But I’ve Only Had One Job! And Other Resume Worries

We encourage all of our students to have resumes, even as freshmen. This way, they are prepared for any networking opportunity, and can apply any time they see an internship or job they like. However, as students begin to compile the information they need for a resume, the deer in headlights look comes out: “but I worked last summer!” Or, “I work in the dining hall! That won’t help me!” A common misconception among students is that a resume only highlights relevant work experience. Indeed, as they get older and more involved in the professional world after graduation, more of their work experience will be listed. As a college student, there are many things they can incorporate, including working in the dining hall! As contributors for Jobipedia point out, there are a variety of things that can be included in a resume for someone looking for an internship or entry-level position. These can include community service activities, involvement in campus activities and organizations, and athletics. These experiences, in addition to summer jobs or on-campus employment, are all excellent opportunities to showcase your transferable skills, which will be useful in any capacity, in any field. Some examples of these skills include time management, event planning and implementation, leadership, and communication. To learn more about a resume without a lot of emphasis on work experience, read here: http://jobipedia.org/Blog/Post?id=write-a-killer-resume-without-a-lot-of-experience-9604

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With an Extra Side of Europe Part 1 (Week 11)

This week I start my spring break traveling to 8 different countries in Northern Europe. I waited for this trip for so long and now that it is finally here, it feels unreal. Well, I hope you all enjoy reading part one of my two-part journey!

Berlin, Germany

Our first destination on our global semester’s tour across Northern Europe was Berlin, Germany. As soon as we all arrived in Berlin we went on a city tour by bus/walking. Our tour guide was very nice and she managed to show and explain the entire city of Berlin in about 4 hours. When I first arrived in Berlin, I was so shocked at how the city looked( As I mentioned previously, I did not do any research on any of the places I was going to visit and based each place solely on what I saw in the media). Berlin was very modern, the architecture of all the buildings looked futuristic and the town was just beautiful. After our tour was over, we arrived at hotel Ibis to settle in and then we went on the hunt for authentic German food. When I tell you that it literally took us an hour to find authentic food, I am not kidding. Every restaurant served every other countries food but German food. During our search for food, we went to three different convenience stores and asked a few locals until we stumbled across a hole in wall German restaurant. This restaurant only served one German dish called Currywurst, but it was still delicious and with a beer it was even better.

The next day Joey and I decided to wake up bright and earlier to explore the city of Berlin on our own. We did not want to pay for public transportation; I did not feel like walking, so we decided to rent bicycles for the day! I did not ride a bicycle in three years so I was a little nervous, but after five minutes I got the hang of it againJ. The first place we stopped at was a little village market that sold an assortment of items like clothes, souvenirs, food, and art. We even saw a man draw 3D art on the ground which I thought was pretty awesome.

Then we biked to Museum Island which is literally a complex of five museums located on a small island in the Spree. Since it takes a day in itself to go to all five museums, we choose the Egyptian museum. This museum was filled with real tombs, sculptures, hieroglyphics and lots of history. They even had an area honoring Nefertiti; The royal wife of Akhenaten (We were not allowed to take pictures of this part). I really enjoyed this museum and I really wish I had more time to explore the four other museums.

(Joey and I)

(Ancient Egyptian Artifact)

We then trekked through the hundreds of people surrounding Museum Island and headed to the TV tower. We bought our tickets earlier in the day and had to wait 3 hours until we could go to the top. What’s really cool about this place is that when you get on the elevator to get to the top, it almost feels like you are traveling through time, especially when you look up through the glass ceiling. Once you reach the top, you can see the entire city of Berlin from a 360-degree view. You can also eat at the TV tower’s restaurant located 1 floor higher and there is a bar if you want a drink.

(TV Tower)(Joey and I )

(The view from the top of the TV Tower)

After taking in that awesome view of the tower, we biked to the Brandenburg Gate. The Brandenburg Gate was one of the dividing points between East and West Berlin and has been the focus of many key moments in German history. This area is filled with street performers, tourists, and cobblestone…lots of cobblestone.

(Joey and I)

Once you passed through the gate, you see a long straight road and a huge park that leads you directly to the tower. Joey and I took this opportunity to cruise on our bikes and just absorb the sites, the smells, the awesome people, and the fact that we are actually biking around Berlin! Climbing to the top of the victory tower gave us another great 360 degree of Berlin but this time you could see the city as well as the suburban area….oh and lots of trees!

(Victory Tower!)

(View from the top of Victory Tower)

As the end of the day was approaching, we realized that we were all the way across town, feeling half dead but that did not stop us from riding at full speed across town to get back to our hotel. We zoomed through the streets and even seen a live giraffe on the way…well, a life-sized Lego giraffe. We ended our night eating at this cool burger joint that’s under the train and I have to say I enjoyed the simplicity and grungy feeling it gave me when we ate there. I absolutely love Berlin and it is now one of my favorite cities in Europe.

