Message to Spring 2009 Students

Spring 2009 Students,

Angela's Business Writing class is one of the most helpful classes I have taken at Clemson. To be successful in this class make sure you pay attention and keep up with the assignments. She lets you pick your groups for the client project so make sure you pick the right people. You will spend a lot of time in your groups working on your project, so just make sure you use your time wisely. The client project requires a great deal of work but as long as you divide it up properly you will be fine. You want to make sure you keep up with your blogs and don't get behind. Angela makes it very easy to know what is expected of you through her "To Do" list which you will learn about on the first day of class. Also, don't be scared of your portfolio assignment it is very easy to compile and launch for others to see. She is very willing to help you in anyway possible and really has your best interest at heart! Enjoy the class because you will actually be able to use what you learn in this class in the real world.

Project Reflection

This is the first project I have had at Clemson that you actually get to work with a real organization. Usually it is all hypothetical, so I liked the fact that what we did as a group can actually be used. My group has very diverse majors which has been very helpful throughout the project. We all learned how to work well as a group and use our strengths and weaknesses together. The best thing about this project was being able to have the freedom to come up with our own way to help the organization along with some guidance. I think it is important for the organization to give broad areas that need help but still letting us pick how we help. This works to their advantage because we may see things that need improving that the organization might have missed. Our biggest challenge was figuring out where to start. After that it was somewhat difficult to get Anna and Dave, the webmaster, together along with us to discuss our first vision to see if it was even possible. After that we were able to get started with the project and move forward. Something that I have learned that will be beneficial for my next group project was the time sheets (minutes). They are very useful and efficient when keeping track of the work accomplished.

Miscommunication

I work sometimes at a little kids store that does hand painted personalized items for kids. This includes writing names and drawing designs on items such as backpacks or plastic containers plus many many other items. The customer fills out the form for the artwork and leaves it with us and usually picks up their item the next day. It is imperative that the information on the form be direct and specific. In the first few months the store was opened, things were going well and customers were happy. Until one day when the customer's idea of what they meant was different from our view. This caused an unhappy customer which we re-did the item for but this also taught us a lesson. We learned we needed to be more precise in the way we filled out the order forms and we also decided to add a signature at the bottom of the forms. This signature is where the customer would "sign off" on that we were both in agreement of what the end product would look like. This would mean that if the customer came to pick up the product and did not like it how it turned out we would not be held responsible. So now we can avoid the miscommunication between our customers by going over what the product will look like and having them sign saying they understand and agree. This helps with our overall customer satisfaction which is our number one priority!

Interview Reflection

Was I nervous? Yes, even though it was not a "real" interview it still makes me nervous. I'm not great on having to "sell" myself so anything like an interview is not my favorite. I did my best to act calm and focus on the questions being asked while trying to relax. I feel I did well with my answers to the questions asked. One question threw me that I just couldn't come up with an answer for right away, but that just shows me I needed to prepare a little more for it. If I could do the interview again I would prepare a little more for it so I could more thorough with my answers. I was able to see where I can improve with my interviewing, so that I can do better the next time!

Presentations

I thoroughly enjoyed the presentations this week and the opportunity to get to know my classmates better. My 3 favorite were Kate, Jan, and Jess. Kate did a great job explaining how to make lemon bars and I'm not gonna lie they were probably the best lemon bars I've ever had! That will definitely be our next dessert made when my roommates and I have a "family" dinner! Jan's was very interesting because I have always wanted to travel abroad and unfortunately will not before I graduate, but I loved learning about it. Italy is one of the places I have always wanted to visit and that caught my interest as well. I also loved Jess' presentation on dark chocolate!! It's good to know that my dark chocolate and red wine are good for me! Everyone did a great job but those were favorite!

the simple things...

After spending the weekend with my cousins who are twin girls that are almost 2 1/2 years old you wonder where time goes! It seems like yesterday I was 5 years old without a care in the world and the only thing I had to worry about was whether or not I got to play with my favorite toy. It seems that when we are little all we want to do is grow up so fast, but once it starts actually happening all you want it to do is slow down. Being older is fun but it does have its consequences. You have to be responsible, get a job, and realize every decision you make will more than likely effect the rest of your life. I just wish sometimes I could go back to the days when all I had to worry about were the simple things in life. It just seems as you get older you forget to stop and take a deep breath and remember that life is short so enjoy every aspect of it as much as possible. I definitely try to slow down and take in everything that I experience and experience as much as I can in the time I am given. So go on take advantage of life and seize the day!!

Cover Letters...

I think it is important to remember that a cover letter is not about you specifically. It is however about how you can better a company. You should relay to the person reading the cover letter that you have thoroughly researched them as a company and that you would be a great employee for them with specific examples. I would agree that your cover letter should always be specific in who you are talking to. Even if it means calling and researching to find out, it will definitely benefit you in the long run. I liked the cover letter checklist the best because I am a person who likes to have a list of what needs to be included. Even though check ists are helpful you can not use it as a cop-out. Make sure your cover letter is the best possible and easy to understand. You want to stand out when employers are looking at hundreds of different cover letters a week. It is clear that a cover letter is part of your first step in the door and therefore it is important to have a spectacular cover letter along with your resume.