Reflection on Resumes and Cover Letters

I found this week's blog assignment to be particularly difficult because all the articles i found seemed to say the same things I've heard over and over again about resume writing. I read this article about what to do and what not to do when emailing recruiters because this was probably the most relevent topic to me at this stage in my career.

The article explained many of the same things the book did about avoiding Instant Messaging jargon and getting to the point of the email. The article also reccomended the direct method and avoiding being cute. I have already begun to follow its advice by sticking to a simple email address that does not contain any words that may turn away an employer. Examples given by the article of an email address that should not be used was "slackerboy" or "sexgoddess."

One helpful hint I found was that knowing a lot about a position is very important to employers. The article said applicants should match part of the job description to their skills to show how much they know about the positon as well as their qualifications.

The article suggested that, if attaching a cover letter, there should be a short note in the email. That is, if you don't feel that the email is a sufficent enough cover letter. I believe that the email should serve as the cover letter because I feel that there is really no need to say the same thing twice.

This article was very informative and contained a lot of good information. However, I didn't really feel like it was incredibly helpful because it did not really tell me anything I didnt' know already.

Interviewing

Interviews are probably the scariest part of a career. A serious fear of mine is totally blowing an interview for a job I really want. I read this article about interview blunders which seemed to offer some good advice. The biggest problem I think I would have from the list would be lack of knowledge about the company or position. I would not have the problems of over confidence or talking too much because those have never been characteristics of mine.

I was surprised to read that an unkempt appearence was a common problem in the professional world. I thought that that would be rare. However, I have heard of one instance recently where someone showed up for a professional interview in cut offs and a t shirt and was asked to leave after a few minutes.

One thing I found hard to deal with would be trying not to appear overly confident. There's a fine line between trying to impress the person interviewing you and being to cocky about your knowledge or qualifications for the position.

All in all, I was not surpised to see many of these blunders on this list. However, I don't feel that many of these things will be a problem for me. I just hope I'm not being too confident!

Ten Years from Now

Ten years from now, I will be about 30. Wow. It's hard to imagine what it will be like to not be a kid anymore. By then, I will have graduated from Clemson University and be working in my chosen profession. Now what is my chosen profession? Ha, that's a question I've been asking myself for years. For now, there are two options in the forefront of my mind. The first option is to follow my major and work as a financial planner either for a large company or individual clients. The second option would be something in the field of real estate. Real estate has always interested me and I wanted to be an architect when I was younger. I realized that I no longer wanted to be an architect when I found out how much work was involved in college. I knew I did not want a major that would consume so much of my time.

I would like to do something to do with real estate whether it be development or sales. I am considering a Master's program at Clemson in Real Estate Development if I can swing the finances and all else falls into place. The only problem with this plan is that I am sooooo sick of school.

Other than my career, I hope to be married before age 30. Because I am in a serious relationship right now, much of the big decisions coming up in my life depend on where he goes because he is older than me. However, he is in complete support of me doing whatever I want, and he does not want to hold me back.

Because we better be married by then, I hope to have had at least one kid with the intention of having more. As an only child, I feel that it is my life duty to ensure that my first child has a sibling so that family reunions can be bigger and that no child of mine will be spoiled.

For fun, I would like to have a small circle of girlfriends as well as a group of friends shared by my husband and me. Hopefully, we'll be close enough to Clemson to attend a few football games and maybe a baseball game or two. I would like to be active in a church as well as serving my community through volunteer work.

I think I've covered all the bases. Oh, and 20 years from now, I would like to drive a minivan and be a soccer mom.

Web 2.0

The title of this video means that we are dependent on machines just as they are dependent on us. We are all well aware of how much we use computers and cell phones and iPods, but the video brought up an interesting point. These machines are dependent on us as well. When we tell the computer to do something, it is learning from us, thus increasing its capabilities. I had never really thought about that until now.

The knowledge of Web 2.0 can really benefit people going into the workforce. Knowing the capabilities of the web can improve interaction and business. Email and instant messaging can be more efficent than telephone and face-to-face conversations, while a good website can increase business and save time. The knowledge that form and content can be seperated for the first time can also benefit a company by making it easier for clients to find what they need. I think all of this can be said for those already in the workforce, though many have difficulty understand a word processor much less complicated code.

When the video says we have to rethink everything, I think it means that we have to rethink how we present everything to others and how it will affect them and ourselves. We have to be aware of how it will affect our company as well as clients. We must be conscious of the messages we are sending through our writings and design to the rest of the world.

First Post

Hi, my name is Katie, and I am a junior in Financial Management. I'm from Irmo. I love Clemson, Clemson sports, working with kids, and swimming. Swimming was pretty much my life until senior year of high school. I've had a job every summer since I was fourteen at the YMCA teaching swimming lessons and lifeguarding. I don't swim anymore, but I sometimes miss it. I am usually very shy until I feel comfortable with my surroundings. I love the TV show, Gilmore Girls and can quote entire episodes on mute. I cannot go a day without coffee. I'm active in my church, Clemson UMC, and it's student ministry, Clemson Wesley Foundation. I am also a brother of Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity at Clemson. People tell me I'm pretty laid back, but I think I can be rather tense. I really like helping people, so hopefully I'll have some kind of job that will be related to that. That's pretty much it.