What to look forward to

The time has come to say good-bye to the class. The past 15 weeks have gone by fairly quickly. The five of us in class did a very nice job with communication skills, resume writing and many other job related tasks. Open communication was effective throughout the program which helped keep the class flowing.

As you begin this class, be ready to work every week on yourself. Look deep into your self to see what you are expecting in your new career and be prepared to jump in with both feet. There will be presentations to complete along with a community workshop, blog postings weekly and an opportunity to post resumes online.

The leanings from this class will  help all employees and employers find each other through the computer mediums.If you are looking for the ultimate job, this will help get what you are looking for.

Helping Create Business Information

There was a great opportunity to help a business get their information into the community. The initial contact was made and ideas for a brochure began to form. There was great anticipation to make this the best informational medium put together for the business.

After weeks of organizing, outlining, word or phrase changing, things came to a halt. The correspondence began to slow down. Additional information was needed and not presented, phone calls were not returned, needed pictures were not offered. This turned to be a total disaster.

As a class, we did out best to control the situation, sent out what was prepared only to get a relatively new brochure from the President of the business. Understanding for being too busy to convey additional information was beginning to take its toll on all of us, especially for Don Fruge. He was the contact person and was beginning to feel as though he had pushed too hard to make this perfect.

There is not much to do when all parties of a project is not willing to put 100% in. When one person starts to put things on hold, for any reason, the project will become harder to maintain. Patience but pushiness needs to be a virtue while doing a project of this nature.  Learning tools from this experience is to communicate from the beginning the intentions of the project, who will be responsible for what information and have an agreement of 100% participation ( from the client also). If one of these happens to fall, the project will not be completed on time or exactly what the client is looking for.

Teamwork Strategies

There will be many times when collaboration will be requested among a few or many employees or classmates. To be able to work together and accomplish the goal  may be a challenging feat or could work out nicely. This all depends on the ground rules, time table and tasks at hand that have been set among the group. Everyone needs to be on the same page when the task begins so the understanding of what is needed will take place.

There was a group project within the class that I am taking now. There are five students in the class so pairing up will be difficult. We were asked several questions relating to Audience Profiling so to understand there are different levels audience association. As a group, I feel we did rather well giving our inputs regarding the questions that were asked.

To pinpoint strengths and weakness'...
the strengths would be:

• Overpowering an answer was not evident.
• No one spoke while someone else was speaking.
• Open and Honest Communication.
• Gave opportunities to clarify for understanding.

Weakness would be

• Too quick to answer. In a hurry to get assignment completed.
• Not enough asking 'Why'.
• Was there total understanding of the assignment?

The best practices that would be advised for work collaboration is to make sure there is complete understanding of the task at hand. Allow the work place to have open communication so questions could be asked and answered correctly. Don't be afraid to ask 'Why'. The answers may surprise you.

THERE IS NO 'I' IN TEAM. If everyone has the understanding and concept of what is expected, the team will flourish.

The Effective Page Design

To create a web page.... it is important to have an effective page design.

Accessibility is very important while creating a web page.Readers want to navigate quickly through the information to find what is important to them. For extra information, there needs to be email addresses or links available.

To have the ease of knowing where they are on the website and where they need to go is essential.

 The page should be easy to read and error- free. Information should be quick to scan over with short sentences and paragraphs. Facts need to be top of mind while perfecting a web page. Readers do not want to read through a  lot of unneeded information to find what is of importance.

Good graphics is a must. There are readers that look for images rather than the wording. Having recognizable icons, screen elements will help readers remember where they were and where they need to get back to.

We have turned into a hurry up and wait society. We want the answers now, without too much waiting. Accessing the Internet has proven to be the best way to get the information readers want as quickly as possible. With the information placed strategically, precisely and accurately, readers are able to fulfill the hurry part of their lives, so they can wait for something more or less important.

Lannon ,John M     Technical Communication

Exceptional Horseback Riders of Saginaw County, Inc

This great organization has begun over 25 years ago to provide therapeutic and recreational riding abilities to both adults and children. With the motion of the horses, they are able to feel a sense of security, relaxation, along with stretching muscles that have not had an opportunity otherwise. This is a non-profit organization that offers opportunities for people of all ages to help increase confidence and self esteem located in the Freeland Area.

The meaning behind this organization is to help those with disabilities to get the sense of balance, strength , mobility/sensory input and motivation. The instructor is NARHA and 4-H certified and trained to work with various disabilities.

EHRSC are looking for volunteers to help with their cause. Those interested should  have some knowledge of horses, but not totally required. Since this is a non-profit organization, all donations are accepted. Fundraisers are completed to help purchase new items for the equipment needed to support those riding.

