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.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
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!
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!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
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!
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!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
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!
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!
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