AU Blogspot

 
      Thanks to Geoffrey Chandler for permission to use this Photograph.

My favorite practice is to research the company that I am interviewing with and asking any questions about them that I can think of.

For me personally, I try to be myself because I want them to be able to evaluate whether or not I will fit into their corporate culture.

How I conduct myself in an interview also depends on the person interviewing me. Some more inexperienced interviewers will completely dominate the conversation—telling you everything they can think of without really finding anything out about “you”.

Always be prepared with an answer to:

“So, tell me about yourself”.

Most good interviewers realize that this is basically a useless question these days, but some still ask and you want to be able to answer that one without missing a beat!

That’s all for now!

Melanie
Associate Program in Paralegal Studies Student
Ashworth University School of Legal Studies  

When I received my first textbook in the mail, the first thing I did was go out and buy a planning book. I then scanned though my textbook and lessons to see about how much work was required of me and I just divided it up into smaller sections so that it wouldn’t be very overwhelming.

I just take my time and get things done when I have enough energy in me to do so. That’s the great thing about this place; you pretty much have all the time you need to complete assignments. You just have to find your pace and stick to it. It’s hard at the beginning, but once you get the momentum going it gets easier.

Shirley
Computer Information Management Student
Ashworth University

              Thanks to Toho Scope for permission to use this Photo. 

Today, make the choice to focus on your strengths. It is easy to look at oneself and see areas where you may need improvement. While it’s true that taking time for honest reflection on the areas where we’d like to see improvement is important — it’s equally  important to give yourself your due credit for all the wonderful talents you’ve already acquired — all the bits and pieces that go into making you the incredible person you are. 

Please understand that I’m not suggesting we live in “la la land”, acting as though there’s no area for improvement. Of course there are areas we can all improve in — that’s what personal growth is all about.Instead, what I am suggesting is that you and I spend at least as much time accepting and being thankful for all the positive traits we have acquired already — not just those areas we believe we need to improve. It’s all about balance. Seek ongoing to improve where you can, but be sure to celebrate all that makes up the amazing you as well!

Think about it like this — if you want to help someone improve, and in the process not have them take it as a personal attack — one way to approach the task would be to compliment them on something they are doing particularly well — acknowledging and pointing out one of their strengths (making sure it’s a genuine and sincere compliment of course) — and then bringing up ideas which might be helpful in improving in a given area. Along the same lines, give yourself the same positive boost by acknowledging the “good” things you’re doing, right along side areas that you’ve identified where improvement is needed. (more…)

 
           Thanks to David Churbuck for permission to use this Photo. 

Want to succeed in the workplace today? Success requires proficiency in three areas:

IQ: technical competence in your field of expertise

EQ: interpersonal relationships guided by sensitivity to your own, and others’, emotions; and

NQ: innovative intelligence, or openness and keen curiosity about ways of making novel ideas useful.

Click on the image above to watch my video discussion of these areas.  Enjoy.

Dr. Tom Guarrielo
CIO and Co-Founder of True Talk, Inc.
Co-Author of “Work Different: Design For The Rest Of Us” 
Ashworth University Contributing Blogger

*Dr. Tom Guarrielo is the Chief Idea Officer and Co-Founder of True Talk, Inc., a leading management development consulting company based out of New York. Through his popular and respected The True Talk Blog, Tom provides some of the best business innovation and organizational planning strategies on the web. We would like to thank Tom for openly allowing us share his perspectives with our Ashworth student community. He’s been nothing but helpful since we first contacted him. Visit the True Talk website to learn about the life and work of Dr. Tom Guarriello. Thanks Tom!

 
                                Image courtesy of Wikimedia.

It’s true: it’s all about relationships. And I’m not talking about the kind of endearing friendship that you might share between your spouse and yourself. I’m talking about professional, long-term business relationships. You see these kinds of relationships all the time: doctors, dentists, accountants, bankers, “your tax guy”, etc. Truly becoming successful within your career is something that isn’t measured by any one given value. For some, it’s purely monetary, while for others it may be a combination of physical satisfaction, monetary accumulation, and mental stimulation.

I know of one person who goes into work everyday and works her butt off just because she knows that it drives the girl in the booth to the left of her insane. And I’m not even joking. Regardless of your motives for working, there’s no denying that building strong, sustainable relationships is key in progressing quickly and smoothly through the career path. Some people will provide opportunities, and others will help build your skill-set. Chances are good that there’s always someone who can help you in one way or another. (more…)

The key to maintaining good credit is to reduce or eliminate credit card debt before it transforms from the ever-ready assistant to the overbearing spouse (hey, don’t a lot of marriages go that way?). It’s that simple, right? Riiiight.

If it really was that simple we wouldn’t have credit clinics, credit rebuilders, and the millions of people that are literally swimming in debt. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case- instead, credit card debt creeps up on you like a bad dream, catching you when you’re least expecting it to. That new TV you bought six months ago? Yea, you’ll be shocked to see that in six months you’ve paid $200 interest on it alone, nevermind any of the other purchases that you’ve made using your trusty plastic companion. Without getting into the math, if you have a credit card at 19.25% (pretty standard interest rate for most), it would take you years to pay off a $5,000 balance using minimum payments.  Years.

• Step One: Prevent it From Becoming Unmanagable - Curb your credit card spending and reassess your lifestyle. If your debt is already hanging over your head, I’d recommend cutting the cards up completely. Stop using the cards, stop accumulating additional capital by which the credit card company will so gleefully charge you interest on. This step is really quite simple: buck up and do it.