(My pet Giraffe)

Berlin was also one of my favorite cities because it brought me closer to my good friend joey. Although we knew each other for about 3 months, we did not really know each other on a personal level. We took a long stroll through the streets of Berlin and just shared interesting stories about our lives. We have a lot more in common than I would have ever thought and I am glad we got to have that bro moment. You are the best dude! Also, shout out to your newly found shade throwing skills ahaha

Dresden, Germany

On our way to Prague, we made a brief excursion to Dresden for a few hours to explore. Dresden was bombed during World War II causing the whole town to have to be rebuilt. The majority of Dresden is fairly new making it a very picturesque place.

The guys and I also ate at an Australian restaurant called Ayers rock and ordered a large plate of ostrich, crocodile, and kangaroo….Yes, I ate all three of those animals and now there added to my exotic animal tastings list!

Prague, Czech Republic

When I arrived in Prague, I wasted no time in wanting to explore this city. I put my bags in my room, went to trip advisor, mapped out some places of interest and asked the front desk for recommendations on what to do first. We ended up exchanging money at the first exchange place (Study abroad tips #1 ALWAYS CHECK MULTIPLE EXCHANGE PLACES FOR THE BEST RATE!) we saw and headed straight for Old Town Square. The square was filled with lots of little shops, restaurants and a huge crowd of people. Of course as a tourist, my friends and I just jumped to the front of the crowd to see what was going on and then we looked up and seen the Astronomical Clock! We discovered that each hour, the clock chimes and a series of puppets come out to entertain the public (Now that explains the huge crowds). We then had a mini photo shoot in front of the clock and a few Czech kids grouped photobombed us…

(Joey, Miguel and the Czech Photobombers :D)(Miguel and I)

(Prague Astronomical Clock)

We spotted a giant metronome across the river and ended up walking towards it (The location of the giant metronome had a great view of Prague!).

(Giant Metronome)

Walked across the most important point of interest in Prague; The Charles Bridge!

(Charles Bridge)

And then we ended our first night in Prague eating at the Hard Rock Café were we tried the Prague local burger.

(Prague Burger)

The next day we had a group tour all around Prague and she introduced us to the Prague subways. The escalators leading down to the subway was one of the craziest, strangest and funniest experiences I had with foreign transportation. It literally felt like gravity shifted when I went down and it is very steep.

We explored a few gardens…

(Global Semesters Group Photo!)

Went inside the St. Vitus Cathedral…

(St. Vitus Cathedral)

And saw the Prague Castle (Well at least from the outside).

We also got a taste of local fast food…

(Miguel, Sarah and I)

At the end of the tour we explored the town for the rest of the day, bought some souvenirs and enjoyed some live music at an Irish Pub! (Shout out to the performer for singing Iris by The Goo Goo dolls and classic Journey).

(Joey, Myself, Maria, Ashlee, Sarah and Katie)

So far Prague was one of my favorite cities and I enjoyed the fact that everything was within walking distance (Public Transportation adds up after a while).  I would definitely return here in the future!

Bratislava, Slovakia

I would have never imagined going to a country for 6 hours, but I did when I went to Slovakia. We spent the afternoon on a group/walking tour around Bratislava; the capital city of Slovakia. We drove through the Bratislava “Beverly Hills” and seen all the beautiful embassy’s right next to each other, each competing in architecture.

We also went to the Bratislava castle and got an awesome view of the city.

Then we went on a walking tour around the Bratislava old town where you can see many quirky statues like my good ole friend Cumil.

(Chilling with Cumil)

Oh and this cool guy giving joey his top hat!

(Joey)

What’s cool about Bratislava is that it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries, Austria, and Hungary. So you can easily drive to either in under a few hours!

Vienna, Austria

Vienna is the capital city of Austria with the largest population of about 2.3 million people. Vienna has a huge city vibe with a historical twist giving you the best of both worlds. When we first arrived in Vienna, we jumped straight into a 3hr tour. We visited the Hundertwasser Haus created by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

(Hundertwasser haus)

The artist made this area like this so all the grey and to make it livelier and a friendlier place for the public and the apartment owners.

We checked out the Hofburg palace aka my future home.

Saw the coolest mini bear dog!… and awed at the cutest baby all at the same time .

Then I discovered there is a cathedral named St. Stephan’s Cathedral! (Yes my family owned this cathedral for century’s lol and an entire square is named Stephansplatz (This means Stephan Square in German).
Yes I had to buy the street sign from the souvenir shop

(St. Stephan Cathedral)

(Stephan Square!)

Then we went to Mozart’s adult home!

Our day finished at the Schönbrunn Palace which was an unforgettable sight. This palace had so many acres of land, a hedge maze, a zoo, restaurants and an unlimited amount of places to sit to take it all in. I really enjoyed the Schönbrunn Palace and I would love to come back to Vienna again in the future. This place is defiantly on my list of places to move to when I get older.

Salzburg, Austria

Huge mountains, green grass, and fresh air are all the ways I can describe this small town. Salzburg is the perfect little getaway from the city that still provides a lot of things to do. We also had no tours for this city so we planned out our own adventure in this town. The first thing we did was visit the birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart (His home is now a museum). Everywhere in Salzburg you will see tributes honoring the world’s greatest musician. Mozart’s home covers his childhood all the way until his death and by the time you leave his home, you will have a thorough understanding of his life works.

