"Employers Study Applicants’ Personalities"

I enjoyed reading the article titled “Employers Study Applicants’ Personalities” because it made me think about and anticipate future job interviews. I like that companies are trying to decipher individuals that are genuinely interested in a job offer from the rest. I feel that it is important to hire people who will have a strong commitment to a company or firm. This is easy to say but definitely harder to do because people can try to hide their true personalities at times. I enjoyed reading about the interview process at Rackspace. I agree that having an all day interview would brush away one’s superficial persona and allow one’s true personality to be revealed. Nine or ten hours would have to be draining for both parties. At KaBoom, the manager is not afraid to turn applicants away even before the interview. I like the manger’s statements revealing that he is looking for future employees who “are constantly looking at themselves to excel, not just cross the finish line, but blow through the finish line.” It is vital for companies to raise their expectations of employees because the companies are delivering a product to the public; and therefore, they desire for their service and product to be almost flawless. Several job interviews are now very challenging but what an accomplishment to be obtain the desired job.

Dual Coding Theory

Being an elementary education major, I am familiar with the Information Processing Theory that we discussed in class on Monday. However, I did not know anything about the Dual Coding Theory. I think it is interesting how these two theories work can together in the marketing world. Excellent marketing is an art that is most effective when script and visuals are combined together to portray an idea. At first glance, words are just words, but when accompanied by a picture, words can rapidly activate an emotional response in people.

After flipping through a few magazines, “Everyday with Rachel Ray,” “All You,” “Glamour,” and “L.L. Bean,” I discovered how images when accompanied with words are extremely persuasive in advertising. Marketers market perfume adds perfectly because they include words, images, and smells. The Estee Lauder advertisement for Pleasures Delight has a large image of Gwyneth Paltrow smiling with her long blond hair flowing in the wind. People are initially interested in this image because of her beauty and fame. As the viewers look more closely at the advertisement, they will see that Gwyneth is offering luscious deserts of red strawberries, vanilla cookies, and strawberry iced cupcakes to the viewers. She looks very kind and welcoming. Marketers are targeting viewers’ sense of taste through the food images. As the viewers flip the page, marketers grasped the viewers again by targeting their sense of smell through the sweet aroma of Pleasures Delight. I love how the advertiser writes on the fold out for the sample perfume, “Experience Estee Lauder Pleasures Delight”. What a captivating and inviting line. The marketers of Estee Lauder are evidently well-versed in using the Dual Coding Theory. Now I even want to go out an buy this perfume.

Reflection on Group

Working on the Habitat for Humanity Web site Proposal has been a learning experience. I have enjoyed working with the other group members within Team Fix-it to create a new Web site for Anderson’s ReStore. I have learned that it is important for all members of the group to pull their own weight evenly because it allows the group’s goals to be successfully achieved. Having a group leader that is organized, prepared, and enthusiastic about the work is wonderful. Rochelle did a superb job as group leader! The group did not have many miscommunications except for meeting times. We tried to send out e-mails reminding group members of the time and place. Perhaps calling members a day before the meeting as a reminder may be beneficial in the future.

Our group was successful in brainstorming ideas throughout the proposal process. Members listened to the ideas of others with respect. It is important to acknowledge that not all members will have the same views, thoughts, and opinions; however, valuing others comments is vital. I enjoyed the personalities of the group members. Each individual brought a different yet positive aspect to the group meetings. A few examples include promptness, caring, respecting, and praising.

To improve in Phase 2, I think it will be beneficial to look at the proposal again to insure that appropriate formal business communication is present and uniform throughout our work.

Memories of Thanksgiving

Two of my favorite holidays of all time are right around the corner! I love Thanksgiving and Christmas. For the past two years, my mom has cooked an enormous Thanksgiving feast for my dad’s side of the family. Last year was incredible! My sister and I helped my mom prepare the Thanksgiving supper. When I was a lot younger, my family had the tradition every other year of driving all the way to New Jersey to visit my mom’s family. I always enjoyed going to New Jersey for Thanksgiving because I loved spending time with my grandmother. I have always called her “Nana.” Today, Nana is 93 years old and is still going strong. Nana usually would cook the Thanksgiving meal. I remember helping make the mashed potatoes and cumber salad. It is not customary for my mom’s side of the family to eat casseroles like green bean, sweet potato, broccoli, or macaroni and cheese. Everything prepared is made fresh that day.

Customs like this one are different from how my dad’s side of the family prepares their Thanksgiving meals. My grandmother (Dad’s mom) is crazy about casseroles. I could not believe it when she told me that she begins preparing them a few days in advance. My Grandma’s two specialties are her sweet potato casserole and macaroni casserole. The sweet potato casserole has brown sugar and pecans on the top of it. It is so delicious!

