I left my heart in New Orleans...

Last week for spring break I had the opportunity to go down to New Orleans for a few days with nearly 400 other Clemson students from FCA to do various forms of mission work around the city. We departed from Clemson in the wee hours of Saturday morning and arrived in the Big Easy around 5:00 that night. Saturday night and Sunday found us exploring and experiencing the unique cuisine and abundant culture of the city. On Monday morning, my group of thirteen students set out for the New Orleans Mission, our work site for the week. When we arrived, we were given a list of projects that the mission needed done. The New Orleans Mission is a homeless shelter for the people of New Orleans. They house approximately 150 men each night and a smaller number of women and children. I learned that the homeless population of New Orleans, which was about 6,000 before Hurricane Katrina, is thought to have doubled or tripled since the storm, to a number between 12,000 and 18,000. The mission can only help a tiny percentage of those who are still without homes, but the impact they have in the community is making a difference nonetheless. We originally thought we were going to have direct contact with homeless people, but we ended up doing odd jobs around the shelter. We built cubicles so that social workers can come in to the mission and have a place to meet with the shelter's clients and help them find jobs. We built shelves in a linen closet, patched a hole in the wall of the new addition to the shelter, and organized their warehouse and clothing donations they have received to make things easier to find and access. Overall, we had a very productive week at the mission. We were all sad to see the week end and come back home, but it was a very good learning experience for us all. This was my third trip to New Orleans, and I have learned more and more with each visit. I hope to continue going down there to help out because, although a lot of progress has been made to rebuild, there is still a long way to go.

Article Reflection

This was an interesting article to read. I strive to be honest in all I do and say, so the idea of lying on a resume has not really occurred to me. The article made some valid points. I agree with its statement: "You jeopardize your future when you lie about your past." This makes perfect sense to me, because I have learned over the years, both from personal experience and the mistakes of others, that a lie cannot continue forever. The truth will eventually be discovered. So it seems to me that the best path to take is to be honest. Dishonesty is unfair to everyone. Lying may seem worth it temporarily, but the consequences to which it will lead are far worse than just telling the truth all along.

Presentation Reflection

Recently in class we spent time giving and listening to presentations on a wide variety of topics. Overall, the presentations were very interesting to hear. Our class members shared things about which they were interested and/or knowledgeable, which ranged across a broad spectrum. My personal favorite presentation was done by Michael Wade. He talked about Clemson football, and since he is a football player, he was able to tell our class a lot of interesting information that I did not know before he spoke. He talked about the team schedule during the "off-season," although there really isn't an off-season for football players. They always have practice or weight training or mat drills or meetings or something going on, even when they are not playing games on sunny Saturdays in the fall. I thought it was neat to hear about the football program from a inside perspective. Michael did a good job with his presentation. It taught me something new about something I enjoy.

Mock Interview Reflection

I had my mock interview on Wednesday morning. I thought it went fairly well, but there were definitely things I could improve with practice. I have not had many "real" formal interviews so I have not had very much experience. I was just a little bit nervous but not really because I knew it was not real. I didn't really know what to expect in the way of questions. I was "interviewing" for a teaching position at an elementary school in Greenville. I was asked questions about different aspects of education, No Child Left Behind, and why I would be a good or qualified teacher, among other things. Some of the questions were a little bit difficult because I am just now getting into my education classes since I am only a sophomore. I think because I have this class as a sophomore, I can begin to build on what I have already learned and what I will continue to learn in this class about the work world.

All You Need Is Love...

