Spring 2009 students

To be successful in this business writing class you have to stay on top of your assignments. Make sure you check your class page to know your assignments for the following week. Keep your book handy because it will be your best friend when it comes to writing your business writing assignments. Make sure for your client project, you pick a good group because you will be spending a lot of time with them. Also for your client project make sure your group does everything on a schedule so you do not put it all off until the last minute. Finally just make sure you have fun. This was my most enjoyable class this semester and I am sure it will be for you too!

Client Project Reflection

From working with my team members, I have learned that group projects can be beneficial when working on a big project such as this client project. It is nice to be able to split up the work and also to get input from other people. There is always someone to contact if you have a question or need help. The best thing about this project is my group. I have a really good group. We all work well together and get along really well. We made doing this project fun. My biggest challenge has been being group leader. It has been hard finding times to work on this project together. Now that we get class time it is not as big of a problem. It has also been difficult writing each part of this project from the informal report to the proposal although it has been a learning process along the way. Next time I have a group project I have learned to communicate with your group on a regular basis so that everything doesn't get put off until the very end.

Dual Coding Theory

The first system in this theory is that people process the language. That is exactly what happens in this add. The first thing I notice is the words "We believe." Then I notice that it says "practice like champions." The second system is to process visual displays. Then I notice that this is written in a gym. But I also think that the two other statements are visual displays. We I look at this add it looks like someone painted the statement "practice like champions" on the wall above the door on the gym. I also kind of see the statement "we believe" as if the team is running out onto the field through that sign. The third system is to process the connection between the language and visual display. I think there is a strong connection because the language is the visual display. The last thing I would see is that it is a Nike add. Then I would realize that Nike is promoting belief in yourself and to play like champions.

Miscommunication

This past summer I worked at a spa. We had one treatment for couples called the Riverbath. As spa attendants we were required to set up the Riverbath and have it ready for the couple to retreat in 30 minutes prior to their couples massage. One day at work there was a huge miscommunication. I was just arriving when this was all happening, but there was three other female attendants there. Each attendant thought the other was preparing the Riverbath, but they weren't. It was almost time for their massage to start a therapist noticed that there was no one in the room for the River bath. She came and told the attendants and we had to fix the problem. Because of this communication we had to talk to the couple about what happened. We then had to ask them if they would mind having their Riverbath after their massage. Luckily they were a very understanding couple and said that was okay. There was also a massage scheduled for that room after theirs, so we had move that massage to a different room. This could have been prevented by simply asking each other if we had started the Riverbath or just going to look ourselves.

Mock Interviews

I thought the mock interviews helped a lot. I was a little nervous when I went in there, but when you started talking to me my nervousness disappeared. There were a few questions that through me off. I know people always ask about strengths and weaknesses, but that question always kind of throws me off. I did learn to tell how I have overcome my weakness. Also another question that threw me off was the one about my most unique experience with working at the spa. I was not expecting a question like that; I did though answer honestly about something I really like about working in the spa. I learned a lot through this process. I was given some good tips after the interview was over. I learned to try to relate anything I possibly can to my job that I am interviewing for. Also I learned to state ways in which I have overcome my weakness. It also helped that you looked over our cover letter and resume to give us tips on how to make it more appealing.

Presentations

The first presentation I really enjoyed was Jennifer's presentation on Clemson Dancers. I love to dance. I have never taken dance lessons before, but I did cheer for three years in high school. I also dance for my sorority dance team. I grew up doing gymnastics and other sports such as softball and basketball, but I have always had a passion for dance. I love to go to the clubs, to watch dance tv shows, and to watch professional dancers dance. I would definitely be interested in trying Clemson Dancers.

The second presentation was the one that Jan did on study abroad in Italy. I am planning on studying abroad in Italy for a month sometime in May and June. I love the Italian culture and especially the food. The Italian language is also very beautiful. My heritage is also partial Italian. I think Italy is a beautiful place and would be an amazing experience.

The third presentation I enjoyed was Case's presentation on the South Carolina state flag. I am a South Carolina native, born and raised. I proudly support our state flag. I am a native of Charleston and love everything about it. Case also brought up a lot of interesting facts that I never knew. This presentation taught me a lot about something that means so much to me.

My Family-Free Blog

For my free topic I want to talk about my family. My family means everything to me. I have one older sister. She is only 15 months older than me so we are pretty close. She is a cosmetologist and works in a salon and spa in Charleston. Not only is she a cosmetologist but she also sings in a band. She sings in a local band in Charleston that plays a lot of jazz and hip hop sort of music. My mom is a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Charleston. My dad works at the ports in Charleston. My family is very close. Even my mom's side and my dad's side are very close with one another. We have lived in Charleston my entire life. My dad grew up in Charleston, but my mom moved around a lot. All my other family, for the most part, lives in Charleston or just outside of Charleston. We see each other a decent amount. Usually on Sundays we all go over to my uncle's house, grill out and lay by the pool. My neighbors are also pretty much a part of our family. They are from Philadelphia and moved to Charleston about five years ago. My family and there family hit it off and are now very good friends. My family is my backbone. We all support and are behind one another 100%.

Cover Letter

I agree with all of the points that have been provided through these websites. These few websites give a lot of good advice. The advice that I will probable use the most is "best use of a cover letter." This site gives much advice that contributes directly to a basic cover letter. It tells you how you should write the letter. It gives you the specifics of what should go into each paragraph. This site also tells you what you should target. You must not talk about yourself and how great you are, but should discuss how you can benefit the company. It refers to the cover letter as a product that you are trying to sell to a customer. The customer is the business where you are applying and the product is yourself.

