Wrapping Things Up--Blog Post #12

Well, this is my twelveth weekly blog post, so unless I do any of the extra credit stuff, I think this might be my last one!  It's hard to believe how fast this semester has gone by.  It's almost over!  But when I look at what's left on the syllabus, I still feel like there's a lot left!  I'm so glad to have our mammoth group project behind me, though.  I don't think I've ever been assigned that involved of a project with such a limited time to complete it in.  I'd estimate our group put somewhere around 60-70 man hours into that thing.  The night before our presentation I got about 1/2 hour of sleep.  I was honestly worried I might fall asleep during our presentation. 


I just finished watching it, though (through REACT), and all in all, I thought we did a very good job.  I thought we were very professional looking and we sounded like we had good ideas and knew what we were talking about.  You could tell we were prepared.  We had smooth transitions.  I think I could do better with projecting my voice more when I present.  I need to learn what to do with my hands when I’m just standing there and am not the one presenting.  They were just hanging there like sausages, but I didn't want to fig-leaf-it.  And we could have had better contrast on our slides.  All in all, though, I was very pleased with our performance. 

5 Common Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Since enrolling in this class, articles titles such as this tend to pique my interest.  Here is the link to that full article, but below I will summarize the key points.

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-3631-Interviewing-5-common-interview-questions-and-how-to-answer-them/?SiteId=cbmsn43631&sc_extcmp=JS_3631_advice 

5 Common Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

1. Tell me about yourself
You know this question is coming.  Don't ask them what they want to know, tell them what you want them to know about you.

2. What do you know about the company?
Do your research ahead of time.  The resources that were shown to us on our library day would be very useful in preparing to answer this question.

3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Focus on 2-4 key strengths and then limit yourself to your one biggest weakness.  Focus on what you're doing to overcome that weakness or in what circumstances it may be seen as a strength.  

4. Why do you want to leave your current position?/Why do you want this job?
 Do not bash your current employer.  Focus on what assets you can bring to this potential employer.

5. Where you see yourself in 5 years time? 
The right answer, if it's the truth, is still with this company you are interviewing with.  Emphasize anything that illustrates your long-term commitment.  If you have a history of long-term employment with previous employers, point this out.  If you stay in one place for a long duration before moving, draw attention to this.  If you desire to advance within the company, this is a good opportunity to indicate that.

I found this article very relevant and it reiterated many of the things we've learn in class recently.

MComrades Chapter 9 Presentation Analysis

Overall I thought our group did pretty well with our presentation.

I think I did fairly well with how I moved about the floor and remembering and using people's names as I called on them.

I think the biggest thing I can do to improve my presenting skills is to speak up more clearly and not trail off at the end of my sentences.

Our group did well with keeping our classmates engaged in the game.  The candy seemed to be a motivating incentive. 

Our group could improve with creating more visually interesting Power Point slides.

I get so nervous when I present, but I thought the overall delivery of our presentation went pretty seamlessly.

Boolean Logic

I must confess that was not the first time my hand shot up to have my research subject be the guinea pig during library research days.  Have someone else do my research for me?  Yes please.

I really enjoyed our time in the library today.  Mrs. Camacho was so knowledgeable and helpful.  I've already had many experiences with this type of research and yet I still learned so much from her today.  I had no idea so many resources were available through our library's website.  I particularly was impressed with all of the background data and company information available on just about any company.

The next time I interview for a job, I'm going to be all over that site.  I'll come prepared with a basic understanding of the major issues that are currently facing that industry and perhaps even their specific company.  And through the occupational outlook handbook I'll already know the anticipated salary range to negotiate.   

Online Interview Assignment

One of the first things I learned from this assignment is to do a trial run using the same agreed upon software with someone  you know well BEFORE attempting to interview with your actual potential employer.  Felicia and I encountered all sorts of problems between dysfunctional mics and cameras and slow internet connections, etc. 

All in all, though, I learned a lot from this assignment.  I felt like I did a good job in presenting myself in a professional and friendly manner.  I think I did a good job in thoroughly addressing Felicia's questions in a concise manner.  

I think I could improve on becoming more articulate with my responses--being quicker to respond and finding the best words to use in my response.  Another thing I could do to improve is to focus on answering the interviewer's questions in a manner that will also highlight one of my personal skills.  Sometime I focus so much on concisely answering the question when perhaps sometimes I should make a small detour in a direction that will also highlight some of my applicable characteristics.

Felicia was both professional and helpful and I give her a 5/5.

Separate People From the Problem

I was browsing classmates' blogs looking for inspiration for this week's post and Sarah won!  I also enjoyed Grammar Girl's tips from class the other day.

I agree 100% that even when someone else, or some company, is completely in the wrong, it is still important to keep the channels of communication open with them--especially if you are in need of their help.

I used to take customer service calls for a variety of different companies.  I was always more eager and willing to go the extra mile for customers who were calm and level-headed as opposed to customers who came on the line shouting or swearing.  You would think this would be common sense, but I am shocked at the number of individuals I have come in contact with that feel that the best way to get what they want is to forcefully demand it.

Even if you are in the right and the other person has screwed up, you'll see more progress in resolving the issue if you separate the people from the problem and attack the problem together as a team instead of attacking the other person.      

Mock Interviews

I really enjoyed our mock interview activity from the other day.  I thought it was very helpful and has practical application.  Although my interviewers didn't ask me anything about having children, if I were being 100% transparent, then some of the answers to their questions, though would involve information about when I plan to have children.  I asked Professor Middleton about this after class and she suggests not to disclose that information.  Even if your plan is to only work for a short period of time and then have children and leave the company, it really is best to avoid commenting on the subject.  You never know if you'll end up needing to be a working mother, even if your plans are to be a stay at home mom.  Or there could be infertility issues, or a wide array of other circumstances that could cause your Plan B to become Plan A.

I really appreciated this advice.  I think it would be best to think about possible questions that a potential employer could ask that would cause me to want to disclose my parental plans, and then come up with an alternate, but honest answer to those questions.