I have no idea what to write about. I feel like this should be really easy but everything that I think to write about it either really boring or really personal. Sooo I'll write a little bit about my plans for tonight, because they are neither boring or personal!
Tonight my friends and I are going to the Rodeo finals at the T Ed. Garrison Arena! I've never been to a rodeo but I like horses, bulls, and adventure, so I think this should be pretty fun! I just went onto the website and found that the rodeo starts at 8, so we should probably leave around 7:30 or so, which means we should all meet up around 6ish. I love getting together with my friends because there are about 15 of us who always go places together. We've even been to Georgia, Maryland, and North Carolina as a group several times.
This is a good transition into another topic! I LOVE my group of friends. We all lived in Johnstone together freshman year (the only co-ed dorm) and have been really close ever since. My roommates both lived in Johnstone, my boyfriend (who also lived in Johnstone) lives with all J-stoners. (That's the nick-name for anyone who lived in Johnstone, past and present.) There are 5 more apartments that I can think of off the top of my head that are made up of our friends from Jstone. We all get together on a weekly basis, if not nightly. It's hard to explain the relationship that we all have with eachother. We're like a big happy family. I'll invite all of them to my wedding.
I'm watching this show on MTV right now where the guys from the show "Jackass" are promoting their new website. (Jackassworld.com in case you were interested) Right now they're duct taping themselves to each other. This might be the worst television I've ever seen, I have to change the channel.
Well I'm going to grab some lunch and find something better on TV. I'll see you in class!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Response to cover letter advice
I found most of the pieces of advice about cover letters to be helpful. One of the points that I found most helpful was that the cover letter is read AFTER the resume, and is only read if the resume was impressive enough. This tells me that while both are essential in the application process, the resume is the first impression and therefor more important.
A second piece of advice that I did not know beforehand and found especially helpful was that the cover letter should be very specific to the company and the position that the person is applying for. Cover letters should seem very personal and should therefor not be used in "blanket coverage marketing."
One of the pieces of advice that I disagree with is that a P.S. should be added to the end of every cover letter. I think that items added with a post script are often overlooked or seen as less important than the information in the body of the cover letter. A P.S. also seems very informal, which may be inapropriate, depending on your audience.
A second piece of advice that I did not know beforehand and found especially helpful was that the cover letter should be very specific to the company and the position that the person is applying for. Cover letters should seem very personal and should therefor not be used in "blanket coverage marketing."
One of the pieces of advice that I disagree with is that a P.S. should be added to the end of every cover letter. I think that items added with a post script are often overlooked or seen as less important than the information in the body of the cover letter. A P.S. also seems very informal, which may be inapropriate, depending on your audience.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Resonse to interview articles
The two articles that I read were "It's your turn: What to ask in an interview" and "The second interview"
The first article describes how an "interviewee" should always have questions for the interviewer. Having questions shows that you are interested in the job, and gives you a chance to show how knowledgeable you are about the position that you are applying for, the company, or the industry. This article taught me that the questions that you ask in the interview must be taylored to the interviewer. For instance, you would ask a potential future co-worker what a typical day at the office is like or the most challenging part of their job. "How would you describe your ideal candidate," would be a question more appropriate for the hiring manager or your future boss.
The second article that I read talked about the second interview and how it will be different from the first. The second interview usually takes longer and focuses more on getting to know the candidates personality. Something that I learned was that the second interview is usually conducted with several candidates to speed the process, and that you must make yourself stand out among the other potential new hires. If in the rare case you get a job offer on the second interview, it is important to tell the hiring manager that you need time to think about your decision so that you sound like a person who does not rush to conclusions.
The first article describes how an "interviewee" should always have questions for the interviewer. Having questions shows that you are interested in the job, and gives you a chance to show how knowledgeable you are about the position that you are applying for, the company, or the industry. This article taught me that the questions that you ask in the interview must be taylored to the interviewer. For instance, you would ask a potential future co-worker what a typical day at the office is like or the most challenging part of their job. "How would you describe your ideal candidate," would be a question more appropriate for the hiring manager or your future boss.
