For this weeks blog, I guess I will talk a little bit about what's going on in my life. First, my mother got a new puppy! She just flew up to New Hampshire to pick up our new yellow lab, who is the cousin of our five year old lab, Alley. We named the new dog Bogey because my mother loves to golf. At first Alley and Bogey did not like eachother at all, and would bark and make a big scene... but now they are pretty good friends.
Other than the puppy, I have been fairly busy with school work this past week and have also been busy applying for internships. I hope that I end up in Washington this summer, but I also wouldn't mind working in Charleston again.
I am also excited that baseball has finally started! It's one of my favorite sports to watch, and it means that warm weather is coming!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Cover Letters
I thought that these articles were very helpful. I am currently in the process of applying for internships for this summer and have written a few cover letters already. I was not aware that most employers just brush past the cover letter, but I guess it isn't surprising. I agree with a lot of the advice given, particularly the three paragraph method. I used this while writing my cover letters. I also agree with the suggestion of talking about the company in which you're interested rather than yourself, it's true that your resume should tell the employer everything they need to know about you.
I thought that the testimonials suggestion was a bit odd, although I obviously don't have experience in the field- it still seems a little bit strange. Also the handwritten P.S. was interesting, but I can understand why it would be the first thing that people read!
I thought that the testimonials suggestion was a bit odd, although I obviously don't have experience in the field- it still seems a little bit strange. Also the handwritten P.S. was interesting, but I can understand why it would be the first thing that people read!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Interview Strategies
I read "Minor Matters That Make Your Interview" and "Phone Interviews: Tips to Get Called Back".
The first article seemed a little silly. The article suggested things such as making sure you have your clothes ready the day before, and that you should brush your teeth after eating anything. Maybe it's just me.. but it all seemed a little obvious. The one thing that I might not have thought about would be to make sure you know exactly how to get there (not just the address but where you need to go in the building once you arrive) and also the "eyes and ears are everywhere" section. This last section warned that the interview starts when you are in the parking lot, because your possible interviewer could be anywhere.
The second article had a lot of helpful tips. One section said that you should stand up when you get nervous because it can make your voice sound more confident. The beginning of the article also suggested dressing in business attire for your phone interview. I never thought to do this, but it would put me in a more 'professional' state of mind and would probably be very helpful. The article also suggested having a copy of your resume ready as well as a pen and paper, which might help you be in the right state of mind as well.
The first article seemed a little silly. The article suggested things such as making sure you have your clothes ready the day before, and that you should brush your teeth after eating anything. Maybe it's just me.. but it all seemed a little obvious. The one thing that I might not have thought about would be to make sure you know exactly how to get there (not just the address but where you need to go in the building once you arrive) and also the "eyes and ears are everywhere" section. This last section warned that the interview starts when you are in the parking lot, because your possible interviewer could be anywhere.
The second article had a lot of helpful tips. One section said that you should stand up when you get nervous because it can make your voice sound more confident. The beginning of the article also suggested dressing in business attire for your phone interview. I never thought to do this, but it would put me in a more 'professional' state of mind and would probably be very helpful. The article also suggested having a copy of your resume ready as well as a pen and paper, which might help you be in the right state of mind as well.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Rhetoric
I chose to write about John McCain's speech after winning the Florida primary. Politicians are gifted in art of persuasion, and McCain is also a good example. Six months ago people had counted McCain out of the presidential race all together, so this win was unexpected. McCain does not come close to comparing to MLK Jr but he does have an impressive way of appealing to the audience on many levels.
The first paragraph of the speech McCain thanked his supporters, which he does gracefully. This could be considered pathos since he is appealing to Floridians. He related to them by explaining his roots to the state and how the residents in Florida have affected him over the years. Although this was a victory speech and did not necessarily need to further persuade the Floridians, McCain knew that other Americans were listening to the speech and needed to emphasize his qualities to these other voters.
The most impressive part was the middle of the speech when he (again) graciously spoke of his competitors. I think that this was important because it says a lot about McCain's character to acknowledge that the win was not a "landslide" and that he truly does not have any right to brag.
The following paragraph was a blatant appeal to ethos. McCain speaks about his history as a soldier and then calls on Americans to act on Super Tuesday. He does this by using carefully chosen words such as "courage" and "good sense" and also bringing up Reagan-esque images. This would be persuasive to Republicans that do not reside in Florida, and are still deciding who they are going to vote for in the looming primaries.
I thought that this was a good example of a persuasive piece because politicians have to literally sell themselves to the American people. They have to be able to articulate their ideas and appeal to multitudes of people at a time. I think that McCain's emotion in this speech, and his emotion in a lot of his other speeches, was passionate (although his passion can not compare to MLK, it was better than the speakers that we had in class).
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/400d362c-3db6-4318-85ba-a846fa32b98f.htm)
The first paragraph of the speech McCain thanked his supporters, which he does gracefully. This could be considered pathos since he is appealing to Floridians. He related to them by explaining his roots to the state and how the residents in Florida have affected him over the years. Although this was a victory speech and did not necessarily need to further persuade the Floridians, McCain knew that other Americans were listening to the speech and needed to emphasize his qualities to these other voters.
The most impressive part was the middle of the speech when he (again) graciously spoke of his competitors. I think that this was important because it says a lot about McCain's character to acknowledge that the win was not a "landslide" and that he truly does not have any right to brag.
The following paragraph was a blatant appeal to ethos. McCain speaks about his history as a soldier and then calls on Americans to act on Super Tuesday. He does this by using carefully chosen words such as "courage" and "good sense" and also bringing up Reagan-esque images. This would be persuasive to Republicans that do not reside in Florida, and are still deciding who they are going to vote for in the looming primaries.
I thought that this was a good example of a persuasive piece because politicians have to literally sell themselves to the American people. They have to be able to articulate their ideas and appeal to multitudes of people at a time. I think that McCain's emotion in this speech, and his emotion in a lot of his other speeches, was passionate (although his passion can not compare to MLK, it was better than the speakers that we had in class).
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/400d362c-3db6-4318-85ba-a846fa32b98f.htm)
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