There are a few things this tutorial discussed that I was not aware of which could help in making a better cover letter. I did not think you could add a p.s. into a cover letter. Now I realize it is a great addition. I would like to try this to add a little spice to my cover letter. I also did not know about the testimonial. This makes the cover letter very personal. The testimonial allows you to sell yourself to the company that you would like to work for.

Articles about interviews

The first article I read was "Four Questions to ask a Potential Manager." I chose this article because I believe it is good to get to know your manager. I want to have a job that I love. Hopefully I will not have to work for someone else for very long, but I will some point in my life, especially right out of college or graduate school. I want to get along with all my coworkers, but especially my manager. These four questions are good questions to ask. They will give me insight into how interested my potential manager will be in me. I want a manager that cares about his/her employees. By paying attention to the manager's tone while he/she is discussing the answers to my questions, I will hopefully be able to tell if he is interested in me and his other employees. I also believe that asking questions at an interview is a good thing. This will make you seem truly interested in the job and the manager. Asking questions will let the manager know that you are serious about this, but that you are looking for a healthy workplace. The question asking about the "ideal employee" is a great question. It allows you to see how your manager likes his employees to work. It also gives you insight on to whether you and your manager will be compatible, thus leading to a healthy workplace. The question about what kind of employees he has will let you know how much he cares and how well he knows his employees. I believe that a manager should get to know his staff and vice versa. The question about how he measures success on the job kind of goes along with what an ideal employee is. This question could also tell you if you would meet the criteria of the manager. I believe this article is a great way to get to know you manager, see if you would be compatible with this manager, and show interest in the job.

The second article I read was "Six Common Job-Interview Questions." I chose this article because that is one thing that I have had trouble with in the past at interviews. I believe that this is the most challenging part of the interview. This article gives you the six most common questions. The first question about strengths and weaknesses always tough to answer. No one wants to sound boastful thus making it hard to discuss your strengths. They also do not want to put themselves down thus making it hard to describe your weaknesses. This question is best if you have previously thought of these answers. The next question about why you left you last job has never been a problem for me because all my jobs have been seasonal. But I in my future this will be a pertinent question and I believe that honesty is the best policy when answering this question. The third question about describing a previous work situation will be challenging if you have not thought about this before. If I could just think of a couple situations then I should be fine. When discussing my ideal work environment, I will be honest. I will tell my manager what I like, while remaining flexible. The question on how I handle mistakes will be tough. You do not want to say a way in which the employer is not used to working with. The final question on whats your most notable accomplishment definitely needs to be thought about previously. This article is great because it makes one aware of some of the toughest and most common questions. This article is a great way to prepare someone for an interview.

10 Year Outlook

In ten years I hope to be settled down with a husband children and a good career. I plan to graduate from Clemson in the next two years. I soon will be applying to graduate school. I plan on attending MUSC, but that's only if i get accepted; keep your fingers crossed. I plan on attending MUSC for physical therapy and eventually getting my doctorate in physical therapy. After graduating physical therapy school I hope to work for some athletic team. My dream is to one day be the therapist for a professional sports team, preferably football, but I love all sports. I hope to meet my husband and be on the route toward marriage while in physical therapy school. I want to work for the sports team once I graduate, but only for a few years. I hope I would soon be married out of graduate school and my husband would travel with me when I have to travel while working for the sports team. I eventually want to open my own practice. I want to settle down in Charleston, but that's likely to change depending on where I might find the best job. I want to have some children, possible two or three. But ten years down the road I hope to be settled into my life. By the time I'm thirty I hope to have already gotten my doctorate in physical therapy, gotten married, been the therapist for a professional sports team, had children and in the process of opening my own practice.

Web 2.0

I believe that the title of this video means that web 2.0 is the new world. Our lives revolve around the web. We cannot communicate without it or most people cannot at least. Its almost as if we have created something that is so high tech and beneficial but yet so damaging at the same time. For example, people entering the workforce have an advantage over others who entered the work force, say five years ago. Web 2.0 allows people search for careers online. It allows for one to submit resumes online. In businesses all over the world, the web is used as their main source of communication. People who are entering the workforce now must know how to communicate by using the web. As to their advantage, since our lives revolve around web 2.0 we already know how to do that. But web 2.0 can also be a disadvantage for people entering the workforce because companies can look up any information on someone just by getting on the web. Web 2.0 also affects people already in the workforce. First of all people in the workforce must learn to use the web for their daily activities. Not all these people grew up web 2.0 so it is a new experience and something else to learn. Although the web may be something new, it is a great way to communicate more efficiently with other coworkers or other companies. When the video says we have to rethink everything it is right. Because web 2.0 is becoming so dominant and depended upon in anyones daily life, we must rethink how we use the web. We must not let the web weaken our communication skills. We can't let it affect the personable conversations we should have people friends and family. Also we must be very careful about what we put on the web because it can improve aspects of your life and/or career greatly or can destroy aspects of your life.

About Me

My name is Samantha. I was born and raised in Charleston. I am a junior Health Science major hopefully minoring in Athletic Leadership. I plan on attending MUSC for physical therapy after I graduate Clemson. I love all sports, but I especially love football! My dream is to one day be a physical therapist for a professional sports team.