Getting the Experience

                Anyone that has ever searched for a job has faced the brick wall of "__ years experience required". Businesses and jobs will even post this as a requirement for entry level jobs. Key word is entry level, think about it, entry level means the bottom of the bunch where you go to learn and eventually climb the ladder. Most of us will not get a job in their desired sector that can count as some sort of experience. Luckily for the IT sector, you can get some computer experience and good money free lancing. As good as that is, experience in companies is 10x better than showing people how to turn their computers on at their house. I also happen to get lucky at my current main job where I get hands on experience in a corporate setting environment in a university. Using your university as job experience can be extremely useful and convenient, depending on the type of work you do. However something is always better at nothing. For anyone else who either wants more, or can’t get any of these two, internships are the way to go.

                Companies love interns because it’s free slave labor. As an intern, you work for free, usually doing the grunt work that the regular employees don’t want to do in exchange for work experience. Depending on how well you do and how well you are liked you may even get a job in your current company. SO how exactly do you get that internship? Once again Andrew Grinbaum has the answers in his book “Cha-Ching!”.

                The one way we all see every time we look at a college bulletin board is advertisements for various internships at different companies. Sometimes they come with schooling requirements as well as pre-determined. I’ve always looked at the boards for something worth cutting hours from my job, but for those that have the free time, I suggest that you look more often and thoroughly. The one problem I find and Grinbaum agrees with me is that your competing with everyone on campus, or even another university if the company posted in multiple places. Then again when you go for a real job you will be in competition with many people

                One of Grinbuam’s what looks like bullet proof strategies is to go directly to the company. To do this , contact HR and tell them that you are studying ____ in ___ university and would like to “donate your time”. After that, find out a name and email for a person in charge of internships at a company and send them your resume. If you get called to an interview, tell them that you are seeking some experience and give a frame that you are free. Interestingly Grinbaum says some firms have policies that the must pay their staff and this include interns, so if you can find one, do whatever you can to get it, because that’s unheard of. That’s one of the main reasons why myself, and lots of other people I know cant get internships, they are mostly unpaid. Like anything life, nothing is handed to you, you have to take the imitative and hope that it pays off. Putting in a little extra work in this case can in a sense eliminate the competition you may have when apply to a posted internship. After applying to numerous jobs I have actually learned that this approach also works for regular employment and not internships. Some companies don’t publicize that they are hiring, or like how I received my present job, something just happened to open up and I was there to take it.

                To sum it all up, if you can’t get any type of job in your field, get an internship! If you don’t believe they are worthwile, ask anyone that has had one, most people receive a job when they graduate, or when one opens up. I can name sever people in my family who had internships and the company they are currently employed at. Give it a shot, because you’ll never know where it might lead!

Choosing your Life

                When going into college your going attempt to plan out your future right from the start. This includes your future job. About half way through college you may change it, and later you may even change it again, it happens to all of us, twice to myself. Most of the reasons why we change is because of a change of interest, or realizing that were not willing to do what is required to get/keep that job. That's ok, because if we are all going to be doing something for the rest of our lives, we have to be happy doing it. My current business management professor, Andrew Grinbaum M.S. wrote a book "Cha-Ching!" which in its introduction describes how you should go on to planning your future career.

                One of the first things Grinbaum mentions is how when considering his options, he saw what other people that chose those options had to accomplish to get where they are. One of the reasons why I changed career decisions twice is because of the work that it was required to get there. I currently am a Computer Science major, and anything with computers seems to come to me with minimal effort. If I stayed with my first choice in pharmacy, I would be spending countless nights looking at different shaped molecules that make no sense to me. Also after taking 3 chemistry classes I realized I sucked in chemistry. If I were follow that path for the next four years, plus until I retire, I would be pretty miserable both on and off the job. No one likes to work with someone that is miserable. Obviously we all have our bad days and weeks, but if you hate your job, you will have a bad life. Loving your job on the other hand will make you a lot happier, and an interesting point Grinbaum makes in his book, harder to fire. Its something everyone has somewhere in their head in these tough economic times that they may get fired. Plenty of managers are told that have to cut at least one person from their staff. When its decision time, a lot of factors are taken into consideration. When its down to you or someone else, your boss will look on, who does the better job, and even who is better to be around. Some people are just a staple at the office despite screwing up every now and then. Depending on how close the office staff is, its sometimes better to be a better person than productive person. The reason for this is that its easy to change a persons work ethic as well as their on the job knowledge, however a hard to work with person, will always be hard to work with. Another interesting point is the more you like something, the better you will be at something. There are always those few exceptions of people who just have a natural gift, but for the most of us, our hobbies and interests tend to be our greatest skills. This is because you are more motivated.  