Brochures are being prepared to help get the awareness of this great cause so those that would like to have a chance to enjoy horseback riding along with strengthening their muscles may do so. An additional brochure will be available for those interested in sponsorship and fundraisers that will be needed.

The Function and Purpose of a Professional Proposal.

There are many types of proposals for different organizations.  These proposals could be the essential part of overall sales cycle. This would be a great way for customers to learn about a business. Jonathon Farrington stated, the best proposals will contain:

• Cover Letter
• Introduction
• Objectives
• Current System: Constraints; and
• Recommended Systems: Benefits

Tasks ideal proposals should

• Spell out the problem clearly and convincingly
• Point out the benefite of solving the problem
• Offer a realistic, cost-effective solution
• Address anticpated objections to the solutions; and
• Induce the audience to act.

There could be a negotitative aspect to a proposal. Once the idea has been presented, the audience may present changes they feel could help create a better situation.

References:
Farrington, Jonathon           How to Construct a Professional Proposal
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Construct-A-Professional-Proposal&id=327936

Service Learning

After reading information regarding Service Learning..the realization was this is another way of saying Training within an educational setting.

There was an article that talks about proper use of this tool to help teach others what needs to take place. Everyone learns differently. There are some that can read what and how to accomplish the needs of the business  and fulfill their obligation with no problems. Then there are those that will learn with the 'hands on' approach. Put it front of them and explain the concept and the whys, let them practice for clarity.

After the initial section of service learning (training) has been successfully completed, continue to followup to ensure proper assessment of their tasks remain in tact. Constant training will allow employees continual understanding of their responsibilities.

Strategies used to Maintain Effective Commincation

To ensure effective communication where my job, I would do my best to:

Be consistant with expectations for every one.
Be fair with tasks presented
Speak clearly and specifically to ensure no communication barriers
Ask for repeat of what was heard to verify understanding of tasks required.
While coaching, keep in mind, everyone learns at a different pace and different ways.
When acronym is not understood, explain what is means and why it is important.
Do not speak in monotone voice...this bores the ones listening. Spice it up a bit.

Do's and Don'ts of Social and Professional Networking

Do:
Interact---get your name out there through internet sources...Facebook, Twitter. As you go through these sites, be picky about whom you follow. Keep within your realm of likes and dislikes.
Do all you can to set yourself apart from everyone else.

Post relevant and helpful information--Share any knowledge or experience you may have. Present it in a way to be helpful, not self-promoting or critical of others.

Don't
Use foul language---Keep all postings clean and professional. Just the way you want to be presented or remembered.

Use inappropriate photos---People go on the internet often. If there are photos that would misrepresent you, these need to be removed. Potential employers may see these and decide not to hire you even though these were not as they seemed.

Make negative comments about previous employers----Potential employers will see any bad comments you place on these sites. If you begin to talk negatively about the past employers, what will you say about any future ones.

Share too much information--People tend to share more information on the internet than they would in person. They feel more comfortable speaking through a keyboard than to someones face. Placing too much information about yourself online could also hurt any chances of an interview. 

Elias Cobb

When it is time to get the correct answers pertaining to the best job seeking tips, the correct way to complete a resume or even how to counter-offer a job, seek out Elias Cobb's blog. There are many tips which pertain to these areas plus many more.

Elias Cobb is a Technical Recruiter Manager for Alumni Consulting Group. He has been a consultant for over nine years and currently managers two-three recruiters while recruiting IT professionals.

Here is the list of JOB SEEKING tips that he has posted

• 10 Job Seeking Tips
• Interviews with the Recruiting Agency
• 5 Questions Recruiters Won't Answer
• Resume Mistakes
• Counter-Offer----What to do?
• Job Hunting over the Holidays
• Finding a Job is a Lot Like Dating

Important Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself Talking about oneself could be difficult. Try not to sound too overpowering yet mention the positive. Mention your work history, recent career experiences and education.
2. Why do you want to work for us? Do your homework about the company. Know what they need and use that to your advantage. If there are areas of the business that does not interest you, maybe you shouldn't be at the interview.
3. What do you look for in a job?
 Keep answers pertaining to the position or organization. Answers like, “I like people" will not get you far. Give answers that will be related to opportunities rather than personal security.
4. What did you like about your boss?No one likes to hear negativity, especially the one doing the interview. Positive notes will be the wise thing to do, even if the job was not one of the best ones you have had.
5. What do you feel this position should pay?Do your homework regarding the pay scale this company offers. " I think this position should pay, $7.40", is not the way to go. The interviewer would like to know you are willing to take less but don't cut yourself short. Present a range to the interviewer so they could see you are willing to accept what they feel you are worth. You could also ask them for advice in this area