1. The Humane Society of the United States. This website provides a ton of data and statistics from all over the country. It is clear that they have a done a lot of research on the overpopulation of pets and this data will be useful when working on our project. They also have great statistics on pet ownership in the united states and information on spay day.
Before this week's readings I had never heard of white paper projects. I was surprised to hear about how prevalent they are in today's business world. I am still learning about them and the process you go through in order to write a great one. I am really glad this is one of our projects because I believe that in our future workplaces the majority of us will have to write a white paper. I think that this project will be beneficial to me because it will help teach me how to present my ideas and concerns in a professional way.
Teenage drinking is becoming increasingly prevalent in our society today. This habit is usually simply brushed off as youthful indiscretions however, it is leading to problems such as alcoholism and depression later in life. It is also causing higher teen pregnancy rates and therefore higher welfare rates as these teens enter the "real" world. I think this topic would be a great idea for the white paper project because obviously underage drinking is a big issue here on campus.
After reading the article Junk Cover Letters..I realized the significance of the cover letter. I always dismissed the idea of cover letters because they had never really been emphasized in any of my previous courses. I figured even if you did include a cover letter the company was more likely to toss it aside and simply look at your resume. However, after reading this article I realized that the cover letter is the first impression the company gets from you and how good or bad it is can determine if your resume even gets a glance.
Before reading the articles on cover letters this week and having to write my own I had never really thought much about them. I had never included a cover letter along with my resume when applying to previous jobs. However, after reading this weeks' articles I discovered the importance and professionalism of the cover letter. As I sat down to write my own I found it incredibly difficult to not simply include the information in my resume. I realized a cover letter was a chance to explain the classes and skills I have that would make me a great asset to the company.
I have taken a number of classes in which I have been asked to write a resume. In these classes I have also been given advice on how to write a resume and taught the "correct" way to do it. However, each teacher has given me different advice and direction and I have to admit I was getting pretty confused. After this week's reading assignments though I am beginning to really understand what writing a good resume entails. The resume extravaganza activity really helped me because I actually got the chance to see how other people write their resumes.
The top 5 resumes I would call for an interview would have to be 2,5,8, 21 and 28. There are many reasons I chose these particular 5 resumes over the others. The first thing that stood out to me about these resumes was their layouts. They were all clear and concise and nicely organized which made them easy to read. Also, in all of these resumes the job experience they had was actually related to the job for which they were applying. This shows that they are interested in the field and have at least some prior knowledge which is great.
So far this class seems to be going pretty well for me. I have been keeping up with the readings and I have learned a lot from them. I have actually found them pretty easy and interesting to read as well. I actually found a lot of jobs I will be qualified for when I graduate which gave me some relief because I know finding a job now days is not always the easiest thing to do. I was not sure exactly what to expect from this class when I signed up for it, but I definitely think it will help me as I prepare to enter the "real" world and begin the job searching process.
After reading the article, "Online Remark Can Now Sink Job Candidate" I feel like my privacy is being violated. I was completely shocked by the fact that companies feel the need to "investigate" job candidates by looking at their personal and private facebook and myspace pages. Facebook was originally intended just for college students and I think it should remain this way. The majority of people in college like to have fun, act stupid, and drink with their friends.
As I began going through the job search process online I was pleasantly surprised. As I typed in the type of job I wanted and my ideal location, I realized many options came up. I was surprised again went I noticed that about half the jobs that came up were actually ones that I was qualified for or will be qualified for when I graduate. Doing this online job search was interesting and it gave me hope for the future. It made me realize that there are a variety of opportunities out there for my degree. Overall the job search made me excited for graduation and my future in the "real" world.