Out of all of the papers that I wrote for a previous class, I think the résumé was where I needed the most help. A résumé is a summary of your qualifications as well as the best tool for you to find the right job. It is best to put it all on one page, make sure it is well organized, carefully designed, consistently formatted, easy to read, and free of errors.
So first you need to know how to organize your résumé:
Heading: At the top of the résumé, include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.
Job objective: Introduces the material in a résumé and helps the reader understand the goal.
Education: List colleges you have attended with the degrees you have received and the date received.
Employment experience: Organize your employment experience in reverse chronological order (start with the most recent).
Related skills and abilities: List out the skills and abilities that you have. Make sure you list ones that go best with the actual job.
Honors and activities: List any honors or unique activities that you are involved in.
References: List references. Best is to say, “References available upon request.
If you have all of these organized and listed properly you will be able to provide the best résumé there is. Take a look at this short video for additional pointers.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Overcoming Stage Fright by Kristina Shope
A recent Gallup poll found that 40% of adults have a fear of public speaking, and as Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once observed, most people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy! Like many others, I often suffer from stage fright. I am guilty of avoiding public speaking at all costs. I would rather work a twelve hour shift then speak for 3 minutes in front of a crowd.
If you suffer from Stage fright here are 10 Key Principles to Keep in Mind:
1) Speaking in public is NOT inherently stressful.
2) You do not have to be perfect.
3) You just need 2 or 3 main points.
4) You need a purpose.
5) Best way to succeed is to NOT consider yourself a Public Speaker!
6) Humility and Humor can go a long way.
7) Nothing “bad” can ever happen.
8) Do not try and control the audience’s behavior.
9) In general, the more you prepare the worse you’ll do.
10) Your audience truly wants you to succeed.
Here are some tips that I found to help me overcome my fear of public speaking:
Visualize your performance ending well.
Eat a healthy snack/meal before hand.
Focus on your breathing. Breathe deeply in and out.
Chew gum before you take the stage to help relieve jaw tension
Imagine everyone in the audience as the same person (a family member or friend).
Rub your hands with lavender or vanilla lotion before going on stage. Pleasurable scents can help relieve stress.
References:
• Smith, Taylor. "Fear of Public Speaking". 4/13/2009
• Orman, Morton. "How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear". 4/13/2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
How to Analyze Your Reader by Caitie Tanner
The key to analyzing your reader is to know the needs of your reader. The goal of the writer is “to create a common ground between the reader and the writer.” Here are three areas that a writer should consider before writing:
- Knowledge:
The question the writer needs to ask is “How much does the reader know?”
Do you think that your reader is familiar enough with the background of your topic to understand you in the first place?
The goal of Knowledge is to determine how much you want the reader to know. If you think that the reader is not familiar enough with your topic, then you need to inform your reader prior to them reading your piece of writing. This is the most important thing you could do to benefit the reader. This not only benefits your reader, it also helps to achieve your initial goal of writing the piece. - Attitude:
The next question to consider would be “What do you want the reader’s attitude to be after reading your piece of writing?”
We need to first consider if the reader already has a perspective or attitude towards the specific topic you are proposing them to read. If the reader’s attitude differs from that of your paper that means you need to do more to make the reader see where you are coming from. - Needs:
The final question you need to consider is “How can you adapt to the reader to fulfill his needs?”
A readers needs are completely different from his knowledge and his attitude. A person who is not familiar with your field of work or the purpose of your paper does not want to read a textbook, they merely want you to adapt to his or her needs and tell them the purpose of your paper.
Referances:
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Write a letter of recommendation
Letters of Recommendation
A time in your life may come when you may need a letter of recommendation to secure a specific job or academic goal, or be asked to write one yourself. Employers use letters of recommendation to help assess the abilities of a potential employer. A good recommendation letter should verify employment experience and credibility of the person the recommendation is written for.
The intro of the letter should introduce you as the reference, state your relationship to the candidate (Supervisor, coworker), and other information you may need to verify you are a credible source. In this paragraph, you should also write a general overview about the applicant. If you honestly have nothing positive to write about this candidate, you should not agree to be a reference in the first place.
The body should be kept to at least two or three paragraphs, and describe strong, specific examples of the person being referenced. Such examples could be classroom experience, professional skills, or a particularly difficult situation you have faced with this person. When writing out examples, be careful to not write any information that could give away the applicant religion, race, gender, handicap, age, and other protected groups of people.
In the conclusion, leave information for the potential employer to contact you, and personally sign your name. The conclusion should also confirm that the person you are writing for is a qualified candidate.
Most of all, remember to check your work carefully once and maybe twice more very carefully. Someone is not only depending on your word to help them get a job, but also respects your opinion enough to have you as a reference. Good luck!!
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