I think it would be a really good HFPE or Sister's Night to do a class on My Space (MyS) and Facebook (fb). So many parents do not know what is going on with their kids on the computer and I think it would be good to show them the ropes. I am on both, but I prefer Fb over MyS. I haven't tried out Zenga or the others. It's a GREAT way to keep in touch with friends, especially those from high school and college whom you may not have seen for years.
Along with this night, another class option would be on interviewing and resume writing. As someone who does a lot of hiring for student workers and professional staff, I am always amazed by what people put on resumes, applications, and the things people say in interviews. And, its easy to get out of touch with these things if you haven't interviewed in years.
Here are a few tips on interviewing & writing a resume...
-Use correct grammar on your application...capitalize when you are supposed to...when I get apps with no caps I don't even look at them. If you are not important enough to capitalize your name, then you are not worth my time to hire. It shows a lack of confidence, so don't so it!
-On your resume--Don't put an objective or goal or mission statement...You don't know if what you say will be a turnoff to the person reviewing the apps. I get some with totally off statements and I don't pay attention to them because I think "well, if that is what they want, then my job isn't for them!". You cannot foresee what they are specifically looking for, so do not limit yourself in an objective or other statement!
-Always dress for the job you want even if it is not the job you are interviewing for...there is always a chance that you could blow their socks off and offer you a better job than the one you applied for...if you come in wearing jeans, then you might get a job that is a jeans level job and one you really do not want. If you come in professionally dressed, it shows confidence and it impresses people to think you are going places...and you are...or at least you want to be!
-Don't ever wear jeans to an interview---ever....and I mean NEVER!
-If you have a My Space or Facebook account, people may check it when you apply for a job, so watch what you put on there or make it private! ( I know lots of employers who check Fb and MyS, it really does happen and I know of people who have not been hired because of what they had on their Fb or MyS account.
-For interviewing, especially if you have not interviewed recently or ever....PRACTICE! You can look up on the Internet common questions people ask in interviews, have a family member ask you those questions and work on your answers so they sound fluid and make sense. people have told me I am a hard interviewer--I admit that I ask some harder questions but I really want to know how you will respond on your feet and to see how your thought processes go. Be on your toes and be prepared for hard questions...its okay to pause and think of an answer...I would rather have a pause and have someone think about the answer than get an "I don't know" or an answer that does not make sense or answer the question.
-Use a cover letter for explaining how your experience applies to the job, don't make your resume wordy. A cover letter should be relatively shirt. Start with To Whom It May Concern or similar, mention how you found the job and what position you are interested in, tell tham about your experience pertaining to the job and any specific skills that you have, then thank them and tell them to please contact you if they have any questions or would like to talk to you about a job, include your email and phone number(s) where they can reach you. End with "Sincerely", and your name.
-Use your own email address and make sure it is professional! If I get an app for someone and they do not have their own email, like they have their husbands email down as their email, it makes the person look subservant and lacking confidence...get your very own email! And, for job hunting, use your name or something similar like your name and a number or the year or something, don't use something like cutiepiegirl at email dot com...it doesn't portray a professional image.
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