The first two articles that caught my attention were very similar to each other, so I figured I would simply mention them both together. The same is true with the second two articles I noticed, so I plan to mention them together as well.
The first two articles I noticed were "More Sneaky Job Hunter Tactics: Faking an Insider Referral" and "Why Sneaky Resume Tactics May No Longer Aide Job Hunters." Once I read both of these articles, the thing that struck me most was the levels of creativity people will go to in order to deceive companies and corporations in order to gain job opportunities. The embedded texts for online searches as well as the colored text on the same colored background were very simple ideas, but things I would not have previously even thought of. The two ideas for writing what appears to be an insider recommendation on the resume, and especially the idea involving the "confidential" envelope going to a major executive seem excessively deceitful to me. Personally I feel that if you need that kind of effort getting someone to look at your resume you probably are not going to get the job anyway. Not only that, but the second article explained how, in a lot of cases anymore, many tactics, especially those of an online nature, are not only being foiled by newer technology, but being punished in some form or capacity. It seems to me that these tactics are not only unnecessary in many cases, but they are an unnecessary risk as well.
The next two articles that caught my eye were "Just One Job? Three Tips For Creating a Broad Resume" and "Five Resume Tips For When You Can List Only One Employer." These articles grabbed my attention since this will be my situation when looking for a job after graduation this December. Both articles were of benefit and both mentioned bolstering experience so as to broaden your resume. The other points of advice were quite helpful as well. Showing progression and adaptability seem fairly obvious as well as grouping skills and using subheadings though the explanations for each is helpful. I found the branding statement particularly interesting as well, though it seems it may be similar to a more specific objective statement.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Interviewing Tips
The first article that caught my attention was the one titled: "Ability to Pull an All-NighterCan Be as Useful as a B.A." I immediately had interest in this article considering the enormous amounts of all-nighters I pulled in architecture just for studio alone. These sometimes amounted to as many as one or two every other week, and quite often two or more in a row. Reviews for architecture students, which can often amount to as many as one a week, are often equivalent to tests for most other students classes. In these reviews we have to pin up our work present it to a panel of jurors, often in a formal presentation setting, then answer questions and receive feedback for future development and learning. After the review we are then graded on our presentations as well as the thoroughness, thoughtfulness, logic, and creativity of our work. The knowledge that the many, many all-nighters I pulled, as well as the group collaborations and time scheduling, can be mentioned in interviews and resumes as "soft skills" on top of the obvious skills and knowledge aquired through classes.
The second article that I was interested in reading was "You Can Say Too MuchWithout Even Speaking." This article at first glance seemed like it might have some negatives of body language such as doing something too often rather than not enough like I usually seem to hear about. Most of the article seemed to address largely standard issues I have always heard concerning interviewing etiquette. The thing that did surprise me was how people can maintain too much eye contact. It had previously never occurred to me that too much eye contact for an extended period could be awkward for the interviewer since I have always heard you must make strong eye contact in an interview situation.
The final article that really caught my attention was "A Job Hunter's GuideTo Recruiter Code Words." This article was not quite what I was expecting. From the title, I felt this article perhaps may have meant specific words used in interviewer questions which could give the interviewee a more substantial idea of what the interviewer is looking for with each question or statement. Due to this misjudging of the article I found it less intriguing that I anticipated, but somewhat interesting nonetheless. The terms used in this article seem as though they could be usedful for shorthand notes if you are the interviewer, but do not seem to be of a whole lot of use to an interviewee since they do not give much insight into how well an interview is going unless the interviewer allows the interviewee to see his or her notes afterward.
Some of the information in these articles is common sense, but a good deal of the information seems to be thoughtful and most likely previously unknown to the general public. The list as a whole seems as though it is very substantial as a help and advice resource for interviewees.
The second article that I was interested in reading was "You Can Say Too MuchWithout Even Speaking." This article at first glance seemed like it might have some negatives of body language such as doing something too often rather than not enough like I usually seem to hear about. Most of the article seemed to address largely standard issues I have always heard concerning interviewing etiquette. The thing that did surprise me was how people can maintain too much eye contact. It had previously never occurred to me that too much eye contact for an extended period could be awkward for the interviewer since I have always heard you must make strong eye contact in an interview situation.
