, yet very useful hint, that I would not have thought of is to have plenty of tissues! We have all been in a situation when we needed a tissue and there is none to be found! It may sound silly, but I think that this is a great tip to have when going in for an interview.
Another great tip was to have an umbrella on hand. The weather in Charleston is pretty predictable, but the occasional afternoon storm can come out of no where and have you soaking wet in two seconds. Having the umbrella really goes to show you are prepared and thinking about any possible situation that could come your way.
The mock interviews with either a friend or yourself is a great tip as well. Although they may not ask you any of the questions you practiced, the mock interview can help you think on your toes and create smoothe transitions between aspects of the interview. This preparation is another way to impress your possible boss.
All these hints really helped me to realize what I will need to do when my first rounds of interviews begins after graduation.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Persuasive Speeches
In class we discussed Martin Luther King Jr's letter from Birmingham Jail. This is one of the most famous, and influential examples of rhetoric. In his letter, Martin Luther King Jr uses ethos (appeach of the speaker), logos (appeal to logic), and pathos (appeal to emotion) in order to makethe letter persuasive. King Jr. makes sure that he touches his readers in every aspect throughout the letter- not only making his point, but giving himself credibility and working with the reader's emotion to see his point of view.
In class we also had guest speakers from the Army Recruit. Their presentation was very detailed on what makes a good persuasive speech, however, they never really gave us their persuasive speech. At the end of the presentation the class began to ask questions about being recruiters for the army and what they say to persuade people to join. It was at this time that I felt the class was interested and began to see what tactics they used. For example, money was a key ingredient in their success- they would say financial benefits and incentives and then pause so that the people could soak it in and think about it.
Just like what we saw in Martin Luther King Jr's letter and the Army recruiters, I saw in President Bush's speech on 9-11. In this speech, Bush touches all the key points of the rhetorical triangle. He begins by useing pathos- the appeal to our emotion- which is very appropriate seeing the subject that he is addressing. He recognizes the severity and emotional taxing nature of the event. Bush then begins to appeal to our logos by taking the people through the steps of why we would be a target yet still giving the people confidence that we are going to not only survive but prevail. Bush uses ethos, the appeal of the speaker, throughout the entire speech. One main way of doing this is by using "our", making him a part of the situation, not a third party just stating the facts and what we should do. He makes sure that the audience is connected with him, on the same emotional level, so that we feel in touch with him, therefore giving him our support. Bush goes back to using logos when he begins to explain the actions that he has already taken to ensure our security and what actions he intends to implement in the near future. Bush brings his speech to a close by asking the people of the United States for their prayers and support. By doing so, Bush is using ethos and pathos as a final reminder that he is one of us and is there for the long run. Bush also ends with a Psalm which appeals to the audience who is reaching out for prayer particularly at this point in time, and gives himself credibility because he is one of us. His last sentence appeals to all three points of the rhetorical triangle. He acknowledges the past and what we need to do about the future (logos), uses first person and makes him on the same level as his audience (ethos) and finally, gives us encouragement and hope for the future (logos): "This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world."
http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/George_W_Bush/index.htm
In class we also had guest speakers from the Army Recruit. Their presentation was very detailed on what makes a good persuasive speech, however, they never really gave us their persuasive speech. At the end of the presentation the class began to ask questions about being recruiters for the army and what they say to persuade people to join. It was at this time that I felt the class was interested and began to see what tactics they used. For example, money was a key ingredient in their success- they would say financial benefits and incentives and then pause so that the people could soak it in and think about it.
Just like what we saw in Martin Luther King Jr's letter and the Army recruiters, I saw in President Bush's speech on 9-11. In this speech, Bush touches all the key points of the rhetorical triangle. He begins by useing pathos- the appeal to our emotion- which is very appropriate seeing the subject that he is addressing. He recognizes the severity and emotional taxing nature of the event. Bush then begins to appeal to our logos by taking the people through the steps of why we would be a target yet still giving the people confidence that we are going to not only survive but prevail. Bush uses ethos, the appeal of the speaker, throughout the entire speech. One main way of doing this is by using "our", making him a part of the situation, not a third party just stating the facts and what we should do. He makes sure that the audience is connected with him, on the same emotional level, so that we feel in touch with him, therefore giving him our support. Bush goes back to using logos when he begins to explain the actions that he has already taken to ensure our security and what actions he intends to implement in the near future. Bush brings his speech to a close by asking the people of the United States for their prayers and support. By doing so, Bush is using ethos and pathos as a final reminder that he is one of us and is there for the long run. Bush also ends with a Psalm which appeals to the audience who is reaching out for prayer particularly at this point in time, and gives himself credibility because he is one of us. His last sentence appeals to all three points of the rhetorical triangle. He acknowledges the past and what we need to do about the future (logos), uses first person and makes him on the same level as his audience (ethos) and finally, gives us encouragement and hope for the future (logos): "This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world."
http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/George_W_Bush/index.htm
Friday, January 25, 2008
Ten Years from Now
Wow, it is kind of scary to think about where I will be in ten years. Ten years seems like so much, but really it is not that much time. Just think about how fast college flies by, it seems like yesturday that I was going to my first class at Clemson--and now, I'm getting ready to be a student teacher!
In ten years I will be 31 years old. I am sure that my friends who are jealous of my being older now will have made sure that I am well aware that I am older than them- the first to turn 21, then not soon after, the first to turn 30. Ideally, in my perfect world, I will be back in Charleston married to the guy I have yet to come across and working on a family. I would like to eventually have a family of about three or four children-but more importantly, healthy children. Of course, I would like to think that we would have our own house near my parents and my younger brother somewhere in old Mount Pleasant.
