Thursday, February 14, 2008

Cover Letters

I like the advice given about cover letters in this tutorial because it is being given by a hiring manager. It shows what is going on in the minds of people on the other side of the job hunting process and makes the advice credible. Many of the points were interesting things that I didn't expect. The example cover letter, for instance, seemed very blunt and over-confident to me. I never know where the line is between being confident and being too pushy when going through this job hunting process. I did take the advice in however, and the only part I disagreed with is the handwritten P.S. suggestion. I feel as though a P.S. on a cover letter is unprofessional, and with it being handwritten, it seems like you are scrambling last minute to write down one more thing to make them like you because you don't feel like what you have already typed is suffice.

The part that was most useful to me in this tutorial was the bulleted list of what format to use and what things to include in each paragraph of your letter. I will definitely go back to that advice and use it when I begin to draft my cover letter. I wasn't aware that cover letters are looked at after the person reads the resume, so I will now work on making my resume and cover letter extremely effective, so that when my future employer gets to my cover letter, it will be just as impressive as the resume!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Telling Stories and Mastering the Interview

An Interview Strategy: Telling Stories and Mastering the Interview

I agree with the advice in both articles. Some of the advice seems like common sense, but for the most part it was very useful in preparing for future interviews. I have never prepared stories to bring up during interviews and found that to be useful advice. Sometimes, when I leave an interview I think back to things I wish I had told them about my life. If I came prepared with different examples for different scenarios, it would probably eliminate those regrets. The section of these artices that benefitted me most was the preparation, presentation, perception outlook on an interview. The tips on being prepared physically and mentally are things I will definitely put into use in the future. Asking the interviewer what type of person they see filling the position is a good tip for ending an interview, as well. I think this shows that the person being interviewed is just as concerned with the well being of the company as the interviewer. Overall, I took all of these tips into consideration for preparing for my mock interview.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Rhetoric of MLK and Clinton

Persuasion techniques used by Martin Luther King and Hillary Clinton are used for speeches with similar goals by extremely different people. Hillary Clinton delivered a speech in September of 2007 regarding the Health care policies that she plans to implement if she becomes president. I personally do not care for another Clinton as president, but reading her speech even made me think twice because of her excellent use of rhetoric. Clinton uses pathos in her speech by telling a story of a married couple who have health problems and must sell their 30 year home in order to pay the medical bills. She introduces the topic in this way to get her audience to view healthcare from the perspective of one who supports her health care suggestions. Martin Luther King also uses pathos when he provides examples of what life is like for an African American during this time. Both of these examples provided in speeches appeal to the sympathetic and empathetic emotions of the audience.

Hillary uses ethos with a few small remarks about her husband. She indirectly reminds her audience not only of her own experience and accomplishments, but also of the fact that she has been a first lady and has experience in the White House. These remarks establish her credibility to the audience. Martin Luther King does this as well in the second paragraph of his letter when he states what his honors and leadership titles have been in his life.

Overall, Clinton's speech on the policy of universal health care is effective in persuading the audience, but not as effective as Martin Luther King, Jr.'s. MLK allows those who originally opposed his platform to become inspired. Those who have pre existing opinions of Clinton might not be as inspired by her speech. I, for example, have never cared for Hillary Clinton, and though her speech was convincing, it wasn't convincing enough to make me pro-Hillary. The letter from Birmingham jail is timeless and inspirational. The persuasion is written so well that one could find all three types of rhetoric in every part of the letter. Not being able to differentiate between these types is what makes his letter such an excellent piece of literature.