I think The Beatles got it right when they penned this bit of philosophical wisdom. This concept, the idea of love, is something that has lately been on my mind. If people lived by the Golden Rule and truly loved, the world would be a different place. I don't mean the superficial, constantly changing love that depends on the occurrence of particular variables. I'm talking about real, deep, genuine love that cannot be shaken. What if we decided to really live out of love? We would radically change the world. If people understood the bigger picture, the idea that we are all one, all brothers and sisters on this planet of ours, I think we could learn to see past our petty differences and selfishness and just love one another. My faith is very important to me, and this is a topic that we have lately been really been pondering and discussing within FCA. We believe that if we as Christians, as children of the one true God, a God of mercy and grace and love, were to live by the example of Jesus, this campus would be revolutionized. This is much easier said than done, however. It is our human nature to look out for ourselves first and foremost and then to consider others if we have time or money or desire. The list of excuses runs long, but if we really want to change the world with the love of Christ, we have to be willing to step out of our comfort zones and start to love people. And I mean we have to love people for who they are, not for what we can get from them or for who we think they can be. We have to love them as they are, right where they are, for who they are. And if this love is genuine, if it is real and steady and deep, we will be reflections of the Savior who we claim to follow. What a better example of faith than to live as the One who first loved us with a pure, unconditional love and love everyone as genuinely as we can? John 15: 12 sums it up when Jesus says, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." I for one, can't really argue with that. I think I'm going to give love a try.

Cover Letter Information

I have never written a cover letter so I did not know anything about them before reading these articles. There were several pieces of good advice in them that I will keep in mind when I write my cover letter. I think it is a good idea like the article "Sample Cover Letter" says to take the time to make the letter personal and specific to the strengths I have to offer and how they will benefit the company to which I am applying. I also liked the advice to be proactive in a job search. The articles said that companies will remember an applicant much more clearly if the applicant makes an effort to contact the company. I thought the idea in "The Postscript Technique" was odd; to add a note at the end seems slightly boastful to me, and not as effective as they claim, but I guess that is how you get what you want in the business world. I don't know that I would try that. I liked the advice to not use a cover letter as an excuse to sit back and be lazy, but instead to use it as directed marketing targeted at a specific audience. That seems much more effective than just making a very broad, general letter. Using a testimonial sounds like a good idea as well, if you can creatively work that into the body of the letter. The checklist will definitely be useful in the future when I am writing a cover letter. I think the majority of the information in these articles was helpful and I will most likely use it for my personal cover letter.

Response to Articles

As I read through several of the articles on the website given, I came across many interesting ideas and hints about the interview process. The two articles I chose to focus my blog on were "Four Questions to Ask a Potential Manager" and "How to Answer the Toughest Interview Questions." These two articles addressed some of the things that I think I would be worried about at an interview.
Sometimes, when I am put on the spot with a tough question, I freeze and my mind goes blank and I cannot think of anything to say, or I do not give the best answer I could. The article about answering tough questions gave some good tips for that. It said to not be too specific when answering questions about your future but to answer very generally, referring to your personal values and broad professional goals. If asked about salary, the article suggested to first try to deflect the question by asking another question, such as the general salary for the job being sought. If the interviewer is persistent, the article suggests giving a range, but not backing down too much. This is one question for which it is very important to be prepared. I thought it was interesting that the article suggested practicing in front of a mirror and talking about your strengths and why you should be hired. This is a good idea because I personally would feel like I was boasting when answering this question, so practice would definitely be good. Lastly, when asked a seemingly silly question, the key is to not freeze but think quickly and rationally and then be able to reasonably why you picked what you did. I think these were all good tips to prepare for questions likely to come up during an interview.
The other article I read discussed some potential questions to ask the interviewer or potential manager. When I am in a situation and someone asks if I have questions, I usually say no because I cannot think of anything to ask. This article gave me an idea of questions that I could plan to ask ahead of time. Asking these would help me seem prepared and well-informed and sincerely interested in the position. The questions mentioned in this article would also help me to get a good idea of how my personality and goals and beliefs would mesh with those of my potential manager.
Reading these and other articles gave me some good insight into the interview process and provided several ideas for both questions and answers that will definitely benefit me when I interview for jobs in the future and when I do my mock interview for this class. I think I will be better prepared to both answer and ask questions that will help me be a better potential employee and hopefully get the job I want.