Resume and Cover Letter Websites

After reading some of these articles, I believe the main point to express is that organization and specification lead to success.

In the article Some Resume Objectives do more Harm than Good, one becomes aware of the importance of the objective an a resume. It seems to be a balancing act between an aspect that could really harm or really help one in attainment of a job position. On one hand, an objective helps the reader to find good candidates for a particular job with ease, but on the other hand, if one's objective is too vague or too specific, one's resume could be eliminated without a second glance. That is a real risk that I am reluctant to take as I will be looking for an internship. I would like to find an article that is written specifically for college students though. I feel that the advice for someone that has had limited job experience would be slightly different.

I enjoyed the article on What HR Professionals look for in a Resume because I believe that the mistakes listed are ones that most people forget to check. Many people believe that they are clear and concise, but are in fact, wordy because they do not proofread.

Also, many people, like myself, get frustrated while hunting for jobs that they are qualified for. In the middle of all of the stress that is associated with the job hunt, people tend to get lazy and send in resumes without investigating the company and what the company may need. If one can find a need and show how one can fill it, then there is a greater chance that one will be hired.

Displaying skills is always important and for some reason is ignored in some resumes due to lack of detail about previous employment or fear of being too wordy. For example, I know that I do not have the specific experiences of working in a Human Resources Department, but I do know that in my other jobs, I have learned skills needed to perform well in an HR setting. I have tried my best to communicate those skills- interpersonal, communication, customer service, organization, and leadership- in my resume to increase my chances for hire.

Interviewing Tips...

I enjoyed reading the interviewing tips, since I will be interviewing for internship positions and plan to make recruiting my job focus.

The most interesting things that I discovered were that too much eye contact is a bad thing (I did not think about the creepiness that too much eye contact could cause), one should address negative qualities but with a positive spin, one should have ideas about the direction that the interview should go in and one should lead into information about oneself, and one should not talk too much.

I really enjoyed the article A Job Hunter's Guide to Recruiter Code Words. I think that this was the most informative article that I read. It really combined what recruiters look for and demonstrated the actions that one should avoid. While most of the code words contain a negative connotation- too much information, factual discrepancy, search virgin, poor presentation, serial networker, and mortician,- there are others that I would personally love for someone to use when describing me, such as a "walking description," or even better, a "purple squirrel." I hope to work hard enough and become proficient and experienced enough in my field to be desired and actively recruited by employers.

I think the most beneficial aspects of these websites for myself are the information regarding talking and eye contact. I am confident in myself and like to make lots of eye contact because I am genuinely interested in getting to know people. I can often remember the color of a person's eyes after having met him or her. Also, I love to talk; I am a personable and extremely social individual. I did not realize that some of my natural actions could be turning away potential jobs. Now that I am aware of this, I will strive to fix it so that I can attain the best job possible for my career advancement.

In Ten Years...

Ten years is a long way away for me. So many things will change during that amount of time that it is hard to say with certainty where I will be and what I will be doing.

Concerning myself, I would like to be content and happy in life. I hope that I will still be singing and participating in some sort of outdoor sport, whether that be hiking, coaching a soccer team, biking, tennis, etc. Being the outgoing person that I am, I will be surrounded by my friends and family; I plan to see them as frequently as possible. Hopefully in ten years I will be married and be starting a family of my own as well. I would like to be involved in my children's lives, but I would also like to have a life of my own because I do have ambitions.

As far as jobs go, after 10 years I will have worked in an HR department and hopefully received a few promotions, saved some money, and traveled the world; I have an extensive list of places that I would love to visit! Then my personal life will take priority for a few years, as I plan to have two children. However, when they start school, I would like to get a job in Student Affairs at the college or university that is in my town. I am interested in Student Affairs and think that it would be a great career decision for me due to the fact that I will have had ample experience with policies, procedures, and people. More specifically I would like to be involved with a special scholarship program or study abroad program to incorporate some sort of educational enrichment into my life and possibly provide more opportunities for travel.

This is my projected future and I am avidly working toward a lifestyle that is as close to this as possible because I believe that it will make me happy and bring a sense of purpose to my life- a purpose that is elusive at the moment.

The Machine is Us/ing Us

I enjoyed this You Tube video about computers and the way that they will affect everyone. The title, The Machine is Us/ing Us, is interesting and thought compelling to say the least. I believe the title is making a statement about how we created the machines and computer technology, hence we are the machine in a way. However, since the advancement of technology, machines have come to dictate more and more aspects of our lives. It is almost unheard of that people will turn off or even leave their cell phones behind for the day or even a few hours. We have become dependent on machines for personal and business purposes; even though we made the machines, the machines still dominate some aspects of our lives.

Web 2.0 affects people who are in and coming into the workforce similarly due to the recent advancements on the Web. Everyone must be aware of the new applications available to them as well as updated applications. This means that people already in the workforce will have to stay up to date with technology and the rules and regulations regarding it to succeed. This will take some effort, but can be done. Those that are coming into the workforce must be made aware of all of the applications available and the changes that are regulating the web. People will have to be increasingly computer savvy in the workforce.

As technology continues to advance and become more easily accessible, we will have to rethink everything: our rights, our privacy, our goals, our businesses. Everything will change as more and more information is accessible on the web. Laws and regulations will have to be put into place for the protection of information and people and everyone will have to abide by the rules put into effect. Our relationships with others has already changes since the creation of the Internet and e-mail and will continue to change. Technology is advancing rapidly and everyone must keep up with it and adapt to the changes that technology brings. No one will be left unaffected; everything will change and it is up to us to determine how.