Career wise, I hope that by age 31 I will have my own pre-school or kindergarten class at a small, yet very successfull, school. I do not have a particular school in mind at this point, but somewhere clost to Mount Pleasant if not in Mount Pleasant. Assuming that I start teaching right after I graduate in 2009, I will have been teaching about eight or nine years. At this point, it would be perfectly possible for me to have my own student teachers- something that I really want in the future. I have not been a student teacher yet, but I have been observing schools all throughout the Clemson-Anderson areas. I would really like to have my own student teacher to help him or her focus on what teaching styles they perfer, how to set up their classroom, and to start creating their own curriculum.
I hope that in ten years, I still keep in touch with all the friends I have made up here in Clemson. I already have countless memories and I hope that we can all keep in touch- as difficult and I know that it will be. I can't wait for all the reunions and weekend trips with all the girls! I also look forward to seeing where life takes everyone else. I think it will be very interesting to see what the game of life as in store for all of us!
In ten years I will be 31 years old. I am sure that my friends who are jealous of my being older now will have made sure that I am well aware that I am older than them- the first to turn 21, then not soon after, the first to turn 30. Ideally, in my perfect world, I will be back in Charleston married to the guy I have yet to come across and working on a family. I would like to eventually have a family of about three or four children-but more importantly, healthy children. Of course, I would like to think that we would have our own house near my parents and my younger brother somewhere in old Mount Pleasant.
Career wise, I hope that by age 31 I will have my own pre-school or kindergarten class at a small, yet very successfull, school. I do not have a particular school in mind at this point, but somewhere clost to Mount Pleasant if not in Mount Pleasant. Assuming that I start teaching right after I graduate in 2009, I will have been teaching about eight or nine years. At this point, it would be perfectly possible for me to have my own student teachers- something that I really want in the future. I have not been a student teacher yet, but I have been observing schools all throughout the Clemson-Anderson areas. I would really like to have my own student teacher to help him or her focus on what teaching styles they perfer, how to set up their classroom, and to start creating their own curriculum.
I hope that in ten years, I still keep in touch with all the friends I have made up here in Clemson. I already have countless memories and I hope that we can all keep in touch- as difficult and I know that it will be. I can't wait for all the reunions and weekend trips with all the girls! I also look forward to seeing where life takes everyone else. I think it will be very interesting to see what the game of life as in store for all of us!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
VIdeo Reaction
I found the YouTube video to be very interesting and entertaining. I didn't know what to expect when it first started and soon found myself really intrigued with the music along with the changing video aspects. I think that Web 2.0 can bring both a positive and negative effect on people entering the work force. First, it can allow a person to instantly be in touch with hundreds of companies by posting a resume or creating a page about their qualifications and goals as a part of the workforce. It can also allow companies to research clients and communicate efficiently when it comes to the matter of time. However, Web 2.0 is scary because of the windows it does open. Privacy no longer exists between all the links and databases on the internet. People no long have to impress a company with their social skills or charm; instead, just a posted resume with countless pages of records seems to be sufficient. Yes, people trying to get into the workforce are more available to companies, but are they truely concerned with giving the company their best?
As for people already in the workforce, the information available at the click of a mouse is incredible. Companies can pull up records of past companies to see what strategies worked and which ones didn't. Companies can also deal with their clientel completely online-more efficient in some eyes, less in others. Time is so crucial these days, Web 2.0 seems like a saving grace, yet what about personal interviews? social communication? shaking someone's hand? With this increased technology we are furthuring our capabilities but what are we doing to our social networks?
I think that the video hits the nail on the head when it states that we will have to rethink everything. We have to take a second look at everything on the web to make sure that it is legitimate and that we can trust the information. We no longer have the person to person contact through which we determined what was trustworthy and what wasn't. Everything in our lives is being done through technology- our schedules, meetings, shopping, research, and our communication skills are being channeled through these high tech machines. Letters are no longer fast enough, so we use email instead. Calendars are dated, so we use palm pilots. Personal meetings take too much time, so conference calls are set up to make huge decisions. Technology is changing not to keep up with people, instead, the people are changing to keep up with the technology.
As for people already in the workforce, the information available at the click of a mouse is incredible. Companies can pull up records of past companies to see what strategies worked and which ones didn't. Companies can also deal with their clientel completely online-more efficient in some eyes, less in others. Time is so crucial these days, Web 2.0 seems like a saving grace, yet what about personal interviews? social communication? shaking someone's hand? With this increased technology we are furthuring our capabilities but what are we doing to our social networks?
I think that the video hits the nail on the head when it states that we will have to rethink everything. We have to take a second look at everything on the web to make sure that it is legitimate and that we can trust the information. We no longer have the person to person contact through which we determined what was trustworthy and what wasn't. Everything in our lives is being done through technology- our schedules, meetings, shopping, research, and our communication skills are being channeled through these high tech machines. Letters are no longer fast enough, so we use email instead. Calendars are dated, so we use palm pilots. Personal meetings take too much time, so conference calls are set up to make huge decisions. Technology is changing not to keep up with people, instead, the people are changing to keep up with the technology.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Welcome! My name is Leigh and I am a student here at Clemson University majoring in Early Childhood Education. I am from Charleston, SC where I hope to return to teach after graduating from here in May 2009. I have always loved being outdoors and living an active lifestyle. Being from the coast, I really enjoy the boat and the water, but I also have a love for the mountains, especially during the early spring and late fall. I also enjoy playing tennis, going shopping and just hanging out with friends!
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