Advice for future students

I only have a little advice for any future business writing students. DO YOUR BLOGS! It is very easy to forget to write a blog every once in a while. Unfortunately each one of those missed blogs is worth 5 points. Create some sort of reminder so you don't miss any (ex. digital post-it on your desktop). I would also suggest that you check the class blog at least once a week (at the beginning of the week) to make sure you don't miss any daily assignments. One last thing; do your portfolios ahead of time. If you are working on a portfolio but you aren't sure if the format of some part of it is correct, you'll have time to get some feedback from your professor. Doing it at the last minute, or when there will be no time to question your professor will likely result in missed points for looked over errors.

Ethics Research

During my ethics research I came across a relavent document in U.S. history. It was a message from Andrew Jackson to Congress concerning the Indian Removal Act. The general theme of the message was Jackson's approval of this Act. Throughout the letter Jackson makes mention of how this bill would benefit both sides of the issue, white settlers and American Indians. However, Jackson uses derogatory comments to describe the tribes people. These comments include such phrases as savage hunters, wandering savages, and the red man. The culture of these people is also referred to as savage habits. Jackson also seems to be perfectly at ease when making the statement, "the tribes which occupied the countries now constituting the Eastern States were annihilated or have melted away to make room for the whites."

article response

The results of this survey are not very surprising. An employee may experience an ethical lapse because of the fear of a negative impact on his or her job. Most people would probably tell someone else, such as a coworker or a friend, about an unethical situation at the workplace before reporting it to management. A lot of people probably would not report anything of this nature unless it affected them somehow. The downside to not reporting such behavior would be the guilt. So it is a clash of conscience and security.

Web vs. Written

This topic is too broad to be specific in making comparisons. Writing on a blog can be very informal, whereas the mission statement on a company website may be very formal. Typically, more in-depth messages must be written on paper. Conversely, electronic messages such as emails need to be as concise as possible. This is not limited to web writing, as is evident with memos. When transferring a written paper to the web, one of the most important things to consider is reader comprehension. This can be improved by removing any industry jargon, among other things.

Free Write

I always hate the end to any semester. It isn't because I love school so much I don't want it to end. It's because nearly every professor can't get their curriculum straight. Every semester's end, it seems as if three weeks worth of work/assignments are crammed into each week. It never fails. Why can't these people just balance the semester out like they're supposed to do. They can't use the excuse, "unexpected things come up;" because most of the time those things only delay the professors return by a day or two. In those cases, work should be spread evenly over the upcoming class periods. I'm sure students would moan and groan at the time, but it's much better than having several major assignments due the WEEK before finals week! Come on!!!

Presentations

The most memorable presentation the other week to me was the presentation about visiting Mexico. I thought is was the most interesting because of the warnings given about crooked cops and the personal experience of the presenter. If I were planning a trip to Mexico City anytime soon I would probably be having seconds thoughts after this presentation. I also liked the poker presentation. The facts given about playing online poker and how much some people (those who make a living doing this) win were surprising.

Interview Reflection

The mock interview was interesting. I think it was much more lenient and easygoing than any interview I will ever encounter when searching for a job, but it was practice nonetheless. Most of the questions asked were not questions I prepared for, but to be honest I didn't prepare very well. Either way, the questions asked were not overly difficult to answer. It's a good thing I wasn't asked one of those weird ambiguous questions like, "if you were an eating utensil, which one would you be?"

Combine (Free Topic)

For my blog topic this week I thought it would be appropriate to follow-up on my presentation from Friday. As I mentioned in class, the former Clemson Tiger football players at the NFL Scouting combine include defensive end Phillip Merling, Linebacker Nick Watkins, Offensive Guard Chris McDuffie, and Offensive Tackle Barry Richardson. Chris McDuffie was one of the top ten offensive linemen in the bench press, lifting 225 lbs. 29 times. This was the only event McDuffie took place in. Yesterday kickers, offensive linemen, and tight ends worked out. Today quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs are working out. Because linebackers and defensive lineman don't workout until monday, I cannot deliver any new information concerning Nick Watkins and Phillip Merling. Barry Richardson posted a 5.47-40. That isn't a good time but offensive lineman don't have to be fast. He also had 24 reps at the bench press and a 22" vertical leap. So far the fastest 40 time is 4.24 sec. (Chris Johnson), the most reps at the bench press is 37 (Jake Long), the highest vertical leap is 38.5" (Keenan Burton), the furthest broad jump is 10'11" (Dustin Keller), the fastest 3-cone drill is 6.80 sec. (Derek Fine), the fastest 20-yard shuttle is 4.14 sec. (Dustin Keller), and the fastest 60-yard shuttle is 11.29 sec. (Gary Barnidge). That 4.24-40 put up by Chris Johnson is ridiculous. It has to be one of the fastest 40 times ever. Right now Dustin Keller seems to be having the best performance of everyone at the combine.

