On Tuesday, November 7th, Sunny and I attended the Starr Career Development Center’s Mastering the Job Interview: Basic workshop. We definitely found out about this workshop at the perfect time because we’re both currently looking for part-time jobs. I, personally, have little to no work experience; I’ve always had summer jobs like being a camp counselor and tutoring but I’ve never had a retail job or anything of that sort. I am now looking for retail sales job and definitely want to learn about how to properly prepare for an interview now and in the future, when I am applying for jobs in my desired career field. I went to the workshop to learn how to impress the interviewer, how to guarantee that I’ve showcased my best skills, and learn to properly communicate in an interview. According to the workshop and the experts who led the workshop, the preparation before an interview is just as important as what you do during the interview. I learned that you should do a lot of research about the actual company that you are interviewing for and learn exactly what they expect from employees so that you can highlight the skills that you have that might match up with what they look for. You should also prepare a list of at least four or five questions to ask the interviewer because doing so will demonstrate that you are actually interested in that specific job at that specific company. We also learned that body language is very important and something as simple as sitting up straight and maintaining eye-contact could separate you from all other candidates who have applied. I think the workshop was very insightful and helpful and will not only help me in the near-future but even when I’ve graduated and am preparing to enter a career path. Even though I haven’t decided what it is exactly that I wish to pursue, learning these interview skills now have given me ample time to master them, apply them (to smaller/ less serious interviews), and develop them so that I may use them to my advantage in the future.
Author: n.gonzalez2
Underrepresented Majors Meeting
I attended the ‘Underrepresented Majors’ meeting yesterday [October 3rd.] The event was targeted mainly to those whose majors do not get addressed frequently enough and are underrepresented in the Baruch community. My intended major is Political Science and yes, I am very aware that I chose to attend a school who is recognized for its business-related programs and majors but Baruch is among the best, if not the best, CUNY which is why I chose Baruch. Although I decided to go to a school who’s best known for business I still believe that my intended major, Political Science, and all other ‘underrepresented’ majors should be discussed and have access to the same amount of privileges, luxuries, resources, etc. that business majors are given. Not many people showed up to the meeting (how ironic!!!) but a small open-discussion was carried between those who did attend. We discussed how it is we could gain greater attention and how to professionally present ourselves. I feel that because of the lack of people who attended the meeting, it wasn’t as effective. This is only my first semester at Baruch so there wasn’t much I could contribute to the conversation since I’m not taking an major-related classes. I cant really say if I believe the Political Science major and other Weissman majors are ‘neglected.’ I do, however, look forward to more meetings in the future to discuss how we, as ‘underrepresented’ majors could improve our academic experiences at Baruch because that is ultimately here for, to gain a degree in a specific major. In order to improve my academic experience at Baruch, I have the obligation to actively advocate for my major to gain visibility and improve the experience because underrepresented or not there is always room for improvement and academic development.
LASO GIM
I attended Baruch’s Latin American Student Organization’s general interest meeting on September 14th. All of the current members introduced themselves and they explained the purpose and benefits of the club. LASO strives to create strong ties between Latinos and Hispanics who attend Baruch College and provide social and academic support. They also emphasize the importance of professional development and provide services to assist in resume creation and interview skills as well as helping members find internship opportunities. I am Mexican and Puerto Rican and take much pride in my heritage; it is very important for me to find a place where I am able to talk to, socialize, and collaborate with people who I share common experiences with. Although Hispanics and Latinos come from many different countries [and islands] we tend to share similar experiences in the United States since we are categorized together. I am very politically and socially active in my own community at home and always strive to raise awareness about issues that affect people of color and would definitely want to bring those aspects to LASO; I would like to emphasize the importance of political and social consciousness and how it affects Hispanics and Latinos in the United States. The socioeconomic and political aspects of our communities in essence directly affect our education or future determining how successful we will be; and I am happy to be joining a club that can serve as a platform for people from all over Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands to come together to discuss the problems we face as people of color and be able to suggest solutions.
At the LASO GIM w/ their Director of Student Affairs Jessica Torres [far right.]