For the Expected English304 Students....

GET READY FOR THE MOST WORK OF YOUR LIFE!!! Just kidding of course, well, kinda kidding. The client based projects throughout the semester involve A LOT of communication between group members, other groups, and the client. You have to stay on top of things and have to always be thinking of ideas and ways to improve the project. Whether you are creating a web site or putting together some other web-based project, you always have to check with the client before making changes. Furthermore, when building a proposal, you have to think of questions to ask the client so that you know exactly what they want. As in, what THEY WANT. What you think may not be the same as your client, so you have no choice but to do what they decide.
I learned a lot about client-based projects. Specifically when trying to put together the actual final proposal and building the RE-STORE part of the Anderson Habitat for Humanity web site. I had to email our client often and sometimes it got frustrating. At the end, I was glad that I had asked her questions because if I hadn't then I would not know how to build the web site page.
In the end, prepare to be sociable. Not so much hard work as in numbers and word problems, but synergy and working together through problems. Be prepared to state your opinion, keeping thoughts to yourself won't get anything accomplished. I think Angie stated that one of her favorite quotes is 1 brain = 1 brain where as 2 brains = 3 brains. Something along those lines (sorry if I messed it up Angie). Meaning that if you work together the outcome is far greater than working independently.
Good luck future students.

New Job Interview

Well, for my post this week I am going to blog about the interview I had last week. Last Tuesday I had an interview as a financial analyst with Owens Corning. The company is a Fortune 500 company and main plant is located in Toledo Ohio, but also has a branch in Anderson, SC. Going into the interview I was very confident because of my practice throughout the semester with common questions that are asked in interviews. (Also because my parents got me a new tie and shirt over Thanksgiving Break) After completing the interview I was very confident, and last Friday they gave me a call back and offered me the internship position! The only problem is that they want me to come internship in the winter and summer. They said they can work around my schedule, but I don't think I can manage both an internship of 16 hours minimum a week and a lot of hard classes. I am torn between whether to take the internship, but I will have to make a decision soon. I will be back to let you know what I do!

Unique Interviews

Reading this article was very refreshing. I have been in situations where I am interviewing and competing for a position, not necessarily a job, in a program. What upsets me is that most interviewers cannot get a good sense of persons personality in 10 minutes. It's hard to see through the "BS" within that short of time. Whereas a person may have a little more experience in terms of the field, but hates to work with others and gets stressed easily. I would rather hire the person with a great personality that is willing to learn and work along with others.
What really caught my eye was at the beginning of the article where it said investment bankers have been practicing the day-long interviews. I have heard that one of the most prestigious investment banking firms, The Lehman Brothers, holds 10 hour to 2 day interviews. When I interviewed with Vanguard Group they said that they usually hold full day interviews where they take a tour of the firm and the also ask questions. I am happy to hear that because even though I have some experience, I feel as though I am approachable and have a better chance at getting the position if I can talk to the employer for more than 10 minutes.

Dual Coding- Cadillac

I am posting this blog as I am watching TV, just to see how dual coding is used in different types of commercials. In car commercials, they either take one of two stances: appealing to family protection (mini-vans, accident safety, etc..) or appeal to the sexiness and confidence-boosting of the car. One car commercial that stood out among the rest is Cadillac. The commercial shows a lady getting into a fast red sports car(dim lights, night time, cd player lighting her face..of course). After describing the automotive aspects of the car, she ends with one question...."Whenever you turn on your car, does it return the favor?" Of course she speeds away into the nighttime. In relation to the dual coding theory, Cadillac relates their car with modern sexiness. Instead of going the family route, it is incorporated to the jumble of sexiness and fast cars. The ending line acts as the kicker and is very "smooth." As a matter of fact, the same commercial just came on, but instead of it being a girl, it is a guy in the car talking. They also use dual coding to appeal to the view of the opposite sex.

Group Work

As we have come to an end to phase one in our web site proposal for Anderson Habitat for Humanity, our group, The Dream Builders, has done very well. I am happy that I have group members that work hard and are very organized. We also have a compromise on meeting times so it is not hard for all of us to get together and work on the project.
I do not have any complaints in our group work. Everything has worked smoothly, and hope to work as well on the phase two part of the project. One miscommunication did happen throughout Phase 1. I was not aware that we were having a team meeting so I was not able to make it to the library in time. It was not that I did not want to meet, or did not care to meet, but that I was not informed by the rest of my team members. Either way, the group just informed me about what was accomplished during the meeting, and I got back on track. Other than that, the project is going great and am excited about the feedback from Shelby on the web site proposals.

Investing.....oh no.

I just finished this week off with a test in Finance 305: Investing Analysis. People ask me what I want to be when I grow up and immediately I say an investment banker. I like looking at stocks, and evaluating the stock market.
One reason why I think I like analyzing stocks to much is due to an odd similarity to music. All throughout my life I have enjoyed looking at bands that no one knows much about. They are not popular yet, and still have their unique qualities. After a few months, the bands gradually get more popular and soon they are selling out concerts and played on radio stations continuously. In comparison to stocks, I like to look for small stock companies that have a unique and promising product or service, and watch it grow. I cannot make money watching bands grow, but investing in the small soon-to-be large companies, I can make a lot of profit. I realized this just the other day, in the shower. Funny how things come to you at the weirdest times.
I like Finance 305 as a class, but the tests are ridiculous. They are so stressful. I would rather just use the tools I know from the class in real life, rather than try to explain them on a test. Anyways, in order to graduate and be an investment banker, I have to deal with these classes and hopefully learn more information so I can analyze stocks more effectively.

Interview Reflection

My mock interview was funny because I actually already had my real-life interview beforehand. I knew what type of questions were going to be asked. The weird thing is that I was more nervous for the mock interview than with the real interview. I don't know why, but I may have done even better in my real interview than my mock interview!
The first thing I quickly noticed were the similar questions. Mrs. Rogers asks at least 4 or 5 questions exactly similar to Brad, the Vanguard Group representative. Whenever I went in to start the interview I was a little nervous, but after answering a few questions I was more comfortable and able to explain myself a little bit better. I guess the more you practice interviewing, the easier it is to talk about yourself and your best qualities in interviews. I am still awaiting the response because they also are doing interviews at other schools in the southeast, but I sent my thank you letter 2 days after the interview. I am so happy I know how to write formal business letters. I feel as though I now have an edge over other students from different schools. They may not have had business writing or have the wrong format for letters. Overall the interview went well, and the advice I received on centering my cover letter vertically was very beneficial. I will update the blog when I receive information about the internship!