Saturday, December 8, 2007

Final

I greatly enjoyed my semester in Business Writing. I was able to do something I never had before, be a part in creating a website. Unfortunately I do not have many skills when it comes to technology. Working together with everyone in my class helped me to realize that working as a team is very beneficial. The great thing about team work is if you are weak in one area others, who are more skilled can help you out and visa versa.

Business Writing with Angie Rogers is a wonderful course to take that helps you to get acquainted with skills that will be expected to have when you apply for your first full time job.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Creative



Something crazy must have happened to me over Thanksgiving break!

As far as I can tell, I may continue eating until I burst! No matter what I do, I am constantly hungry. I was spoiled over the break with many wonderful home cooked meals, and now that I have returned to college I cannot stop eating. I believe the true reason for my constant hunger is that I am unable to be satisfied after any meal, other than my mothers home cooked meals.

I am lucky enough to live in an apartment where I can prepare my own meals. But, as we all know, nothing can beat a mother's cooking.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Plays well with others

There are many good and bad aspects to this new idea of hiring those that you know will mesh well with your current employees.

Casciaro and Lobo of Duke University brought up one point that plays a big role in who companies often hire. Today there are many laws that ensure equal job opportunities to all that apply. If companies begin to have this frame of mind while hiring new employees we may lose diversity in the work place because people naturally prefer those similar to themselves.

At the same time, when people get along with one another at work they are found to be more productive. For example, a sports team is always better the closer the teammates are to one another. In this same way, a company's productiveness may rise the more a like its employees are.

Of course, this may make job hunting even more stressful than it already is. You may be the most mentally prepared person to take the job but still not be chosen for the position. Although I believe this may be unfair at times it also may be a good idea for our society to revisit, valuing a person's character over their job qualifications.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Dual Coding

I was unable to post this until now.
Answers.com defines the Dual Coding Theory as: a theory of cognition was first advanced by Allan Paivio of the University of Western Ontario. The theory posits that both visual and verbal information are processed differently and along distinct channels with the human mind creating separate representations for information processed in each channel.

In this century, our generation is regularly bombarded with all sorts of dual coding. To me, one of the most obvious examples of duel coding occurs in self improvement adds, such as diet or exercise machines. In such adds the depict overweight people who are extremely unhappy. These people use all types of dual coding to convince you that they are unhappy. They will talk in a sorrowful voice, have poor posture and frown up until the moment you see them "after using the product. After using the gym or taking pills the people are transformed. They now smile, talk in chipper voices, have good posture, and the women may even begin to wear make up again.

It is sad but, we are greatly affected in our thinking when we observe dual coding in action. Even if the people watching this commercial are not overweight, they may believe they are. Then they begin to worry that they appear to others just as the overweight people appear on TV, sad and unhealthy.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Group Projects

I believe I have ended up in one of the best groups to work with on the Haitian Foundation web site. Although my group was randomly assigned I believe we each are able to bring unique and valuable talents to the table.

We have only had one misunderstanding within our group. We scheduled a meeting time, and later discovered that three of the five members were unable to attend the meeting. After learning this, one of the two remaining members decided the meeting would no longer be productive, so also did not show up. Unfortunately we were unable to inform the fifth member of our group, in a timely manner, that the meeting had been canceled.

A way we could avoid miscommunications such as this would be to discover a more reliable source of communication than e-mail. The exchange of cell phone numbers would be a fitting resolution to prevent this from happening in the future.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Art

I am a fan of almost any type of art. Anyone who can simply sit down and create a beautiful master piece, greatly inspires me . There are many types of artistic abilities that I wish I possessed. The talents that it takes to create your own music, paintings, furniture, and beautiful photography are amazing.

I have been told that each of us has our own creative talents that we will discover one day. In the past year I have begun to truly search for my own. Although I have not yet discovered one that I am talented in and absolutely enjoy, I have greatly enjoyed exploring the arts up to this point.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Interview

My interview with Dr. Pagano/Mrs. Angie was last Friday, October 12th, right before Fall Break at Clemson University began.

I was incredibly nervous about this interview. I truthfully did not know what to expect. I have only had one job that I had to interview for and it was very relaxed. I did not really know what to expect out of an interview for graduate school. As silly as it may sound, I definitely learned that you should carefully examine your own resume before the interview. This way you can feel completely comfortable while discussing aspects of it with your interviewer.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Habla Francés?

As you learned during the first week of classes, if I choose to go out of the country it would normally be somewhere they speak Spanish. I have been to Nicaragua and Mexico.and enjoyed every minute of it. When told I needed to choose which language to learn, French or Spanish, I had no difficulty deciding on Spanish. I feel that Brittany's presentation allowed me to spread my horizons and find interest in a new culture. I enjoy hearing personal experiences; I believe that is why Brittany's presentation spoke so loudly to me. It was amazing to me how she was able to learn about and visit so many countries. I would love to one day see the Eiffel Tower in person and many of the great works of art throughout Europe. I now, one day, plan to visit Europe so that I can also be exposed to many Cultures all at once.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Free Post!

I have had a both wonderful and busy week so far.