The final article that really caught my attention was "A Job Hunter's GuideTo Recruiter Code Words." This article was not quite what I was expecting. From the title, I felt this article perhaps may have meant specific words used in interviewer questions which could give the interviewee a more substantial idea of what the interviewer is looking for with each question or statement. Due to this misjudging of the article I found it less intriguing that I anticipated, but somewhat interesting nonetheless. The terms used in this article seem as though they could be usedful for shorthand notes if you are the interviewer, but do not seem to be of a whole lot of use to an interviewee since they do not give much insight into how well an interview is going unless the interviewer allows the interviewee to see his or her notes afterward.
Some of the information in these articles is common sense, but a good deal of the information seems to be thoughtful and most likely previously unknown to the general public. The list as a whole seems as though it is very substantial as a help and advice resource for interviewees.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
In Ten Years Time
In all honesty I'm not sure exactly where I picture myself in ten years. I could be in Charleston, married, and working for an architecture firm designing houses with more classical styles, or I could be in Chicago or New York, single, and working for a large firm aiding in the designs of commercial skyscrapers around the world. Either of these options, as well as many other possibilities, seem not only viable, but also entirely likely. This uncertainty most certainly stems from my current indecision on exactly where I want to be or what I want to be doing in ten years time. Although my hopes regarding my future are still in development, there are a few details I prefer to think will be realities over the course of my next ten years.
First, I will most likely be living in a large city. Chicago, New York, Charleston (though perhaps not a true metropolitan archetype), Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, or any other of a host of large cities around the nation are, at least at this point, entirely possible. The largest reason for this is that architectural careers just are not found in small towns. In order to find the best jobs in the architectural field, one must live highly populated areas where there is a true need for architectural development. My auxiliary reason for living in a large city is, for lack of a better way to say it, because I want to. I grew up in Gaffney, SC which is not exactly a place of many people and many things to do. After living there for sixteen years and spending four years in small town Clemson (as much as I love it), I feel I need to be in a larger place with more to it on a day to day basis. This coincides with two, week long architecture trips Junior and Senior years to New York City and Chicago, as well as eight months, including a full semester's studies, in Charleston Junior year. These gave me some incredible experiences as well as an urge to live in any one of these cities.
Secondly, I want to hold a position which allows me to not only design structures, whether they are residential or commercial, but also have the opportunity to involve myself in some aspect of their building and construction also. This would be ideal, though I would be happy even if the construction aspect only extended to building furniture and/or models. The semester I studied in Charleston, I was part of a design/build studio, an introduction to craft (ITC) class, a building arts class, an internship with school credit, and a construction science and management class. I also had the opportunity to hold the position of shop czar in the woodshop which is located in the bottom floor of the old jail in Charleston. My studio, ITC, and building arts classes were all based on not only design, but building and working in the world of materials. I did work with Lexan (similar to plexiglass) and wood in studio, I built a large mahogany and maple toolbox as well as a couple of mahogany exit doors for the old jail in ITC, and I gained experience in iron working, stone carving, and masonry in my building arts class. I even had the privilege of helping build a timberframed structure as part of an interior design project I was working on for an art gallery during the Spoletto festival that summer. Each of these awesome opportunities furthered my desire for building and construction rather than merely design. Add to this the fact building models has always been my favorite part of my studio projects, and this leaves me with no other alternative than to work in a position where building, in some capacity, is a part of my job.
Over the next few years after I graduate, I plan to work for a year or two (most likely in Charleston), attend grad school (not sure where, though Clemson or the Illinois Institute of Technology are possibilities), and then get a job in most likely Chicago or New York City (though they are not the only possiblilities) for at least a couple of years. After that I really do not have any idea other than the two aforementioned details. Either way, I look forward to discovering just what my next ten years have in store.
First, I will most likely be living in a large city. Chicago, New York, Charleston (though perhaps not a true metropolitan archetype), Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, or any other of a host of large cities around the nation are, at least at this point, entirely possible. The largest reason for this is that architectural careers just are not found in small towns. In order to find the best jobs in the architectural field, one must live highly populated areas where there is a true need for architectural development. My auxiliary reason for living in a large city is, for lack of a better way to say it, because I want to. I grew up in Gaffney, SC which is not exactly a place of many people and many things to do. After living there for sixteen years and spending four years in small town Clemson (as much as I love it), I feel I need to be in a larger place with more to it on a day to day basis. This coincides with two, week long architecture trips Junior and Senior years to New York City and Chicago, as well as eight months, including a full semester's studies, in Charleston Junior year. These gave me some incredible experiences as well as an urge to live in any one of these cities.