Over the years, my mom, my dad, my sister, and I would alternate attending Nana’s Thanksgiving dinner in Trenton, New Jersey, Grandma’s Thanksgiving dinner in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and my mom’s Thanksgiving dinner in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. My favorite Thanksgiving meal is of course the one prepared by my mom because she takes a little bit of both flavors and prepares a meal with Northern and Southern flare!

Interview Reflection

My interview was conducted on October 10, 2007. Prior to the interview, I researched Clemson University’s Graduate School of Elementary Education. This simple research allowed me to become familiar with the curriculum. My favorite sentence in the program’s description states that the master’s program supports teachers facilitating “lively class discussions and active student involvement.” I was excited to read that Dr. Dee Stegelin was the Program Coordinator.

I am thankful to have been given the opportunity for a mock interview because the interview was excellent practice for admission into graduate school. Prior to this interview, I consistently had a fear of interrogation by the interviewer. After this mock interview, however, I developed a new confidence in my ability to speak during an interview. In the past, my pattern for preparing for an interview consisted of rehearsing elaborate answers to potential questions. The mock interview was the first experience that I have had in which none of the questions that I rehearsed were asked. However, I answered all of Angie’s questions with ease and confidence. I walked out of the interview feeling proud about my communication skills. I learned that excessive rehearsing is not always needed because the interviewee can not predict the exact questions to be asked. I know this revelation may seem obvious to many, but it took several years for me to realize that the ideal preparation for an interview is to relax and feel confident in your academic successes and communication skills.

I am pleased with the interview experience. There is one aspect relating to my non-verbal communication skills that I will change for the next interview. While talking with Angie, I realized that my eyes would look upwards towards the ceiling at times. Although this is a habit that most people do when they are pondering a question, I think it can hinder interpersonal communication. Therefore, during the graduate school admission interview, I will be conscious of maintaining continual eye contact.

Class Presentations

The PowerPoint assignment went really well! I thought everyone in the 12:20 MWF class did a wonderful job. The topics for the assignment varied greatly. The presentations were informative, interesting, and exciting. Certain aspects about some of the presentations really stood out in my mind. I liked Krystal’s technique of having only one factual point on each slide. It made the audience focus on that one sentence. Krystal did an exceptional job revealing the myths and truths about breast cancer. I liked that the presentation began with the myths instead of a traditional approach of stating the definition of breast cancer first. Her technique highly captivated the audience from the very beginning. I also liked Mark’s technique of having a slideshow full of pictures rather than full of words. The pictures of his hometown in France were breathtaking and more informative than words could ever be. I have never been to France and after seeing the pictures of typical life in France, I am so excited about traveling to Europe soon!!

I also liked the video clip that Hilary incorporated into her PowerPoint slideshow because it reinforced the hard work and dedication that the rowing team must possess in order to be successful. Hilary was very enthusiastic throughout her presentation which captivated the audience. Prior to the presentation, I had little knowledge about the rowing team here at Clemson. Now, however, I understand the extreme dedication that is required. I liked the choice of background that Katie chose for her PowerPoint presentation on “Gilmore Girls.” The fall leaves where so beautiful and reminded me of the show. The background fit perfectly with the setting of Stars Hollow. After seeing and hearing about the show, the presentation made me want to go watch a re-run of it! These are just a few of the aspects of certain PowerPoints that I thought made the presentations great!!

Baking With Mom

One of my favorite childhood memories is helping my mom in the kitchen. My mom and I both really enjoy baking! She is a wonderful cook, and I am so thankful to have learned some great tricks from her. My first memories in the kitchen are from when I was five years old. My granddaddy made a special stool that I could stand on so that I was at the proper height to work on the kitchen counter. My grandmother gave my mom an apron that my mom used to wear as a child. I always felt special when I helped out in the kitchen because I was allowed to wear this beautiful blue and white flowered apron. As a young baker, my mom would help me locate all of the ingredients in the pantry and refrigerator. My favorite dessert to bake was peanut butter cookies made from scratch. I always enjoyed adding the vanilla and the peanut butter to the mixture. My mom and I were a great team and still are!

As I got older, my love for baking continued. When my sister was old enough to bake, she would help me bake cakes for our parents. We also used to make incredible homemade chocolate chip cookies. This recipe is so great that I have the entire thing memorized. If you would like to bake these delicious cookies, here is the recipe:

2 eggs
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
½ cup of brown sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla
2 cups of flour
1 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of baking power
2 cups of chocolate chips

Mix the first 5 ingredients into 1 bowl. In another bowl, mix the next 3 ingredients. Add the mixture of 3 ingredients to the mixture of 5 ingredients. Add in the chocolate chips and bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes for some incredible sweets!!