Interviews

     Last Tuesday was interview week for MCOM 320.  We performed mock interviews to help us get the feel for how real interviews will be held.  This was a good experience for me to perform in an interview, and have someone else give me feed back on how well I did.  I haven't had many interviews so this was a big help to me.  One comment that my classmate told me is that some interviews can last longer than thirty minutes!  I never thought that an interview could or would last that long.  This helped me realize how important interviews are.  If I can prepare well for an interview, I will be able to perform in longer interviews; therefore, I will always prepare myself with company research, PAR stories, and personal attributes before I go into an interview.  If I come across a difficult question I will thoughtfully consider the question and then respond.  By preparing and considering difficult questions, I will perform well in my future interviews.

Finding a Job

     This week in MCOM 320 we had a guest speaker come to our class who talked about the important steps of getting a job.  I didn't realize how important it is to pay attention to small details in cover letters, resumes, and interviews.  If you don't do your cover letter well, potential employers will not look at your resume, and you will not get an interview.  Paying attention to detail will allow you to create a great cover letter that employers will love and cause them to look at your resume.  The next important step is your resume.  Make sure that it is done nicely and focused on what the employers want.  This will get you an interview and possibly a job.  The interview requires a lot of prep as well.  One important thing to remember is that you are also interviewing the employer.  With this idea in mind, the interview will go well.

     With this knowledge about the process of finding a job, I will  take the time to create great cover letters and resumes to increase my chances of getting an interview and a job.  I will also prepare for interviews by doing my research and also interviewing my interviewer.

Planning

     Nothing like an extra long holiday.  I got to go down to my hometown St. George, Utah.  I hit up Sandhollow Reservoir with my dad.  We caught some big bass and had a good time together.  I also got to spend some extra time with my mother and sister.  Time with the family is always a good thing.  Spending time with my family always reminds me of how much a part of my life they are to me.  This weekend I planned all of my homework so that I could spend all of my time with my family.  It is important to show those you care about that you care about them.  I didn't really learn anything over the weekend, but I was reassured about the importance of family.  When I plan family time, I will be sure to keep it family time.  I won't bog this time down with homework or other activities that can be done either before or after my time with my family.  By doing this, I will always have a strong connection with my family.  I encourage others to do likewise.  You will find your relationship with your family grow.

Quiz Study

     Reading quizzes, in my opinion, are the hardest to study for.  Quizzes individually are worth only a few points but collectively can make or break your grade.  Consistently missing points can give you an "A-" instead of an "A".  In MCOM 320 today, I studied for my reading quiz, but not as in depth as I knew I should have.  I quickly skimmed the questions, and I didn't thoroughly study the questions that were relative to the quiz.  As I was studying for the quiz, I knew I was studying quickly.  During class, I only partially knew the answers, so I didn't get all the points I could have received.  This experience has taught me to take the time to completely study all preclass materials.  By doing this, I will learn the material better for more important tests, and I will score better on my quizzes so I won't fall short of my goal of an "A".  With this lesson, I will plan out enough time to completely study all preclass material.  If I plan enough time, I will do better in my classes and get the points I deserve.

Let Us Present

     This week was all about presentations in MCOM 320.  I learned how to effectively stand up in front of people and tell them what I know.  I felt all of the knowledge I gained was common sense, but I did realize that although the keys to success in presenting are common sense, I will, do, and can commit the "sins" of presenting.  A few of these "sins" are lack of or too much hand signing, filler words, and poor use of space.  As I was listening to my teacher talk about the do's and don'ts of presenting I could see that she was using her techniques right in front of us.  When she committed one of the "sins", she would notice it and change her behavior.  I am going to adopt that same attitude in not only presenting but also life.  I am going to be more aware of the things I am doing wrong and make plans to fix them.  I believe the first step to correction is recognizing that you are wrong.  If I start recognizing the things I am doing wrong, I will be taking the first step toward correction.

Grammar Grammar Grammar

     This week was the week of the grammar test for MCOM!  I have learned a very valuable lesson thanks to the study I did for this test.  I have learned that I can master correct grammar.  Although I mess up sometimes, I am confident that I write grammatically correct.  This did not come easy.  I studied grammar over the period of a week everyday to learn all that I have learned.  Today I took the exam and passed it with an "A!"  I was so happy and my confidence in my writing ability grew immensely.  This lesson has also caused me to realize that through diligent study I can learn things that I was before not confident in.  With this lesson, I will stress less about learning new things, and I will master my weaknesses through practice and study.  This will help me become better in not only school but also everyday life.

KSS

    In MCOM this week, I learned about KSS.  You may be asking what this means.  It stands for keep, stop, and start.  These words are help mates in improving any aspect a person wants to improve in.  What you do is take what you are doing and say to yourself, "What aspects should I keep, what aspects should I stop, and what aspects should I start."  Using these three keywords will help you identify more specifically how you can improve.  In class, we applied these three words to presentations.  After each presentation, Professor Middleton asked the class to critique the presentation based on these three words.  Thanks to this activity, we were all able to improve our presentation skills.  I am now going to use these three keywords in other aspects of my life.  When I want to improve in an area, I will evaluate myself by asking these three questions.  By doing this, I will become better in areas where I am not strong.