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I have really enjoyed this English 304 class. I have learned many important lessons concerning writing in the business world. In order to succeed in this class, there are a few things to keep in mind. As with any class, you should always put your best effort forward. It is also important to make sure you stay on top of the assignments. As long as you put effort in and follow the formats that you are taught in class, you will do fine. You also need to always remember your ethos in order to best convey your message.

In order to succeed in the client based project, it is crucial to know exactely what your client expects. Our project was confusing because it was unclear what was expected. Our project was not the typical business or marketing plan that other classes did, and I wish that we had something more like that. It is also important to make sure you choose a good group to work with. I was lucky enough to have people in my class that I knew I would work well with. We all had roughly the same schedule, and none of us were slackers. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and wish future students the best of luck!

Free write...

I really never know what to write about for free topic weeks. The end of the semester is usually very stressful, and this one is no exception. I can't wait to go home for Christmas break! Exams will be done and I'll have 3 weeks to kick back and do nothing. I love being home for Christmas. It's great to be with your family, make cookies, and of course, get presents. The holidays are usually a very busy time and its easy to forget about what is really important. I want to try and do something special for the holidays to help someone else instead of focusing on myself. I also want to try to spend more time with my family since I do not get to see them when I'm at school. Overall, I cannot wait until this semester is over!

Personality on the job...

I agree that personality plays a big role in how someone does their job. Even though personality traits are important in figuring out if a person will be good for a position or not, most employers are not able to properly dissect someone's personality. The resume and basic interview just are not enough. It is also important to remember that when an employer picks someone for their personality, they must make sure they are selecting people who will mesh well with others. For example, a whole team of people with type A personalities will not work well together. Managers need to make sure they blend different backgrounds and points of view, otherwise they may get less accomplished than they expect. But if you are able to find the correct mix of people, this mix can make getting work done easier and a lot more enjoyable. By doing groupwork at college, I know the types of people I work well with and those that I do not. I tend to take leadership roles in groups, and I think it would be difficult / not enjoyable to work with a group of people that were just like me. We would all be fighting to get our points across and probably spend more time arguing than actually getting anything done. It is important for individuals to realize which other types of personalities they mesh with in order to more effectivley market themselves in the business world.

Commercials...

One set of commercials that comes to mind are the Orbit gum commercials. In every commercial, there is usually some ridiculous scene going on where people are getting dirty / their mouths are dirty, such as the ones where people are being splashed with mud, dirt, and even fish. Orbit uses the British Orbit girl, who comes across as very "clean" (she is usually wearing a light color, has light skin and hair, and a sparkling smile), and the dirty people in the commercial smile with a crisp white smile. The commercials usually say "Dirty mouth? Clean it up with Orbit", or something that goes along those lines. The use of that phrase and the image of a clean mouth among a bunch of dirt helps us connect these two images to the gum.

Group Work...

For the past few weeks, I have done a lot of work with my English 304 group. So far, we have had great group synergy. We haven't had any problems with working with each other yet. The hardest part for us was actually figuring out what we had to do with this project, not how to split the work up. We do a good job of splitting up the work we need to do, and getting done what we need to get done. We have similar schedules since we are all finance or accounting majors, which makes it easy to schedule meetings. Another thing that has made us successful is that we all have some sort of connection with each other before starting this project, which I believes makes us more willing to help one another out. For phase two, I think that since we have a better idea of what we need to do we will not be waiting until the last minute as much to figure out what needs to be done. We also need to differentiate which specific jobs each person wants to do. Overall, I am very pleased with the progress of my group thus far!!

Mock Interview

This Monday, I had my mock interview. The position I was "interviewing" for was a financial center associate for Wachovia. I found this internship listed on their website, and decided I would use it because I am interested in finding an internship in finance. I was not really that nervous before going into it, but I was very tired since I am not usually up before 12 pm. At first, I talked a little fast, which I tend to do when I am in situations like that. Another weird thing that happens to me when I do things like that is that my mouth gets dry, which in turn makes me talk even faster. Aside from that, I did go over some interview questions and made sure I was familiar with different things on my resume. Overall, I am happy with the way my mock interview went. Next time, I am going to take a few more minutes to collect my thoughts before I walk into it and to try and keep in mind that I need to slow down.

