Miscommunication Experience

One experience that I have had in the workplace in which information was miscommunicated happened while I was working as a lifeguard several summers ago. It was about two weeks before the country club pool would open for the summer, and I had spoken with the head lifeguard about coming back to work. I told him that I was definitely interested in working as a lifeguard again, and I asked him to please let me know when he had posted the schedule. When I didn't hear from him, I went to the pool the day after it had opened to see what was going on with the work schedule. Sure enough, the schedule was posted, and I had been scheduled to work the day before. I immediately called the head guard, and I spoke with him about the situation. He apologized and told me that it was no big deal, but I believe that the whole situation could have been avoided if our head lifeguard had made sure that all of the lifeguard staff was aware of the fact that he had made the schedule and that it was posted at the country club. As a result of this miscommunication, schedules were made and posted several weeks in advance.

Presentation and Portfolio

I really enjoyed Erin's presentation on first aid. Being certified in first aid and cpr myself, I feel like it's important for everyone to know the basics. Erin had great information, and I liked that she included demonstrations in her presentation. Like Erin said, you never know when knowledge of first aid, cpr, and the heimlich maneuver might come in handy!

Overall, I haven't really had much experience with online portfolios. I remember going to a presentation about our eportfolios freshman year for CU101, but, honestly, I haven't touched in since then. I should probably hop on that since it's required for graduation and all :) I guess we'll see how the experience goes. In order to ensure that I'm ready for the portfolio draft, I need to start collecting and organizing all of my materials. Since I have already completed my resume, chosen a job description, created an individual presentation, and have written agendas/minutes for groups meetings uploaded onto Blackboard, I need to finish preparing my cover letter and continue to work on my follow-up letter. In addition, my group and I will continue to work on our proposal for Healthy Campus Initiative. Hopefully, I will be prepared after completing these tasks!

3 presentations

I really enjoyed Laura's presentation on women's gymnastics at Clemson. I have a sorority sister that was a founding member of Clemson club gymnastics, and she is always talking about how Clemson should make gymnastics an official sport. I think that Laura made great points in her case for making women's gymnastics an NCAA sport at Clemson. Not only was she passionate about the issue, but she had sound facts and statistics to back up her main points. Also, I really enjoyed Stephanie B.'s presentation on Locks of Love. I think that Locks of Love is a great cause, and I think it's wonderful that Stephanie has donated herself, along with several other classmates. Not only did I learn about the purpose of locks of love, but I also learned what goes into the process. For example, I didn't know that each prosthesis requires 6-10 ponytails! She had great facts and information on the topic, and she also made it easy for me to take steps in donating myself should I choose to do so by including the "hair donation guidelines." Stephanie seemed very passionate about the issue, and I thought she gave a great overall presentation. In addition, I really enjoyed Nate's presentation on "when the shark and the fish first met," written by Galid Shalit. Nate seemed very knowledgeable on an issue that I myself don't know much about. Before this presentation, I had heard about the story, but I hadn't heard the story behind it: how the plot of the story symbolizes the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and its author, who began IDF service in July 2006, was abducted and is currently being held prisoner by Hamas. I learned a lot from this presentation, and Nate definitely presented us with some thought-provoking questions, like "can Israel justify releasing 1000 potentially dangerous prisoners for the release of one p.o.w. (Galid Shalit)?" I guess only time will tell. I think that Nate did a great job! Until next time...

Cover Letter Advice

I agree with all of the advice given here. I feel like those who have written the advice have more experience on the topic than most college students, whether it be through an accumulation of knowledge from others’ experience, trial and error, or personal experience. The section on “The Best Use of a Cover Letter” was most useful to me. I think that knowing what to how to use a cover letter to your benefit, knowing what to include in a cover letter and how you could benefit a particular company, is essential. I wasn’t aware that the cover letter should be as specific and personal as they described, so I will definitely be more specific and personal when I write my cover letter for my mock interview in this class.

