Remote Meeting

We had a really positive experience with our remote meeting. We weren't able to get together one particular day but we had information that we needed to discuss. Having the opportunity to meet over the internet really saved us. We used Google Hangouts and had a very productive 30 minute meeting. One group member's phone died and we lost her but other than that, no other problems occurred. Meeting over an online chat can be extremely productive if you are in a pinch. It may not be the best way to meet, as most people are able to get more accomplished meeting in person, but it is a good alternative. I know that in my future ventures in business, this is something that will be a useful tool.

Working in Groups

There are many different challenges involved in working with teams. It involves clear and effective communication as well as productive behavior from every team member. Learning to balance these aspects of working with a group of people is difficult. People have different opinions and ways of doing things. Sometimes we have to be willing to back down and be willing to go with another team members idea for the sake of being most effective. This is something that I continuously am striving to perfect. A lot of times the way that we communicate things with others can cause conflict. We have to be careful in our wording and we need to be understanding when things don't go, or are not communicated exactly right. Working with my group, in this class, has taught me important lessons regarding communicating more effectively and being the as productive as possible. If we work closely with our team members, we can cut down significantly the amount of time the project would have taken simply working on it alone.

Peer Reviews

Through all of the years of English classes and writing papers there is something that I have not caught onto until now. I did not realize the effectiveness of peer review when writing a paper. For years it was something that I did just because I was told I needed to have it reviewed by someone else. The truth of the matter is that a peer review is essential to the success of any document that is being written. This is something that hit me as we reviewed each other's briefing articles this last week. I received a huge amount of input regarding how my paper can be effectively designed and altered to fit the requirements of this paper. I am definitely going to implement some of the suggestions that were given. I realized the amount of success I could have had in the past if I would have taken peer reviews more seriously. 

My goal is to perfect how I go about peer reviews in the future. I am majoring in public relations and writing effective documents is going to be a critical part of this degree and of a job in this particular field. Perfecting my process for obtaining a peer review is going to be of major benefit to my success throughout the rest of my degree and in my future career. I truly appreciate the input that I have received from all of my classmates and I appreciate the lesson that I have learned from the effective reviews they have provided.

Research...

I have never been a huge fan of research. I have always felt that it is time consuming and that I am never able to find what I am looking for. My opinion has not significantly changed, but I do feel a little bit more confident going into it after class this last week. We spent a good chunk of time covering how to use resources available through the school to effectively research topics online. I was amazed at the resources that are available out there to be able to find relevant information. I also learned about different ways to go about searching for topics so as to pull the most relevant information possible. I was able to find specific results in relation to the business briefing article that I am currently working on. The library's page is going to help me significantly throughout the rest of my education as I am sure this will not be the last research paper that I write in college.

Online Interview

The online interview was a new experience for me. I learned a lot in regards to what to differently, how I can improve, and how to strengthen the way I represent myself. I believe that I did really well keeping confident and being quick to respond. I felt that I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. I think that is an important part of interviewing. One big thing I learned about doing these online interviews is that you really have to be aware of your surroundings. It is probably a good idea to do a test run with a friend or family member beforehand. This is to ensure that you are comfortable with the program you are using and know how to get into the call. It can also help to evaluate your background, lighting, and sound to ensure everything is appropriate. I would also ensure that everyone that may interrupt is aware of what you are doing so as to prevent distractions or problems. All in all it was a very rewarding experience and I am glad I had the opportunity to participate in it. Darren Robertson was a 5 on professional tone and helpfulness.

Make Yourself Stand Out

Throughout our lifetime, we will apply for multiple jobs and go through several job interviews. How do we make ourselves stand out against the other candidates through these job interviews and through our applications? The first step of course is making yourself stand out on paper. Creating the best possible resume is an important first step to getting a job. The skills and experience need to be written in a way that exemplify your qualifications for the position. Another paper document that is important is your cover letter. The cover letter not only provides information regarding your skills and abilities, but it gives the employer the opportunity to see a sample of your writing as well as a sample of your personality.

The second step is of course the interview. It is important to maintain confidence and to be prepared for possible questions that may ask in your interview. Prepare by doing mock interviews with peers and get comfortable answering questions with other people. Make sure you understand all of the job requirements and that you are prepared to answer questions and demonstrate your knowledge and ability to perform these functions. If we can portray our strengths and make ourselves stand out, we will be able to land the job.

It Is Not What You Know, But Who You Know

For so many people things just fall into place. Opportunities present themselves that lead us down certain paths in our lives. Part of how these opportunities are created, is through the people that we know. We tend to shape our lives and create certain aspects of our personality based upon the people that we spend our time with. We mold ourselves to fit in with our surroundings, and in turn, we become who we are. 

If we want to become something or someone, we have to change our surroundings to fit the circumstance. That is what networking is all about. It is about putting yourself out there to meet people that can help shape us into who or what we want to be. Many opportunities can be presented or created if we network with the right people. The question is, what are we doing to network with the right people. It is important to get involved and to reach out to people in powerful places. We need to make ourselves known and make ourselves fit in perfectly where we want to be. As we continue with this path of progression, we will change a individuals and eventually become exactly what we want to be.