The second article that I read talked about the second interview and how it will be different from the first. The second interview usually takes longer and focuses more on getting to know the candidates personality. Something that I learned was that the second interview is usually conducted with several candidates to speed the process, and that you must make yourself stand out among the other potential new hires. If in the rare case you get a job offer on the second interview, it is important to tell the hiring manager that you need time to think about your decision so that you sound like a person who does not rush to conclusions.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Persuasive Writing Reflections
www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I chose to compare Martin Luther King Jr's letter from a Birmingham jail and the speakers' presentation to a letter written by Caroline Kennedy in her support of Presidential candidate Barack Obama. The first example of ethos that I found was actually at the end of Caroline Kennedy's letter. There is a short sentence explaining how Kennedy is the author of a book titled "The Patriot Handbook: Songs, poems, stories, and speeches celebrating the land we love," which establishes her credibility. Ethos can also be found in Martin Luther King Jr's letter from Birmingham Jail. King establishes his credibility early in the letter by stating in the second paragraph that he is the President of the Southern Christian Leadership conference.
I had trouble finding an example of logos, or the appeal to logic, in Kennedy's letter. However, she did state towards the end of the letter that we need a president who runs a dignified and honest campaign, which is a logical claim to make. Logos was easy to spot in the Army recruiters' presentation to the class. They stated that the Army will pay up to $65,000 worth of college loans for recent graduates who enter the Army. Someone with a lot of college debt would likely find this money to be a logical reason to join the army.
There are several examples of pathos in King's letter from Birmingham Jail. King uses phrases like "shattered dreams," "dark dungeons of complacency," "brutal facts," and "yearning for freedom" to appeal to his readers' emotions. Kennedy displays pathos at the end of the 7th paragraph with the sentence; "Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parent's grandchildren, with a sense of possibility." Bringing children into an argument always seems to appeal to emotion.
If I could rate the persuasivness of these three examples, I would find King's letter to be the most persuasive and the recruiter's presentation to be the least persuasive. To be honest, I was not entirely impressed with Kennedy's writing skills, and found myself surprised that she had written a book. But I've never written a book, so I guess I don't really have room to judge. King's letter was of course very persuasive, but the recruiter's presentation left quite a bit to be desired as far as persuasion goes, as I did not find myself wanting to join the army more than I had when I walked into class.
I chose to compare Martin Luther King Jr's letter from a Birmingham jail and the speakers' presentation to a letter written by Caroline Kennedy in her support of Presidential candidate Barack Obama. The first example of ethos that I found was actually at the end of Caroline Kennedy's letter. There is a short sentence explaining how Kennedy is the author of a book titled "The Patriot Handbook: Songs, poems, stories, and speeches celebrating the land we love," which establishes her credibility. Ethos can also be found in Martin Luther King Jr's letter from Birmingham Jail. King establishes his credibility early in the letter by stating in the second paragraph that he is the President of the Southern Christian Leadership conference.
I had trouble finding an example of logos, or the appeal to logic, in Kennedy's letter. However, she did state towards the end of the letter that we need a president who runs a dignified and honest campaign, which is a logical claim to make. Logos was easy to spot in the Army recruiters' presentation to the class. They stated that the Army will pay up to $65,000 worth of college loans for recent graduates who enter the Army. Someone with a lot of college debt would likely find this money to be a logical reason to join the army.
There are several examples of pathos in King's letter from Birmingham Jail. King uses phrases like "shattered dreams," "dark dungeons of complacency," "brutal facts," and "yearning for freedom" to appeal to his readers' emotions. Kennedy displays pathos at the end of the 7th paragraph with the sentence; "Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parent's grandchildren, with a sense of possibility." Bringing children into an argument always seems to appeal to emotion.
If I could rate the persuasivness of these three examples, I would find King's letter to be the most persuasive and the recruiter's presentation to be the least persuasive. To be honest, I was not entirely impressed with Kennedy's writing skills, and found myself surprised that she had written a book. But I've never written a book, so I guess I don't really have room to judge. King's letter was of course very persuasive, but the recruiter's presentation left quite a bit to be desired as far as persuasion goes, as I did not find myself wanting to join the army more than I had when I walked into class.
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