Cover Letters

The Reality of Cover Letters discusses several misconceptions associated with cover letters. Actually, I was unaware that cover letters were read last, and many times not at all, depending on the value of the resume. The second issue concerns the subject of cover letters. That is, most people assume the cover letter should be about them. The fact that the cover letter should instead target the company you are seeking employment with is not surprising.

The Best Use of a Cover Letter describes the best ways to apply the cover letter. The tips given in this article are fairly obvious, but by referencing this article you will avoid missing anything. The main point is to create a stand-out cover letter accompanied by a proactive effort at getting the job. A good example is given through the Sample Cover Letter link.

The postscript technique was something I was unaware of that would seem to give a greater impact than a cover letter absent of one. Also, the link entitled The Worst Use of a Cover Letter repeats something from The Reality of Covers Letters; that is cover letters are meant to be direct. This was not particularly helpful, since I was already aware that blanket marketing with cover letters/resumes was not an effective tactic.

The testimonial technique is interesting. A good reference from someone else placed in a cover letter would probably be very effective. The last link simply provides a checklist to use when writing a cover letter. This would be very helpful.

All of these links are a good starting point to begin writing a cover letter. I can’t say that I disagree with any of the points discussed. The most useful of these would have to be the checklist. When writing my own cover letter I will try to incorporate the techniques described in these links.

Interview Articles

The first article I read was "How to Answer the Toughest Interview Questions." The first question this article addressed was the future question. I don't particularly like this question either, but the author of this article gives a simple solution. Rather than focusing on your career plan when giving an answer, just talk about your values. This was probably the only part of the article that I learned anything new from. The salary question isn't as clear cut, which is why you should prepare for it in advance. The author suggests deflecting the question by inquiring about the salary of the position. If the interviewer seeks an answer after this you should give a range based on several factors, such as a previous salary or industry standard. This article doesn't help much when addressing the why question either. When an employer asks why they should hire you, the author says you must practice in the mirror, so that you can sound confident rather than arrogant or lacking of self-esteem. The last question, the silly question, is explained along the same lines as the why question. The author just says not to panic and that there is no right answer.

The second article I read was "How to Deal With Interview Stress." This is something that I could improve upon. Interview situations are much like public speaking situations for me. I get nervous and that nervousness shows. One good suggestion the author gives is arrival time. By arriving 10 minutes early you can avoid arriving too early, which may result in increasing anxiety, and arriving too late, which may cause you to race in to the interview sweaty and with a pounding heartbeat. The next suggestion may vary depending on the person. This involves creating a mental picture prior to or during the interview to help boost your confidence. Remaining relaxed is obviously the best way to deal with interview stress. The author suggests that you should control your breathing, maintain good posture while avoiding crossing your legs, control the rate of your speaking and pause for breath, avoid visible clenching, and smile. All of these suggestions are things I am already familiar with. One last suggestion that could be particularly helpful concerns saving the interview after a mistake. The author notes that sooner or later you will screw up somehow and this may be followed by an awkward silence. To avoid this you should just take a 10 second pause to catch your breath and regain your senses and then soldier on.

Persuasive writing

The Letter From Birmingham Jail is a great example of persuasive writing. In it, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr applies all three modes of persuasion. A more contemporary piece of persuasive writing that I think goes well with our situation is the House Ways & Means Budget Subcommittee speech given by President Barker. In this speech, President Barker applies the mode of ethos by attempting to evoke a sense of pride in state and in self by equating the success of Clemson students to the increasing quality of in-state students and the creation of the LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships by the General Assembly. Dr. King uses ethos when stating, "I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth," prior to entering the bulk of his letter. Logos is a technique employed both by Dr. King and President Barker throughout these works. President Barker includes various numerical data to indicate the increasing success of Clemson University, and Dr. King uses a methodical approach to explain why peaceful resistance must be taken underway. The third mode of persuasion is a technique that Dr. King very skillfully applied. By stating, "when your first name becomes 'n*gger,' your middle name becomes 'boy,' and you last name becomes 'John'," Dr. King is evoking strong emotions associated with strong words. Though President Barker does not use pathos nearly as often or effectively as Dr. King, he does apply it toward the end of the speech. By stating, "and we can give our state a top tier research university so that our young people don't have to choose between academic quality and LIFE scholarship," President Barker is appealing to the need for us to provide whats best for our children.

10 year from now

Until now I hadn't really given any thought as to what or where I would be ten years from now. I just figured I would end up as a manager somewhere and work my way up from there. This is more of what I think I will be doing in my future, not what I would like to be doing. To be honest, I don't have any clear plans for what I'm going to do. I've been considering a stint in the military for a while, but I am not sure that's for me. I would like to own a small business one day, though I doubt I will in ten years. As to what type of business, I would like to own an art gallery so that I could sell my own paintings, carvings, etc.

Me

Hey everybody, my name is Josh. I am a junior and a Business Management major. I'm a huge football fan. I love to go to Tiger football games, and I try to catch every Green Bay Packers game that I can (we're playing in the NFC Championship!). I'm usually pretty reserved, so don't be surprised if I don't talk very often in class. That's about all I've got to say, so see you in class.