Spring Break Interviews

This past week during spring break, I went on three interviews. It was interesting to see the different ways each company or organization conducted their interviews. The first was for a financial consulting firm called Primerica. They are located in Northern Virginia and advise families and individuals on how to manage their finances so that they can retire. This interview was very formal, they taught me about the company, and actually offered me a position at the end. At first I told him that I was interested, but a few days later I sent Primerica an email respectfully declining the offer because it is not what I want to do. Next, I went on an interview at a medium-sized PR and marketing firm called Allison and Partners. They are located in Washington, DC, and I really enjoyed this interview. It was really laid-back, and Sonia, the VP of the DC office, was very nice and she seemed like she genuinely wanted to get to know me. I believe this is reflective of the PR and marketing sector of business, because I think that people skills and personality are very important. I think it went well and I would love to get an internship there because I think the people there would be fun to work with and it seems very close to what I want to do eventually. I would also love to work in DC. They did not offer me a position on the spot, but they spoke as if I would have some kind of position at the firm, because they asked me about travel, my schedule, and told me they would let me know about pay soon. The third interview I went on was Media Research Center, which is an organization in Alexandria, VA, whose goal is to balance the news media, so that it is not so liberally biased. The organization itself is not directly related to my intended field, but I interviewed for a marketing internship position where I would be in charge of researching and reaching the target market of a new website they have created, which will be similar to facebook. I would also be responsible for advertising this website. I enjoyed this interview as well and it definitely seems like it would be interesting, and I would be treated like a regular employee and have my own responsibilities. The woman who interviewed me, Lee Taylor, seemed to like me since we have similar educational backgrounds. She has her MBA in marketing and an undergraduate degree in French. They told me it seemed like I would be a good fit for the position, and that they would contact me in a couple weeks. I am definitely more comfortable now in interview situations even after just those three. I realize the importance of an interview in selling yourself and that it is a vital tool in showing what you have to offer that other people do not.

Lying on Your Resume

I found this article about lying on a resume to be very interesting. My mom helped me a lot in high school with my resume, and, although I never even thought about doing it in the first place, she was always repeating never to fabricate things on a resume.
The story about Mary, a woman who lied about having a master’s degree, was unbelievable. I knew that people tweaked made up small things here and there on their resumes, but I had no idea that individuals would make up such great lies such as having a master’s degree. Besides the ethical part of the issue, I would never lie on a resume because I am a very bad liar, and if asked about the job or credential I had fabricated, it would be obvious I didn’t know what I was talking about.
I also thought it was interesting how Isaacs noted that the more high up and prestigious the position, the more likely a person is to lie. I think this is very revealing of the corporate world today. It seems that a person have an impeccable, shining record to hold high up positions in companies. In addition, from what I hear, it is becoming more and more difficult to find jobs. This definitely increases the incentive to lie on a resume.
I am glad more and more companies are becoming more thorough in doing background checks pre and post hire, because, as I will soon be searching for jobs, it levels the playing field for everyone and makes it more difficult for people to embellish about their professional and extracurricular selves. I would be furious if I learned that someone beat me out of a job because he or she made up something on their resume.

Second Life Interview

The interview conducted in second life was very helpful. I am going on several interviews for internships during spring break (in about a week), so, although my interviews will be face-to-face, it was still good practice for responding quickly to questions.
One challenge I faced was that I was trying to come up with responses quickly and type them fast, and at one point I noticed a typo, which would not have happened in real life because I would have been speaking. Doing an interview in second life was definitely a lot less pressure because having to type a response gave a little extra time to think about what you wanted to say. Obviously, I also didn’t have to get ready, at least physically for the interview, which made it easier.
The interview made me realize that I still need to practice on responding to questions quickly, as when I go on my real life interviews I won’t have as much time to think. At the end of the interview, I tried to quickly think of a question to ask the interviewer because I think that shows interest in the job.

Market Analysis

Drafting the market analysis part of our business plan was slightly complicated for our group. We didn’t understand exactly the objectives of the task and we also did not know the exact format, even after having visited the links. We were also unsure if we were supposed to be writing from the perspective of second life or real life. We overcame these obstacles, however, and were able to draft a complete market analysis for our water sports business.

When we visited similar businesses in second life, we could explore the business but it was difficult to obtain concrete information about the business and geographic location. After having visited several more locations however, we decided to choose a location that was higher in traffic, or people, we figured out, because that means more people as customers. Because of this, we chose Key West, where we will form a partnership with a resort.

Each group member worked hard in completing the market analysis, as we determined our target market, the strengths and weaknesses we will likely face, our competitors, etc. Our target market is vacationing families and individuals of the middle to upper classes who are looking to gain memorable experiences. I think our market analysis was very thorough and explained our strategy to gain business well. Our idea to partner with a resort was created so that it will make it easier for us to attract customers initially, since we will immediately acquire the guests of the resort as customers. This means, however, that we could become dependent, at least initially, on the success of the resort to gain business, which could be seen as a weakness.

This market analysis was a good exercise for our group to complete because it demonstrated the work and research that is necessary for drafting a business plan. It also enabled us to work as a group and understand more thoroughly what each other’s ideas were.