                Grinbaum mentions several way to help you get the idea about what you want as a career, such as Myers-Briggs Personality typing, self assessment, and even asking others. I myself went with not only a self assessment, but asking others for their ideas as well. I personally didn't take any test because every time I changed, I felt that I knew that that is what I wanted to do until I began to realize certain things about each field. When giving yourself a self assessment, you should make list for things you are good at. In the list write down things you are good at as well things you would like to be good at in the future. On the right hand side of this list have 3 columns with a section for your level in this skill, as well as your willingness to learn it, then total it up with number 1-10. You should add to this list over a few days, so it can become rock solid. Then you can search for jobs that require the highest of these skills.  When asking for the opinion form others that know and respect you well and have them write down what they see your strengths are. Sometimes we tend to lie to ourselves saying we are good or bad in something. Having an outside perspective is always good. From my personal experience asking someone if you'd be a good fit for a field, doesn't always work so well. Most people tend to in a way almost want to recruit for their field and may say you are even if you probably are not.

                The Myers-Briggs Personality test is a psychological profile that looks at 4 aspects of your personality: 1. How one intersects with others (extraverted vs introverted). 2. What sort of information one notices (sensing vs intuition). 3. How one makes decision (thinking vs feeling). 4. Preferring structure or spontaneity. Certain jobs require you to fit one of these qualities. A good example is being a salesmen, you must be extraverted and prefer spontaneity.

                You can try and use some of these techniques to help you decide before you end up wasting a year of college like I did, or 4 years like some people I know. It will save you a lot of debt and time. Good luck and I hope some of this helps you somewhere down the line!

               

Presentation Is Everything

                I think we can all agree that sitting at a presentation is boring. Every now and then you may have to go to one that about something you're interested in, but that's only if you choose to go. Majority of the ones we are obligated to go to are extremely boring. Since they are so boring your going to need to spice things up a little with some visuals. However there is an art to creating effective visuals, and not just throwing random clip arts around a slide. If visuals are used effectively, then your audience will pay attention at least a little more to maybe pick up and remember something about your presentation. Effective visuals can also increase a person's interest and outlook about a presentation. Say if your presenting to potential investors on why they should give you their hard earned money. A professionally done presentation, that leaves a good impression can make or break the deal. It's as they say with food, "presentation is everything". If you want to have a memorable presentation there are a few steps you should take.

                Chances are if you're making a presentation you're going to use PowerPoint, or its free equivalent Open Office Impress by Oracle. Either way your going to have to avoid creating a presentation that is full of animations and dancing objects, yet is not a boring mundane list of bullet points. You're going to have to find the balance between the two because having one of the two extremes will have bad effects. Two many animations and random pictures and colors will draw focus away from what you want to get across to the audience and towards some pretty picture in the top right corner. Also too bland your going to have to find a way to pull your audience away from dream land. Another thing to be wary about is the technology aspect. As a computer tech too many times have I been called to help in some way because the brilliant presenter had their presentation saved in different formats, or had it on a corrupted hard drive or saved to email, where the projector computer didn't have internet access. Find out what the are limitations of the technology where you are speaking at, and make sure you have your presentation saved in multiple areas. Five extra minutes of saving can save you a lot of time, stress and embarrassment in the long run.

                With those ideas in mind, it's time to make your presentation. There are two types of slides you can make: structured and free-form. Structured slides are slides that list the information that's to be said and are usually the most common because they make things easier for the presenter. These slides have a title, and bullets points summarizing the main points that are being spoken about at the moment. Little planning has to go into these because you speak about what is currently on the slide. However these can be an information overload to your audience as they are trying to listen and read at the same time even though your words and the PowerPoint are basically the same. Free-Form slides are more complicated yet simple at the same time. A Free-Form slide can contain a single, powerful image for your audience to relate your words to. This is more work for the presenter because you must have some creative talent to pick the right image and relate your speech to it.

                Chances are you're going to go with the structured slides and there is nothing wrong with that. However one important thing to remember is make it as easy to read as possible. From experience I can tell you that some older people are automatically turned off having to look at any digitally produced screen. You don't need to make matters worse buy having almost matching font color and background. make sure the text and the background have a high contrast so its easily visible. Don't use to fancy of a background because it can be distracting. Also make sure you only show the key points that are essential for your audience to remember.

                Why should you follow these rules? And why should you even care? If you are a student you'll never use these when you graduate, right? Wrong. PowerPoints are alive and well in the business world. When it's your career that we're talking about, a sloppy job, or an excellent job in the smallest of things can mean the world of difference for you. It could also mean nothing, however you have to think with the best possible situation in mind.

               

                               

Optimize your writing!

                During some time of our lives we have to write something. Most people don't like writing because of the effort that has to go into it, and I myself am no different. One thing i have observed through the years is how two people writing on the same assignment and even getting the same grade can put 1 hour into writing while the other puts in 3. The reason for this is not just because one person is a better writer than the other, but because of the steps the person takes to write. So now that its finals time and we all have giant papers due and multiple tests at the same time, it's time for a little efficiency.