Secondly, I want to hold a position which allows me to not only design structures, whether they are residential or commercial, but also have the opportunity to involve myself in some aspect of their building and construction also. This would be ideal, though I would be happy even if the construction aspect only extended to building furniture and/or models. The semester I studied in Charleston, I was part of a design/build studio, an introduction to craft (ITC) class, a building arts class, an internship with school credit, and a construction science and management class. I also had the opportunity to hold the position of shop czar in the woodshop which is located in the bottom floor of the old jail in Charleston. My studio, ITC, and building arts classes were all based on not only design, but building and working in the world of materials. I did work with Lexan (similar to plexiglass) and wood in studio, I built a large mahogany and maple toolbox as well as a couple of mahogany exit doors for the old jail in ITC, and I gained experience in iron working, stone carving, and masonry in my building arts class. I even had the privilege of helping build a timberframed structure as part of an interior design project I was working on for an art gallery during the Spoletto festival that summer. Each of these awesome opportunities furthered my desire for building and construction rather than merely design. Add to this the fact building models has always been my favorite part of my studio projects, and this leaves me with no other alternative than to work in a position where building, in some capacity, is a part of my job.
Over the next few years after I graduate, I plan to work for a year or two (most likely in Charleston), attend grad school (not sure where, though Clemson or the Illinois Institute of Technology are possibilities), and then get a job in most likely Chicago or New York City (though they are not the only possiblilities) for at least a couple of years. After that I really do not have any idea other than the two aforementioned details. Either way, I look forward to discovering just what my next ten years have in store.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Introductory Post
Well this is my first blog post ever. I have never actually kept any sort of diary or journal either, so I hope it is found to be, at the very least, acceptable. At any rate, my name is John Babcock, and I am a Senior here at Clemson. I am majoring in Architecture, minoring in Psychology, and should be graduating in December, barring any unforseen complications. My hometown is Gaffney, SC though I was born in Colombia, SC.
I chose my major because I always enjoyed drawing as well as designing and building things with blocks and Legos. I also took an industrial technology class in ninth grade where nearly half of the class grade was based on hand drawn floor, electrical, and plumbing plans as well as elevations and a scaled model of a house of our choosing. After taking that class I knew that Architecture was the field I should enter, and despite the many long hours in studio, I am still happy with my choice. As part of my major, I have had to take a couple of public speaking classes which should be of some benefit to a group. I have also had to develop some familiarity with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and I also have some experience with Microsoft Power Point.
As far as interests are concerned, I love movies, and my favorite type of music is rock in most all of it's capacities. My two favorite tv shows are Seinfeld and Scrubs, but some of my other top shows are Heroes, Stargate SG-1, Burn Notice, and Man Vs Wild. I played baseball when I was younger, and soccer for about eight years including a couple of years in high school. I enjoy paintball when I have the time and money, and have rowed for Clemson Crew.
I chose my major because I always enjoyed drawing as well as designing and building things with blocks and Legos. I also took an industrial technology class in ninth grade where nearly half of the class grade was based on hand drawn floor, electrical, and plumbing plans as well as elevations and a scaled model of a house of our choosing. After taking that class I knew that Architecture was the field I should enter, and despite the many long hours in studio, I am still happy with my choice. As part of my major, I have had to take a couple of public speaking classes which should be of some benefit to a group. I have also had to develop some familiarity with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and I also have some experience with Microsoft Power Point.
As far as interests are concerned, I love movies, and my favorite type of music is rock in most all of it's capacities. My two favorite tv shows are Seinfeld and Scrubs, but some of my other top shows are Heroes, Stargate SG-1, Burn Notice, and Man Vs Wild. I played baseball when I was younger, and soccer for about eight years including a couple of years in high school. I enjoy paintball when I have the time and money, and have rowed for Clemson Crew.
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