Reflection

During this mentorship course blog we all have been participating in reflection. It involves the critical thinking of one's past experiences. Description is generally the list of details of a person, place, or a thing. Reflection involves the conscious thinking of one's experience with a person, place, or a thing. It can be described as the difference between a resume and the answers given in an interview. Reflection should be a daily activity. Proper reflection will enhance a person's confidence and will help lead to learning life lessons more impactfully.

In order to have an impactful e-Portfolio it is best to reflect back on past job and educational experiences. You will need to know what the most effective evidence will be. Thinking about the projects experiences that had the biggest impact on you. In order to know that you will need to think back on those experiences, coupled with reflecting on which direction you want to head into for the future. What are the requirements of this goal? What qualities should be exhibited? What experience do others have who are in the position I seek? Everything must have a purpose and relevance. The audience of your e-Portfolio is generally going to be prospective employers. They most likely do not have much time. So you must be focused and have a purpose.

This blog has forced us to look back on our academic and professional histories. What tools do you use to help you reflect on your personal and/or professional life? If you do not currently use any tools (although this blog should count as one) what could you begin doing and using?

P.S.

Hopefully at this point you have an idea of where you want to go with your IDS degree and you all seem very motivated. We have no doubt you guys will do great for yourselves! Since this is our last blog posting we would like to wish you all good luck and lots of success!! :)

Interviewing Part II

Recently, I have been on countless interviews and have heard a lot of different questions. I actually think that my inability to actually get a job has given me some much needed practice in the interview process. Although I am not interviewing for a career job at the moment I have still gotten some knowledge on how to "win" a position. That's what it is after all, a competition. I have been interviewing for jobs in hospitality but as you can imagine there are a lot of people going for the same job especially since I was going after serving jobs posted to craigslist. I have gotten the "Tell me about yourself...", "What can you bring to this restaurant if hired?", "What would your previous manager say about you?", "What is a piece of criticism you have received from a previous employer?"....the list goes on and on. Like I said I've been on a lot of interviews. With fine dining they take this stuff seriously. Ultimately, I learned what they wanted to hear and finally got a job.

So, basically here's what I have learned in a nut shell. Modesty needs to go out the window! The fact is that even if you have trouble talking about how awesome you are or even feel like talking yourself up is lying, I promise you there are other people that have no problem doing it. Those people will take the position from you if you let them. The on the spot questions about previous experiences (i.e. Tell me about a time when you had to think on your feet?) are the ones you should anticipate before hand and have an answer ready. The truth is there is no way for the employers to weed out the ones who are lying about their capabilities but they will choose who gets the chance to prove them self. So, bottom line? BE CONFIDENT. Believe you're awesome and the best person for the job. Worry about proving yourself later because you'll have nothing to prove is you can't wow them in the interview.

Other situations you may come across are phone interviews and panel interviews. These are probably likely for those of you wanting to teach abroad. I have personally not experienced either one but I assume the same applies. Speak clearly and articulately. Confidence can be heard as well as seen. Finally,there is the issue of salary. I have never been asked about salary in an initial job interview. However, from the experience of others, I can say that this is not something to be discussed until you are offered a position. With most entry level positions I assume negotiating may not be in your best interest. However, with some experience under your belt, you may be confronted with the question of salary negotiation. The general rule though? Wait for them to make you an offer before you spring the salary conversation.

So, to continue the interview topic...have any of you ever had to answer a tough interview question? How did it go? OR have you ever had a bad interview? Bad interviews can be great leaning experiences.

Perfect Interview

Interviewing is so important. You can't show someone how good you are at a job without first convinving an employer that you deserve the opportunity.

The perfect interview website is so helpful. In my experience with real interviews as well as from my cornerstone and capstone classes, I have learned that it is important to have certain responses ready in advance. I have been in interviews where I am asked to talk about my personal flaws and had no idea how to respond without making myself look bad. In the sample interviews that I took, the coach says to mention something that is harmless to your working abilities. While that seems obvious, it may be hard to think of an appropriate example on the spot. So, questions like that would be easier if you already have an idea about what you would say. I used to think that interviews were simple and you didn't have to prepare. Now more than ever it is important to prepare the way you would for a presentation or speech. You want to look your best and make the best impression possible because you are competing with dozens of other applicants.

Here are the links to our sample interviews, but I encourage you to practice a few times on your own too. Also, press the coach button...it helped me a lot.

Let us know how it goes. Also, do any of you have any advice or things that you've learned from your past interviewing experiences? We would love the insight!


http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3020934&type=standard

http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3020933&type=standard