Thanksgiving in Hard TimesWritten by Maureen Killoran
We are moving toward our Nation’s “Thanksgiving Day.” We are Americans by birth and by adoption . . . by citizenship and by gift of place . . . And, at same time, we are people of earth, people whose lives are blessed with love and hope as well as those whose days are shadowed by darkness and despair. We are young and old, skin of black and brown and yellow and red and no color worth mentioning. Our languages are English and Spanish and Arabic . . . Russian and Urdu and Swahili and Farsi and Sign . . . We are women and men . . . boys and girls . . . hearing and deaf . . . sighted and blind . . . We are gay and straight and transsexual and those for whom sexual identity is a faint memory . . . We are lovers of pets and children and ourselves, and we are humans whose store of love is hard to find. We are celebrators and grievers, runners and hikers and complex weavers of life. We are artists and poets and writers and dancers, and we are those whose creativity is blocked or exhausted . . . And, with people north and south, west and east, we are all saying “thank you” We are recalling reasons to be grateful because to do otherwise would surrender to life’s pain. We are gardeners and teachers and library keepers . . . We are parents and children, brothers and sisters, cousins and aunts and uncles too . . . We are widows and newlyweds . . . lovers and alone . . .
| | Bullseye InterviewingWritten by Tamara Jong
Bullseye Interviewing-By Tamara Jong An interview is much like a blind date. You have sweaty palms, heart palpitations, shaky nerves and a preconceived notion of what could happen. The perfect scenario unfolds in your mind, where you are calm, cool and collected, dressed smartly, totally in control, enthusiastically meeting other person’s gaze and brimming with confidence. However, that idea has begun to unravel, because as of right now, you are LATE, because you got lost, forgot your resume, wore a shirt that is making you sweat and have pulled a muscle breaking in new shoes. As you are being led to boardroom, you’re informed that your possible Superiors will be sitting in. Panic sets in with realization that this blind date is over before it even begun. What is needed therefore, is a realistic and proactive approach. If you’re a mere mortal like rest of us, then you do get nervous about a job interview. If we could accurately predict outcome of this situation, life would definitely be easier to plan. While we can’t accurately control results, we can bank our odds if we keep pointers below in mind. Basic Combat: Wardrobe: Do your homework. Find out what corporate culture is. Check out company’s website on net. Go to media area and find out what type of functions they attend or sponsor. Is work environment business casual or corporate? Wear what is considered acceptable attire and meet that standard. Make sure your wardrobe is clean, odor free and neatly pressed. Research: While this may not be only job you’ve applied for, read information on company involved. Understand what position entails in detail. Keep a copy of posting for yourself. Know your own resume inside out and be able to explain examples of your work and how it fits into their job description. Take down name of person you’ll be seeing, how to spell and pronounce their name and note (or ask) if it’s a Mr., Mrs. Ms. (Yes, this is important). Although you can’t rehearse exact answers when you don’t know questions you’ll face, it’s possible to find out what latest interview trends are on Career sites or in your local bookstore.
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