Free Write...

I feel like I have been going non-stop the past two weeks. With all my tests/papers and activities, I've barely had any time to even be at my apartment other than to eat and sleep. Besides my mock interview and a couple assignments due this week, I will finally have a chance to relax. The best part about this week is that I get to go home on Friday! I haven't been home yet so it is going to be great to go eat at some of my favorite restaurants, see my family, and just relax. I'm surprising my mom for her 50th birthday on Saturday...so only my dad knows I'm coming home. I can't wait to see the look on her face, hopefully she will be excited. I planned a nice girls day out on Saturday with my sister and mom, and then we are throwing a little party for her at the best steakhouse ever, Morton's. It will be sad to leave home on Sunday but at least my mom and my sister are coming to visit me 2 weekends from now!

Presentations

The past 2 weeks of class we have had presentations. It was interesting to see what my classmates were going to present. I think the most interesting presentation was the one on the carnivorous plants. It was very different from any of the other presentations made in class, and was something I most certainly did not know about beforehand. Overall, I thought everyone did well on their presentations. It didn't seem like anyone was nervous to go up and talk, and there was not a lot of the usual 'reading off the powerpoint' stuff. Everyone seemed well informed of their topics, and it was nice to get to know my classmates on a little bit of a different / more personal level.

Free Write...

Since this week's topic is free write, I've decided to blog about my search for a summer internship. Although I am not sure exactley which area I want to work in, I know that I want to do something with finance. I am thinking of investment banking thus far, but I am worried that the hours may be too long. I think I want to work in New York City but I am not sure if I will be able to handle the 2 hour each way commute a day. So far, I have improved my resume by implementing the suggestions from class, my peers, and teachers. I have also posted my resume on a couple different job sites, but I am not sure how to best use these to my advantage. I have looked at some companies so far, but most of them do not start hiring until around December. Hopefully I will be able to find something that strikes my interest, and will have help narrowing down my search.

Cover Letters...

Since I have never written a cover letter before, I decided to read two articles on how to make great cover letters. I am not really sure what exactly goes into one and how to sell yourself with it, so hopefully these will be of use to me.

http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/resumes/20050829-loeb.html
Six Tips For a Winning Cover Letter

This article gave basic pointers to writing a good cover letter. It stated to try and address it to a specific person in the company, and use a reference to someone that already works there to create familiarity. Another helpful tip was to make a call to action, such as having the employer email or call you. This is something I probably would not have thought to do on my own, but I think it will help show that you really are interested. Overall, this was a brief, but informative article.

http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/resumes/20040309-kursmark.html
Create A+ Cover Letters with These Smart Tips

I didn't realize there were so many different ways to construct a cover letter. For example, I did not know that a brief cover letter with bullets would be acceptable when responding to a job posting add. Cold call letter to recruiters require more personal information, becaues they need to get a feel for who you are before they can fit you with a perfect job. An example of information that you should include that caught me off guard was where they mentioned their current salary. Although this does show the recruiter what you expect to make, I thought this was kind of odd. Overall, this was a good article to show what should and should not be included in a cover letter, and how to sell yourself for different situations.