                A perfect method to writing effectively is something called the 3 step writing process. Each step to the writing process has sub categories. Following through on each one may seem like a long time, but when you analyze each step, it's something you're already doing if you were to write. However using an organized fashion will increase your efficiency as works with many aspects of your life. Here is a quick guide to using the 3 step writing process to improve your papers.

                The first step is planning. We all know that we should always plan before we do, but honestly do you? If you do, how exactly do you plan? According to the process, the first part to planning is to analyze the situation. This means that you define your main purpose and build your target audiences profile. If writing to a professor, it may seem that there is no need for this, but there is. If your writing a paper about technology but its for a business professor, chances are that technical computer science terms may be confusing. Next is the obvious step, gathering your information. Remember credible sources are good sources. Next is selecting the right medium. Obviously your told to write a paper, that's what you have to do, but if your presenting something, consider what options you may have at your disposal. Once you got these three parts figured out, now you must organize all your information and figure out how it will be written and in what order it will be written in.

                The second step of the writing process is actually writing it. Here, well, you write! One key aspect to keep in mind is to be mindful of your audience and avoid any terms or phrases that may be considered insulting. Just because you don't think it is, doesn't mean someone one else shares your opinion, and if you want something in return from them (to buy your product, or give you a good grade), its highly advisable to stay away from offending them.

                Finally is the third step. This step is "completing" your work, crossing the t's dotting the i's and giving you work of art a shine to it.  If using design elements, make sure they're relevant and appropriate. Please don't add tie-dye backgrounds to your earnings report the higher ups, it wont have good after effects. If possible have someone else read it to make sure you haven't missed anything,  If there is no one available, wait about an hour to clear your mind of what's suppose to be there, and reread it yourself. Finally, if necessary distribute your message through channels. This can range from anything to billboards, to online forums.

                Hopefully you'll find this useful whether you're a business professional, or a student. It may help shorten your time writing, or it may lengthen it. But one this is guaranteed, you will have a better written message!

               

Business Communication

                As times change, so does the way we communicate. One of the big changes is in the ay we communicate. Not to long ago, we would be sending postcards and pictures through mail. Now we send items through email and they arrive within seconds. The most advanced form of conferencing was  with a conference phone where multiple people can talk without passing a handset around, now we have video conferencing where everyone can see everyone miles away. A name is given to the old and new methods of business communication. They are Business communications 1.0 and Business communications 2.0     The different types of business communication have different tendencies that reflect the age they were used in. Because of today's media age, Business communication 2.0 has tendencies that bombard multiple recipients with messages, while Business Communication 1.0 tends to keep towards a small group. Business Communication 2.0's tendencies also have ways for the receiving party to give feedback and communicate with the sending party. A perfect example is the "give us feedback" section of a website.

                When using the Business Communication 1.0 and Business Communication 2.0 method there are several differing tendencies according to Business Communication Today, Tenth Edition . One of the tendencies is a use of lecture to pass on information. This lecture is similar to that you'd have in a classroom. This differs from Business Communication 2.0 where a discussion is used instead. Lecture can be great to pass one persons information on to another, but it is completely one sided. Anyone can pass on false information that they may believe to be true, and because its a one sided share of information, it doesn't get corrected. However if multiple people can contribute to something, then you can get the best possible form of information.  One of the more interesting differences is the way information is spread and advertised. Years ago there weren't as many methods to communicate as there are today. Because of that, Business Communication 1.0 uses few channels to spread its messages, while Business Communication 2.0 uses a broad range. This in nothing but a reflection of the times at which each method was used. Years ago, the main methods of advertising were TV commercials and billboards. Today we have the internet. This gives us many more methods from Facebook, Twitter, blogging, ads on the side of webpage, RSS feeds, and even fan run pages. This gives companies so many ways to make sure their message reaches the target audiences. It even allows them to in a sense control who sees the message. For instance, an add targeted to men who are interested in sports, would be better suited on a sports webpage than if it were on the shopping section of a cosmetics website. Obviously this is an extremely exaggerated example, but conveys how important it is to keep communication specified to your target audience. Doing so, will ensure that they get it, and you don't unnecessarily spend money for advertising to the wrong group.

                A third difference between the two is the allowance for change and adaptation. The text uses words "static" and "dynamic" to describe the two, where Business Communication 1.0 is static, and Business Communication  2.0 is dynamic. My fellow geeks will understand the difference between the words from static and dynamic IP addresses, but for those that don't know those terms, static means staying the same, while dynamic changes. Business Communication 1.0 because of its few methods does not allow for change if the current method is ineffective, but Business Communication 2.0 because of its many different methods easily allows for changes to be made.