Client Meeting and Group Ideas

After meeting with the client from Redfern and hearing the mission and goal of the Healthy Campus Initiative, our group has been working on an approach to the project that would incorporate the use of Facebook, currently one of the most popular networks of communication among college students. I believe that accessibility, usability, and availability are important aspects in incorporating the project on Clemson’s campus. The idea is to create a Facebook group/application that would display the 6 core areas of health: physical, emotional, environmental, intellectual, social, and spiritual. Clicking on one of the 6 core areas of health would give you access and information on all of Clemson’s resources relating to that particular category of health, in addition, to linking you to the university’s website. For example, one might find more information about Clemson Outdoor Recreation and Education under the “Physical” area of health. By making all of this information easy to access and freely available in such an organized manner, I believe that Clemson students will be more inclined to get involved, use the university’s resources, and find what they are looking for. I think that one of the biggest concerns of our group is how to actually translate the idea to the computer and make the site easy to use. So far, I think that things in our group are coming along nicely; this weekend, each member chose a core area of health and is researching Clemson’s resources and available programs pertaining to the area. Hopefully, once research is completed, we can get this thing going…by then I’m sure we’ll have plenty of questions :) Until next time…

Interview Mistakes

Although I'm sure that there are plenty more mistakes that a person could make during an interview, I agree that these are probably the biggest mistakes. Personally, I have never had a formal interview, but I think that it is important to be aware of the biggest mistakes that a person can make in a job interview. Also, I believe that knowing the biggest mistakes can help me to avoid making them myself when the time comes. In order to be prepared for a job interview, I think that a person should do their research. It is important to be prepared, to practice, and to not be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. Being honest when asked questions and knowledgable on the job position will not only help the interviewer, but it will also make you seem like you are serious about the opportunity, you have done you're research, and you will be able to jump into the job immediately.

My Biggest Pet Peeve

Many people would say that manners are as quintessential to Southern culture as shrimp and grits, sweet tea, pecan pie, and the classic drawl that I myself find to be more eloquent than provincial. It is a way of life as inlaid as the cobblestones in the streets of Charleston, which I personally find myself tripping over on a regular basis. I, myself, was born and raised in the South. Born into an old Southern political family in Charleston, I learned at an early age that manners were something to be expected, not merely simple pleasantries characteristic of the region or signs of Southern upbringing, often exaggerated in movies like Gone with the Wind. In this blog, I want to address how a lack of manners has become an issue, not only to those raised in the South, but also to those who have come to call the South a second home. Manners are important to everyone. I find that they often go hand-in-hand with respect and impact how a person perceives you. First, I am going to tell you why I feel that a lack of manners has become an issue—and my personal pet peeve. Next, I will propose a possible solution to the problem. So let’s talk about why a lack of manners is one of my biggest pet peeves.
In the place where cotton was once king and “southern hospitality” has become a household name, I have found that some people have simply forgotten the importance of good manners. Whatever happened to that Southern hospitality?...holding the door for someone, saying “please” and “thank you,” saying excuse me when you bump into someone, “yes ma’am” and “yes sir.” Down here in Dixie, it’s not just about being polite; it’s about showing courtesy and respect to other people—treating people how you would want to be treated. It’s demonstrating a kindness that is not cliché that many people have seemed to have forgotten. So now that we see that a lack of manners is a problem, how do we solve it? I believe that the solution is effort. Everyone should make an effort to be polite and courteous to those around them. With manners, it’s almost like a “use it or lose it” phenomenon. If everyone made a conscious effort to show respect and be polite to those around them, after a while it becomes a habit. Also, I am a firm believer in the fact that manners are contagious. Not only could your use of manners brighten someone’s day, but that person just might be more likely to show the same courtesy to someone else. Southern hospitality and manners could definitely have a pay-it-forward effect if everyone made an effort! As you can see, a lack of manners has become a problem, but a little bit of effort can help to solve the problem.
All in all, some people have simply forgotten the importance of good manners, but if everyone makes an effort to be polite and courteous to those around them, we can bring back that famous “Southern hospitality.” Maybe it’s where I’m from, maybe it’s how I was raised, or maybe it’s me, and manners are as big a part of me as those cobblestones in the streets of Charleston. So please excuse me when I say that a lack of manners is my biggest pet peeve…Thanks ya’ll!!!