500 word description on group work

Group 8

Amber McAllister, Chancelvie Louzolo, Joseph Albers

As a group, I thought that we had a well thought out presentation, given the time restraints that we had in class.  Also, I think that we could have made many improvements to our presentation as well.  Some of the improvements that we could have made are not reading off our presentation, more content, and more preparation into the presentation.

                Firstly, we had problems reading off our presentation to the class.  As a result, our fellow peers were less engaged in our presentation.  One way that I believe we can improve this by is going over and practicing our presentation.  Another way to improve this is by giving eye contact to all of your audience throughout your presentation.   We had only gone over it in class one time before we went up and presented out topic.  I do know that there was a lot of confusion about which group member was going to do what part of the presentation.  We can solve this by delegating which group member has which part of the presentation to go over in class.

                Secondly, I thought we could have used some more content in the presentation.  Some of this was due to this being our first presentation in class and we were confused on how we were going to give the presentation in general.  I feel that I was lacking in content in our presentation in class, I believe I can solve this problem relatively easy and I have to use better time management in class.  I had troubles trying to start my part of the presentation because I have not given a presentation in a very long time, due to the fact I have not been in school for over four years.  As a result, I have lost some of my writing skills and my public speaking is lacking as well.

                Thirdly, your preparation into the presentation I believe is the most important process you must complete for giving a well done presentation.  Ways we can improve this is by knowing all your content and being able to say all of it in your presentation.  I thought that each group member knew what they had studied for the presentation but could have used more time in rehearsing each sentence we would say on our presentation in front of the class.  Also, time management in your preparation is very important in class because we were given an allotted time to come up with the material and organize your writing in the presentation.

                Overall, I thought our presentation was done well for being the first presentation we had to give in class.  We had covered all the material that we needed to give the presentation on our subject in class.  I believe that all the presentations were done well but also could use improvement.  In conclusion, I believe these three points are essential in giving a well done presentation, not reading word for word off computer to the class, giving detailed content, and having enough preparation on your presentation.

Presentation

Group 8
Joseph Albers, Chancelvie louzolo, Amber McAllister

Our topic is "Write to get a job" We chose this topic because after graduation, we all are looking for jobs. In this case, is it very important to know the right way of writing when they will be looking for a job. Therefore,we will be talking about how to write the resume and cover letters.

A resume is written document used to highlight your background and your skill set. You want your resume to grab the employers’ attention, in order to secure a future interview. In order to do this, your resume should be appealing to the eye and informative. Some ways to make your resume appealing to the eye, it should have an effective format. Invest time into the format and make it clear, concise, and to the point. Another way to make your resume appealing to the eye is using a readable typeface. This includes the size and font of the resumes. The three main resume styles are chronological, functional and hybrid. The resume should also be informative, by using your identification, career, education, honors, and your references. In addition to a resume, you also need a cover letter.

 

Cover letters are a very important piece to writing a resume. They cover many things. The main reason for a cover letter is to explain why you are sending the resume. With your cover letter you need to be very specific. Make it clear to the employer what you are looking to get out of the opportunity they are offering. Let them know that you have also done your research on the company. You do not want to go in for an interview with no knowledge what so ever. Also let them know how you found out about the opportunity. The cover letter will be read first, so make it count. Give them some knowledge about your background; show them you are qualified for what they are looking for. Show them your attitude, personality, motivation, enthusiasm, and communication skills. Make sure that you cover everything that was on the application that was not included in your resume. Cover letters should be roughly three paragraphs long. In the first one indicate why you are applying, and tell them about yourself. In the second one explain to them why you are interested and why they should consider you. And in the final paragraph make it known that you would like an interview or to speak to someone about the position. Also you need to make sure that you have your signature on the hard copy. Cover letters usually fall into two categories, applying for a specific job or to see if there are any openings. If you receive a follow up, make sure you send them a letter back saying thank and explaining why you would be a god candidate for the open position.

In conclusion, it is very important for students to know how to write a resume and cover letters. Because after graduation we will all be seeking for jobs. Put in your mind that an employer receives many applications but when your resume and cover letters are well done, you will have a chance to get a job interview. Hopefully, this information will be beneficial for you all when applying for a job.

Sources

http://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/CoverLetterSamples.html (9/17/12)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9 (09/17/12)

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/resumes/index.html (09/17/12)

LEO Research

I'm choosing writing to get a job.  I do not have a resume and I am unclear how to write one.

Story

You would think that growing up as a foreign ambassador's son would prepare you for the different cultures you would experience across the world, at least, that's what I believed. I traveled around the world with my family my entire life, going from embassy to embassy, meeting new faces and trying my tongue at every language imaginable. You would think I would have been sick of never having a place to call home, but that became the appeal. As soon as I was old enough, I got myself into college in pursuit of a major in world culture, thinking it would be easy considering my life experience. Starting my junior year I studied abroad in Brazil, which is when my easy sailing ceased. I found myself surrounded by the rich citizens of Brazil, but was warned never to go far beyond the city walls for fear of my safety. Outside of those walls was a whole different world of poverty. It was there that I asked myself how a thriving, modern community could exist when not one hundred miles away there was no electricity. I never really thought about life beyond the walls of the wealthy.

I earned my PH.D. and began spending all of my time in South America where I studied the evolution of culture within the continent. It often started out in Salvador, Brazil where I could drive around in a car and sleep in hotels and personal villas. This was my favorite spot to begin because of the small signs of different cultures that have entered Brazil since the slave trade brought Africans to the Americas. Outside the front steps of my hotel there was even a Masai, an African statue. Even Brazil was a mixing pot of cultures. From there, I traveled north until I hit the Amazon, then followed the river west. Once major cities start disappearing I find myself a crew of locals to assist and to teach me on my journey. My favorite trip introduced me to my friend Luis, a native of Chile who loved the outdoors, spoke many native languages, and was a drummer in his hometown ceremonies. His stories helped shorted our long days. 

Means of transportation was always the same, donkeys until the forest became too dense then we would trade our four legged friends for canoes from a native tribe after staying with them as long as our welcome would hold. My first encounter with Amazonian native tribes was not what I had expected, although one cannot really know how they will react when you are housed in hut with shrunken heads guarding the entrance from evil spirits for the first time. To be completely honest, the natives didn't always know how to react to us either. For instance, I was using a ruler to measure the length of some plants when a child asked me if I was holding a calendar. It was then that I learned that a stick was often used to keep track of days by  placing notches in it. I was also questioned when I took a letter out of my wallet to read and a village elder could not understand why we would need to use stamps to communicate our written word and why we needed paper to exchange for useful items when the paper (money) was of no more use than a leaf. All of my years spent in embassies could not prepare me to answer questions like that.

It was amazing how simple life always felt when I was with these villages. Women focused on taking care of the children, cooking and crafting things such as blankets, bowls and jars. Men worried about hunting and gathering while the children helped their parents. One of my favorite things to do with the children was to go out and help them gather nuts, a small and simple task but one that always taught me something. The children of the villages loved to teach random things about the world around them and I loved to learn. It was usually the youth that reminded me how simple life really was; something no embassy could ever dream of knowing.