My eldest sister, Rose, and her husband, Brian, moved from Anderson to Pendleton this past weekend. My immediate family traveled this way to help. It may annoy your average college student to be bombarded with so much family all at once but I greatly enjoyed my time with them. It was quite distracting but my family has been incredibly close ever sense my senior year in high school and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

When I say my immediate family was here I am including: My mother, father, two sisters, their husbands and their children. As of right now, I have one niece, Leah, and one nephew, Jackson. Their mother is currently pregnant and has one more on the way. I am one of the proudest aunts and I am very excited that I will have one more niece or nephew to play with!

I have great happiness for Rose and Brian. Their new house is beautiful and a much more comfortable fit. I enjoyed the time we spent helping Rose to organize her new home. Luckily for me, Rose and Brian live much closer which will make it easier to visit them as well as use their new washer and dryer!

Monday, October 1, 2007

How to Pinpoint Accomplishments That Will Make Your Resume Shine

I am submitting this post a day late because the internet was down on campus last night, 9/30/07.

This article reveals how important listing your accomplishments on your resume can be. A New York-based executive search firm was quoted saying he places, "three times as much value on results versus responsibilities on a resume." When I read this I began thinking of my own accomplishments and how I could make them stand out. Career Journal gave 5 pieces of advice on how to make this possible which were:
1. Ditch the modesty
2. Review a Performance Checklist
3. Use Job Evaluations
4. Measure your results
5. Cite Recognition

Of the five pieces of advice given, the one I feel would be most effective was citing what things you have accomplished. You may think the name of an award you were given completely describes why you were chosen but explain why you were such a good candidate. Explaining this may make your skills more apparent to your possible employers.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

You Can Say Too Much Without Even Speaking

I greatly enjoyed this article and believe body language can significantly impact your chances while in a job interview. Body language can say so many things that we may or may not agree with.

This article helps you to think through your actions before and during an interview. The author pointed out four common types of body language including: eye contact, fidgeting, posture, and closed body language. Of the four types of body language discussed, there were two I could easily see myself being a victim of, fidgeting and closed body language.

When I am nervous I am prone to all sorts of fidgeting that I now see as a disadvantage. Although I would be very interested in the interview I had, I am very cold natured. As I learned in the article, crossing your arms can display a lack of interest. I will definitely bring a coat of some sort to my future interviews to avoid any possible misunderstandings. I believe you must first be conscious of the body language you are displaying, then you will be able to express your interest in the position correctly.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

My plan for the next decade

I do not know the new and different options that may come my way in the next ten years, but I will give you my plan for what I would like to see happen.

I would obtain my Psychology undergraduate degree from Clemson University in the desired four years. Immediately following graduation, I will go on to get a masters degree in counseling and follow the path to become a certified counselor. While trying to obtain this goal, I must fulfill each of the requirements that the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) calls for.

I will finish my Master's degree work by completing at least 48 hours at The University of Georgia or Columbia's International University. To become a certified counselor you must complete your graduate and undergraduate degrees. After that is completed, I am required to fill 3,000 hours of counseling experience over 24 months. I will also need 100 hours of post-Master's direct supervision. My supervisor must hold an advanced degree in counseling or something closely related. In addition, I must receive a passing score on the National Counselor Exam (NCE).

Sometime during this journey to become a certified counselor, I hope to find the man I was meant to marry. I would like to work as a counselor until we decide to have children. I will then choose to be a stay at home mom until our children are in their teens. At that time, I will re-enter the work force and, again, put to use the skills that I have learned to best assist those in troubling situations and/or those with chronic disorders.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Web 2.0

The video about Web 2.0 was able to reveal many subtle truths about how the communication of today constantly changes. The title, Web 2.0, could suggest that the web itself still has progress to make. As demonstrated in the video, we have developed many new ways that our words may express ideas. Giving the web a version number implies that there are still changes to be made to the Internet.

Web 2.0 has a great affect on those who are now entering the work force, as well as on those who have been working for years. Unfortunately, I believe the new employees of today are better prepared than those who have been in the work force for years. They are now having to learn how to use the new advances in technology. Most future employees have grown up with the Internet their whole lives. Unlike the experienced workers of today, those new to the work force are able to easily understand how to use technology. New employees still have to learn about the small advances we have made recently on the Internet but already understand the it as a whole. Current employees may have gotten their jobs before knowing how to manage computers, or before the Internet became important. This is very true in all types of jobs within The United States.

It seems crazy but is very true, we must rethink everything. The Internet has changed the way our world works. We can now do things much easier than ever before. The way we think of relationships, writings, and safety has had to change thanks to the new advances on the Internet. While it has made communication much easier between different branches of a business, it has also made things such as plagiarism much easier to commit in todays world. Communication as we knew it, not long ago, has drastically changed for the better as well as for the worst.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Me!


Greetings,
My name is Rachael Marchette. I transfered to Clemson University in 2006
from Francis Marion University. I always planned to go straight to Clemson but was in a bad car wreck my Senior year of high school. The wreck caused me to have difficulty walking. Because of this, I stayed close to home, Florence, SC, for my Freshman year in college. I am a Psychology major, minoring in Business Administration. After I complete my undergraduate degree, I am also planning to get my Masters degree in Psychology. I am excited about this class because I struggle with formal writing and need to develop this skill before I go on to get my Masters.