Free Write - Spring Practice

It doesn't really feel like I am half way through with "Spring Practice 2008." We finished the eighth of 15 practices on Saturday, and I am already counting down the days until I finally get a break. It has been a long year full of football and school and the end of spring practice is the culmination of it all.

Spring practice is broken up differently this year than it was last year. Instead of having two weeks of practice, spring break, and then two more weeks of practice we had one week of practice, spring break, and then finish with three weeks of practice. The first week of practice wasn't that hard because we had something to look forward to. Spring break was merely a tease of what freedom felt like and now it is back to work. It does feel good to be half way done, but the next two weeks are going to drag on. It also doesn't help that teachers are piling on work as the semester nears an end.

The next two weeks are going to be a challenge. I am going to have to follow a strict schedule to make sure that I get everything done. The good thing is the finish line is in sight. A month of relaxation and laziness is drawing nearer, and I know now that I can make it!

Lying on Your Resume

The work force is becoming a more and more competitive atmosphere, and it is increasingly harder to get a job. It is sad to find out that over 50% of resumes have false information in them, but it does not surprise me. People are trying to find a competitive advantage, and when they can't find one they turn to fiction.

It is no surprise that more people are being caught with false information on their resumes. With technology expanding at an exponential rate, it is easy for employers to discover if information is true or not. I would not be surprised to see new programs in the near future to help combat false information on resumes.

People who are honest don't always come out on top. A person who has lied on his or her resume might get a job over an honest person because of the credentials that are listed. One of the facts of life is "life is not fair," but when it comes to circumstances like this, a person should not be forced to embellish to be successful. I would hope that more extreme measures are taken when exploring whether the information on a resume is true or not, and the punishments should be to the extreme when false information is found.

I hope that I am able to be successful enough to have a great resume, but if I don't I hope that I have enough character to accept my resume for what it is. Things eventually work out for people who do the right thing.

Response to Presentations

I really enjoyed the presentations that took place in class. It was interesting to see what types of interests different people had, and it was easy to tell what people felt comfortable talking about in front of the class. When I found out about the presentation, I knew that the easiest topic to talk about would be football because I am involved with it so much. Other people talked about hobbies and interests that consume their lives, and it is safe to say that the class is very diversified.

I enjoyed all of the presentations. Etta's presentation on slang terms was fun because it involved the entire class and made people laugh. Leigh did a great job of getting the class involved in the presentation by having us perform tests to determine dominance in our bodies. My favorite presentation, however, was Matthew's presentation about music. It was short and sweet but accomplished everything that a presentation of this sort requires. The title, "Had a bad day?," grabbed me right from the start. I did not know exactly what the presentation was about, but it had me hooked. The statistics given were relevant, and the information in general was right on target. Giving away a CD at the end of the presentation was a great way to get people to remember what he had talked about, and it definitely was in the back of my mind when I began thinking back on the presentations.

The presentations were quite a success in my opinion. Once again, we performed a task that might be part of our daily lives in the near future. It is great to have practice before you have to do something for real, and it is nice to have a little fun while you are doing it.

Mock Interview

This mock interview experience was essential for me because I have never actually been interviewed or held a real job. I have played sports my entire life with one sport leading to the next, so I have never had time to have a job. My athletic career will come to an end one day, and I will need to know what to expect when it comes time to apply and interview for a job.

I have lived on a tight schedule my entire life, and now that I am playing college football I have realized the importance of time management. I made time the night before my interview to read over my resume and look over the website for the graduate school for which I was "interviewing." This helped me during the interview because I was able to recall some information that was relevant to the graduate school. I felt prepared walking into the interview.

I feel like Ms. Rogers did a good job of portraying what an interviewer would act like. She was very professional and asked questions that made me reveal what type of person I am. I did not have any reason to be nervous in this mock interview, but even if it was a real interview I would have been at ease because I was well prepared. The one snag in the interview came at the end when she asked if there was anything I did not like about my personality. I did not know how to answer the question, but Ms. Rogers told me how to answer the question skillfully after the interview was over.

I did not think that I would learn much from the mock interview, but I realize that it was very helpful and will be important when I have to interview for a real job.