Use cash instead of your credit card. This will force you to live within your means, and while you may find that it takes longer to make big-ticket purchases, you’ll also find a certain amount of relief that exists when you know that you won’t have to pay interest on it or ever see a bill again to pay for it. (more…)

                          Image courtesy of Boards of Canada. 

The tendency to defeat our own best laid plans has puzzled writers for centuries. The challenge of understanding self-defeating behaviors, what Aristotle called akrasia, has not been met. One distinction that appears in the literature is between decisions based on desires vs. decisions based on judgment. Models based on wanting satisfaction say that “people weigh the feeling of satisfaction that follows alternatives and selectively repeat those behaviors that lead to the most satisfaction.”(George Ainsle, Breakdown of Will, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 13.)

The “weighers” would say that people will most consistently follow those plans that offer maximum satisfaction, either subjectively in terms of psychic rewards like self pride, feelings of accomplishment, or sense of virtue; or objectively in terms of money, power or some material indices of prestige. Models based on judging (the so called “cognitive approach”) focus on how a person uses reason to relate to a hierarchy of needs or wants. If a person can find justifications and legitimations for their choices, this becomes the guiding light for conduct. (more…)

          Thanks to Photon John for permission to use this Photo.

Adult learners enroll in college and universities for many reasons. The most common reason is to obtain a credential to assist them in attaining occupational goals. The second most common reason is simply to enhance self respect.

Probably the least likely reason for enrollment is to learn something new. Because of the most likely motivation of the students, learning is incidental to the achievement of the occupational goal or the feeling of personal satisfaction. While the more common goals of occupational advancement and simple self respect are valid and important, the resulting incidental learning is the most valuable since it also helps in attaining the other goals. My experience has been an example of this concept of incidental learning.

Since I had many years of experience in criminal justice and since I taught criminal justice classes at a large traditional university, I felt I needed to earn a graduate degree to keep up with my peers. I enrolled at Ashworth with the intention of obtaining a masters degree as a credential. Ashworth seemed to be a logical choice for graduate school since the learning was asynchronous and did not require cohort participation. I wanted to proceed at my own pace while attending to work and family requirements. Both the price and the fact that the university (then a college) was nationally accredited were pluses.

I was not as concerned with the curriculum, but more with the time it would take me to finish the degree. I was concerned more with obtaining the credential than with learning anything new. After receiving the orientation course I realized that both effort and discipline would be required to complete this program. Since I am just an average computer user and also since I am not of the “computer generation”, the orientation course was a challenge. The curriculum and supporting materials were clearly written and concise. After completing the course, I realized that I had gained a new set of skills which were not only beneficial in the graduate program but which also were valuable in my work. I was now prepared to conduct internet based research and I could effectively use Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. My attitude started to change and I began to understand the concept of learning rather than merely seeking a degree.

After examining first academic course materials I realized the text and supporting material were from the same publishers of the texts I used in teaching college classes. After submitting my first written assignments and receiving feedback from the graders, I began to understand the academic rigor of the course. While the graders were very polite in their comments and were supportive, they did point out areas in which I could improve my work. After finishing the assignments I took the exam with some trepidation. After passing the exam on the first try I felt both relieved and empowered to continue with the next course. As I progressed through the curriculum, my writing and research skills began to improve. (more…)

Starting out another year of reading, I chose a book I have owned not too long, given to me by my friend Eric when it came out a few months ago.  Never Give Up is the autobiography of New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi.  Written with Boston Globe sportswriter Michael Holley, it tells the story of his life, focusing mostly on the stroke he suffered in 2005, weeks after the team won its third Super Bowl.

Bruschi’s story made national news, both the stroke itself and his return later that year to the team.  This story tells his side, “the inside” I would all the “real” side of what he encountered within the year of his stroke.  The background of his life story lays the foundation for his path through this episode of his life.

My greatest takeaway from Never Give Up is you will never truly know what is going on in “the inside.” I call “the inside” the private interactions of one or more people, including business partners or a couple married or in a committed relationship.  Whatever you or I may see or experience from someone, it is on “the outside.” This is not saying what see of people on “the outside” is not genuine.  It may well be, but it may not be as well.  What happens on “the inside” is just for those there.  We can all probably think of a case where we didn’t consider there was an “inside” or everything was or was not ok.  Friends going through a divorce and my own move from Boston to Chicago come to mind as negative and positive “inside” events respectively.  In the case of Bruschi dealing with his stroke and recovery, this book gives high-level insight with details of people and experiences.

Another takeaway is we must keep in mind we may never know the true “inside” when we react on the “outside.” Have you ever wondered why we didn’t get some business or haven’t heard from someone?  I know myself I tend to think the worst – it may not be that I am not good enough, rather it could be the project was cancelled or the client wasn’t in a hurry to tell anyone. (more…)

                 Thanks to Dan Lin for permission to use this Photo.

I think Nikki’s response to the following post is worthy of its’ own post. Thanks for contributing Nikki!  Here it is:    

That’s all very true, but I think at one point or another everyone has a fear of rejection or failure. I don’t think anyone is delusional in the usual sense of the word. There is always a chance of rejection or failure or anything of that sort, but it’s how you handle your fears and if you’re determined enough to do certain things. Even if someone assured you everything would turn out okay, anyone with a brain would know that nobody can gurantee success. But on the other hand you have no way for sure to know your going to fail. So people should accept that and take their chances if you ask me. I really don’t think it’s about whether it’s a real fear or a delusion because as I said there is an actual chance of that. It’s not as if someone is afraid let’s say the dark. If that was the case, I believe you could take a step back and see if as you put “fears are real or just a delusion.” Maybe people like you’re talking about do take a step back and actually see their fears as real because it’s not delusional to fear rejection or things of that sort.