Brooklyn French

Hello all, I’m sad to announce that this is the final blog post in the BUS 2001 series. It has been fun reflecting each week about what I’ve done and the things I’ve learned in this class. At the beginning of the course, I had certain expectations, and I can truthfully say that this course has exceeded those expectations. I wanted to learn more about the career resources offered here at TU and how to apply them to my job search. Through this class, I’ve been given a huge amount of resources to help me with developing my personal brand and furthering my career; certainly more resources than I could have wished for. I was also really excited at the beginning to explore my strengths and pinpoint my blindspots. We focused on these a lot in the first half of the course. Finding out how I function and relate to others was a hugely important part of the course. I will use the insight this course gave me from now on in my career and even in my personal relationships. I was also looking fo...

Obtaining an internship or job while in college can be difficult. I know it has certainly not been an easy search for me. I currently work two jobs that are not in any way related to my major, so my goal this semester is to find a summer internship that has something to do with my major, Marketing. My ideal job would be working with a public relations manager so I can get a feel for what the job would be like.  This BUS 2001 class has been invaluable in my search. Thought this class I have been exposed to a variety of resources that I am using to gain information about potential jobs. Some of these are LinkedIn, Golden OpporTUnities, the different employer events held on campus, job fairs and the Business Career Center. Each of these resources has its specific advantage. Linked In and Golden OpporTUnities are sites where employers can view my information and where I can also view information about the companies that are hiring. The employer events of campus and job fairs are wher...

This week in our BUS 2001 class we practiced giving interviews and being interviewed. In the first part of the week, we discussed the different types of interviews. We were informed that behavior-based interviews are the norm in business and that we should prepare accordingly. Having already discussed resume tips and other  brand-building tips, we were prepared to implement what we had learned in an actual (practice) interview. We had been instructed on what to wear and how to present ourselves, so most of the class showed up in suits which is the appropriate attire for an interview. I wore a black suit jacket and skirt with a black and whit e undershirt and black low-heeled pumps. The outfit was appropriate, fit well and looked professional.  When the students arrived to class on the day of our mock-interview, we were paired up at random and given a list of interview questions. We then took turns with our partner being inte...

This week in the BUS 2001 class, we discussed the business environment as a whole. We talked about how changes in this environment affect each sector of business, even though these effects are not always obvious. This understanding brought us to realize the importance of keeping up with what's going on in the world of business via reliable news sources and analyzing this information to see how it affects our particular major. We discussed a few reliable news sources and what to do to sign up for daily business news.  After this, we were split into teams and told to find a news article to analyze that relates to the business world. Each member analyzed the article based on his or her unique perspective that comes from having different areas of interest.  The current news event that my group picked was the launch of SpaceX's powerful rocket on Tuesday. We read an article by the Wall Street Journal that gave the details of the launch and highlighted the goal of the...

Personal branding is a very important concept, especially in the world of business.  I think of a  personal brand as how I market myself to potential future employers.  To market myself, I want  my most unique and desirable skills to stand out and be  the first  thing  employers see. In order  to make this happen, I need the proper tools.  This week in the  BUS 2001 class we’ve been  discussing the best methods and resources  to use to develop  an effective personal brand.  This week I learned that there are many different ways that potential employers can gain  information about job candidates. Some ways are obvious, while others we might not even  think about. LinkedIn is a great platform for displaying a personal brand; it’s the main purpose  of the entire site. Other social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are also  sometimes examined by potential employers....

Now that I’ve thought about my CliftonStrengths Signature Themes and understand some of what they imply about the kind of person I am, it’s time I do something with this information. In the CliftonStrengths Signature Themes book, there are action items after each theme’s description. These were extremely helpful in guiding me on my journey to maximize my strengths and avoid the blindspots that go with each theme. Below is a summary of the things I am working on changing so that I can capitalize on the talents I already have. The CliftonStrengths Signature Themes book states that people with a strong deliberative theme should partner with others who have strong command, assurance, or activator themes. These themes help to speed up the decision-making process while still allowing for the time required to weigh the pros and cons. This tells me I need to look for these kinds of people to connect with in my personal and professional life. The book also states that people with a strong...

The CliftonStrengths results I received seem very accurate. They provide invaluable insight into why I prefer certain activities above others. I'm even using them to refine my study habits based on the things I have learned about myself.  My number one theme was deliberative. This was fitting because I like to look at all sides of an issue before I come up with a solution. I carefully weigh the costs and benefits before committing to one plan or another. I don't enjoy surprises, even good ones, since I work best when I have time to think about situations before diving into them. My second theme, input, is an interesting one. I always wanted to be a librarian when I was younger. This makes sense considering that the input theme has to do with collecting and archiving things. These days I collect my favorite books and have a thriving Pinterest account (it's basically online hoarding therapy). Intellection was my third theme. I think this one goes along with be...

Hello all, The spring semester has officially sprung here at TU and I couldn't be more excited! My first week of classes has been great so far. It's nice to be in some of the first classes specific to my marketing major after all the general business classes. I'm really grateful that TU has launched its new BUS 2001 class. It's going to be an invaluable asset to my education here at the University of Tulsa. Basically the goal of this course is to enable students to adequately prepare themselves for life after graduation. It's a career prep course where we study our strengths and weaknesses and learn how to improve them. We also focus on proper work etiquete and how to get and maintain the job we want. I'm really looking forward to the resume and mock interview sessions we will have. I've noticed that when I'm around potential employers I usually get a bit intimidated and nervous. This is not the frame of mind that I want to be in when it's time t...