Interview Articles

http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/interviewing/20070207-mattioli.html

The first article I read was about body language. Most of the time, people tend to focus on what they are saying and forget about the non-verbal messages they are sending. Personally, I tend to get a little nervous in interviews and focus more on saying the right thing than thinking about how perfect my posture is. I think that the mock interview we will be having soon will make me more aware of these issues. With so many things to worry about in an interview, how does someone perfect all of their forms of communication?


http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/interviewing/20061214-schaefer.html

This article was about how to contain nerves during an interview. Although I have been told that I do not come off as nervous, I often feel a lot of anxiety about the interviewing process. One tip that helped me was to boost my self confidence and go into the interview thinking that I am the best person for the job. Other things I can do include prepping for potential interview questions and remembering to present myself in a calm, cool manner.

http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/interviewing/20021119-maher.html

This article was all about first impressions. In everyday life, first impressions have a huge impact, and this is no different in the professional world. Reading this article, I can't believe the things that people have done during interviews: chewing gum, picking up the call waiting on a phone interview, and smoking when told not to! It seems that a lot of people lack a certain degree of professionalism. The interview is the time to make your mark, and not act like a complete airhead. This article taught me that you should never walk into an interview acting like you already have a job...you still have to prove yourself.

I enjoyed reading these articles and think this website is a great! There are a lot of useful articles that I will probably refer back to before any interview. Hopefully when I have more time I can read through the rest of these articles!

Ten years from now....

Thinking ahead to ten years from now is a little strange...I'll be nearly 31 years old, and I can only imagine that my life will change a lot from now until then. As far as my career goes, I hope to be working in some sort of investment firm in the New York City area, or owning my own business. (and of course, I hope to have a decent amount of cash saved up). I will hopefully have made my way up the corporate ladder, by then, but if I have not I plan on going to graduate school. I would like to go to grad school right after college but I do not know how strong of a program I would be accepted into without solid work experience. It would be a dream of mine to go to Wharton for grad school (a girl can dream can't she!?)

As far as my personal life goes....who knows! I would like to live in the NY/NJ area, maybe live in NYC for the first few years out of college and then buy a house. I might want to be married by then...but no kids just yet. I would really like to establish my career before I decide if I want a family or not. I hope to be having a good time...traveling, fishing, shopping, and decorating my new house. But most of all, I hope that my family, friends and I have our health and happiness!

Web 2.0

This was a very thought provoking video that describes how the Internet and its users have evolved since the Internet first became popular. I think the title describes this such relationship. At first, creating a web page required tedious HTML jargon to create even the most simplistic documents. As time has progressed, computers have become capable of more and more things. We have become more reliant on technology than ever before and the title says how we have become part of the machine we created.

Web 2.0 has dramatically changed the workplace. People seeking jobs must keep on top of the newest technological trends in order to be competitive. Even more so, people need to realize that the convenience of the Web makes their private lives less private, and must be careful with where their name floats around. Job seekers must also realize that not everyone they work with will be on top of technological advancement. It is important to remember that people that are already in the workplace may not be familiar with or open to learning new technologies.

With the advancement of the Web, we do have to rethink everything. We have to figure out how to protect original content that is uploaded to the Internet. We have to rethink how the Web helps us communicate with others, and how to ethically and professional conduct ourselves had an impact on your life. Everything is constantly changing and it is up to us to protect our rights and set changes on a positive path.

A Little About Me...

Hey Everyone! Welcome to my English 304 Blog! My name is Michele and I am from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey (which is not your stereotypical "Dirty Jersey"). I enjoy going out with my friends, cooking, fishing, and napping. I also love to travel. Some of the more exciting places I have been are Mexico, Costa Rica, Maui, and Aspen. I haven't been to Europe, but I hope to visit Italy before I am 25!

I absolutley love being a Clemson student! I am a junior finance major here, and I am minoring in accounting and management. I am not exactley sure what I what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I am thinking something along the lines of investment banking, and hopefully one day running my own corporation. At Clemson, I am involved with Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity.

In general, I am a pretty easy going person, but I can have a hot temper if provoked. I tend to take charge of situations instead of sitting around and waiting for someone else to do it...that is until i decide to stop my procrastination! And, like most shorter people, I have a bit of a Napoleon complex! I tend to be more reserved in class and professional situations, but I am a firecracker when I am out with my friends. I hope you have enjoyed my little introduction and check back for more posts!