Admissions

I have recently been accepted into a grad school program. I consider admission offices to be a huge business, that must be extremely organized in order to be successful. I have received lots of mail associated with graduate school, but I am beginning to think that the admission's office is a little unorganized. I have received many times the same notices. I even received a statement about a deposit after I had sent in my money. That makes me feel as if someone is not keeping track with the funds that are being sent to the office.

I appreciate personal letters from admission offices. "Dear Accepted Student" versus "Congrats Samantha!", has a totally different feeling behind it. Personal letters provide a sense of accomplishment. Knowing that admissions took the time to personalize letters about deadlines, orientations, financial aid, etc., all helps build my confidence and gives me the extra push to do well in school. This allows me to feel supported and encouraged. I feel as if I already am a member of the department before I step foot into a classroom.

S Graves

New Store Owner

Recently the store I have been working at for over a year was purchased and we have a new owner. I have known we were getting a new owner for months, however I did not think of the type of impact having a new owner would have on my work experience. The new owner took over the store last week and spoke to me and my coworkers at the monthly meeting. She is aware that we know much more about the store she purchased than she does and was willing to here out input. She wrote a list of the daily tasks that need to be completed and asked if the list was correct. She missed a lot of information, but was happy to hear that we knew what other tasks needed to be added. She also wanted to get us involved in the marketing plan. She told us everything that she was currently doing and asked what we thought of her plans. She also told us that she wanted to encourage us to get other people to come to the store and that we would figure out a way to know who referred customers to the store. We will receive 10% commission of the amount of money that person spends on the store. Most people spend between $120 to $200 each month they come into the store. I think it is great that she is willing to reward us so much and that she is excited and wants us to help her create the best store she can. When I tell her ideas, she listens and writes them down and gives me her input. The old owner never came to the store and worked for Capital One in addition to owning the store. We had a manager that ran the store on her own. She did not tell us anything that was going on, and the way we heard about sales promotions the store was doing was when customers would come in and have a coupon or other promotional tool that was used. This made us look very uninformed and not trained very well because the customer knew more about the sales promotion than we did. We also were lacking a lot of the equipment we need to run the store and the new manager had us write a list of what we thought we needed to make the store run more efficiently. She then went out and purchased everything on the list. Although the new manager is having problems with making sure there is enough inventory of a certain item and does not know what to do in a certain situation, she is willing to receive our help. I am excited to continue on with my job now that I have such a great manager.

Perks In The Business World.

K. Smith
I was reading an article in the Sunday's newspaper about perks given to the big CEO's. It is not a big secret that top CEO's get paid big money. Along with the big pay check these people receive additional compensation throughout the year. Some top CEO's received over 100,000 for the personal use of commpany cars and also received payment for snacks from the company dining room and also received some out-of-pocket medical costs. One top executive received two sets of tires per year and reimbursed himself for the taxes on the income associated with that benefit. I would assume this is how the rich stay rich. A new proxy was passed to require companies to disclose perks that cost more than 10,000, a much lower threshold than the previous requirement of 50,000, or 10% of total annual compensation. Since the proxy was passed some executives have given up their perks. Now that all perks have to be accounted for most executives do not want the perks. One executive voluntarily returned his company-provided leased car and will no longer receive a company car.

Presentation skills - Jackie I.

Watching everyone in class present their topics using a PowerPoint slide show got me thinking about a few things that some people did really well. Good presenting skills are an important part of the business environment. You need to be able to relate important information to those people that need to know in an easily understood and time-efficient way. It's probably a good idea to film yourself or have a good friend watch you as you practice presenting so you can make sure your doing everything you should.

A good slide show is the first thing you need to make sure you have. Pertinent information on each slide, but not too wordy so that your audience isn't too overwhelmed with all the reading. You should have just enough so that you can refer to it when your explaining your topic in more detail. And we know that the words should be bold and in black with an appropriate design template. Of course you need to also be prepared to know what you're going to say and in what order so you don't stumble or confuse yourself(and your audience) when up there speaking.

Other things that are important when presenting is that you speak clearly, have knowledge of the topic, make eye contact, don't read directly from the slides all the time, or your paper in front of you, don't flip through the slides to quickly, etc. Practice makes perfect of course, so you'll get better as you go on. But to be aware of these things and work to fix them right away we'll be very helpful to your presenting sucess in the future.

Healthy tips for corporate world.

Kim Smith

In the business world, the office is usually busy and demanding. There are days where work can be so hectic and there is not enough time to take a break. As the workforce grows, reponsibilities for each individual gets greater. Greater responsiblities creates less time to eat a well balanced diet. A well balanced diet should consist of 4-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and atleast 4-10 bread and cereals a day. Baked foods are more healthier due to less fat content. Salads are popular because they are quick and filling. A balanced diet provides the nutrient requirements for individuals to obtain the energy needed to strive everyday. In the hustle and bustle of corporate life, eating at fast food restaurants or quick take out seems to be the way to go in many businesses. Individuals must realize how many trans-fatty acids are in most fast foods. Eating a diet with a balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats will increase energy during the day. Also reccomendations of walking during lunch time will increase energy expenditure. When you maintain physical activity your body remains leaner, which will make you feel 100% everyday.
In American society we are rushing all the time. Time is of the essense at all times. In other cultures individuals go outside of the office with coworkers to eat lunch. Eating is a social event. A time to clear the air and relax from business. A well balanced diet with some sought of physical activity everyday can give the individual the optimal level of energy at the business table.

Debit/Credit-Sylva G

I have been a dedicated debit card users since I am came to college in 2003. There has been numerous occasions where I or close friends of mine have had debit card purchase nightmares. I use to get so stressed out when I saw errors on my bank statements. The small hassle I have to go through to get the problem fixed is just as much work as changing a light bulb. But sometimes these small errors can lead to huge overdraft fees and hours of phone conversations with bank employees.

My first occurrence was with a new, local ice cream parlor. I was charged twice for a huge order. The next day I was in total shock. My account was negative! I went into a panic and immediately called my mother. She told me how to go about getting the problem solved. I called the ice cream parlor and spoke with a manager. The manager was at first, somewhat confused about the situation, however he assured me that by the end of the week, the money would be put back into my account.

Another example of debit card usage gone wrong occurred at a local bar and grill. For amateurs like myself, I did not know exactly what happens when you "run a tab". A lot of bars now have pre-authorization charges. This means that basically they check to make sure you actually have the money in your account to pay for what you order. My pre-authorization charge was fifty dollars! I was horrified. I had only spent fifteen dollars! Again, I talked to a great manager who explained the situation and by the following week, my money was back into my account.

My only suggestion for companies with pre-authorization charges is to state that somewhere in the facility or on the receipts. It may take a little time to get the message out but the effort can save more time and decrease the amount of calls a business gets from angry and confused customers. My advice to fellow debit card users is that using this card takes risks and requires patience. Yes, there will be several times when you buy gas with your card and it seems like forever before the transaction is complete. That's why it's best that you keep track of your money on your own--Know what you are spending.

Thank you Notes

I feel sending a thank-you letter after an interview is very important. After I interviewed for my internship in NYC, I sent a thank-you letter as soon as I came home. Two weeks later I was offered the internship and I feel that sending the thank-you note helped differentiate me from other applicants. The following is some guidelines when sending a thank-you letter. Almost immediately after an interview, you should write a thank-you letter to the interviewer. You can use e-mail to do this, but sending a letter or card is more thoughtful and shows you took more effort. If more than one person was involved in interviewing, sending a note to each one would be awesome. Try to get business cards from everyone you met so that you can spell their names correctly. Sending a card with the names spelled wrong will most likely erase any chance you had of getting the job. Also make sure that it is legible with correct spelling and grammar. Since so few people do this, you will really be memorable. If you cannot obtain their names, send a letter to the head interviewer and address it to the person and the interview panel. Thank-you letters should express gratitude for the interview opportunity, particular attention or kindness shown to you, assistance provided, or other experience that provided a memorable occasion for you. When writing a thank-you note, reconfirm your interest in working for the company and indicate that you hope to hear positive news soon. You can also try to better answer a question that was asked of you during the interview, but only do this for a couple questions that were asked of you. If you don’t hear from anyone within two weeks of sending the thank-you note, call or email the company to see if they have decided on an applicant.