(Mozart’s Birthplace)

We watched a life-sized game of chess in the square.

We enjoyed the view of the town from the top of the Fortress Hohensalzburg

Explored the catacombs…

Then we took a tram to the top of Untersburg Mountain and the view was awesome. In one direction, you can see the beautiful town of Salzburg and then you turn around and see the Swiss Alps! My friends and I had a snowball fight, I fell a few times, the snow got in places snow should not be in and I lost every ounce of energy I had when we finally reached the top. Literally, I was dragging myself to get to the top and I was sweating bullets, but it was totally worth it!

By the end of the day, the bros and I took one last walk through Salzburg and discovered a very odd park behind Mozart University. You already know our inner kid came out and played on everything!

My spring break is halfway over and so far it has been the best spring break I had in my entire life! My life is really great right now.

A Great Trip to Cardiff, Bristol, and Bath!

Holding up the Norman keep in Cardiff Castle

Hey Everyone,

This Easter Break I was able to get some UK traveling in. My flatmate, Benjamin Moody, from Northern Virginia and I went for a trip to Cardiff, Bristol and Bath! He and I really wanted to try and see more of the UK since we’ve been staying here. So from the 14th to the 15th of April we had an awesome time venturing around these three cities.

The trip began bright and early on the 14th. We woke up around 5am in order to make it to the airport and get on our 8:15 flight to Bristol Airport. Once we arrived there we took a bus ride to Cardiff, Wales. So he and I have officially finished the British Isles, now that we’ve been to every country in the United Kingdom. In Cardiff we went to visit Cardiff Castle which was partially the remains of a Roman fort and Norman Motte and Bailey fortification, and then partially a reconstruction from the late 19^th Century. It was a beautiful sunny day and when we were touring the inner parts of the castle we stumbled in an area that we found out later was not open to the public. The prevention rope had been lowered when we came across the entrance so we had no idea we couldn’t go upstairs. We only realized this wasn’t part of the tour when we started seeing rooms with file cabinets haha! Then when we returned downstairs we saw this rope had been put up, and we had to explain to the guard that this rope was not up before we came here. Haha, us making trouble all the way in Wales! After the Castle visit, we went to the National Museum in Cardiff and saw Welsh art and natural history, then for the rest of our time we roamed around the city getting lunch and seeing the sites. The last part of our visit there was when we stopped into a pub and a Cardiff native came up to us and spoke to us for a while. He was a real pleasant chap!

Chilling on the battlements of Cardiff Castle

The beautiful interior of Cardiff Castle

While mistakenly walking through forbidden parts of Cardiff Castle. This is when we knew this was not part of the tour! A files room?

The Grand Dining Hall Cardiff Castle

Walking down the main street in Cardiff

Bowing to our predecessors as they bow to us! In the National Museum of Cardiff

Me and my flat mate Ben, with our Cardiff native friend in the middle that we met at the pub

That afternoon came the bus ride to the city of Bristol. This city, as Ben and I came to see it, was a very college town. Everyone seemed young and in there uni years, crews were kayaking down the wide river Avon that cuts through Bristol, loads of students were jogging and biking, and the restaurants and cafes were packed. The sunset on the Boardwalk along the river was amazingly nice. We tried to hit up some places before the sun went down, like St. Mary Redcliffe Cathedral and just walking around the city. But walking along the water was a wonderful site. We ate at this small Tapas restaurant and got this great and very European spread of sliced meat. When the sun finally fell we continued walking around the city and got to our hilarious hostel called “Rock ‘n’ Bowl.” For a cheap hostel it really was a nice one. Filled with young people, not too grimy as some hostels can get, a free Arcade game called Galaxia which Ben and I loved, and a downstairs club and bowling alley. So after coming back from a bar that night we did our share of bowling and when we went to sleep we had were stuck with that crazy base music below us that vibrated the rooms. Haha but all together a fun experience.

Kayakers down the Avon in Bristol

The cozy Tapas food place we ate at on the boardwalk

Our very European Tapas pread of sliced meat on the boardwalk

Our hostel in Bristol

Bowling at our hostel in Bristol

Inside the huge Bristol Cathedral

The cosy sandwich place in Bristol

The next morning we woke up in Bristol, and walked to the Bristol Cathedral, which was absolutely massive, and we got breakfast at this cosy little sandwich shop. Once we took the bus ride and arrived in Bath we met with 70 degree weather, perfect sun, and a cool breeze (and yes, I was surprised too that that type of weather exists in the UK). In Bath we had about 10 hours so we went to King’s Circus, the Royal Crescent, the Theatre Royal, Victoria Park, The Holburne museum, the famous Bath Abbey and stumbled across the city centre like 12 times throughout the day, and we saw the magnificent Roman Baths. Because of how it looked in pictures, I thought we’d only see that one bath, but there was so much more offered there to see. There were multiple Bath areas, changing rooms, saunas, the remains of the temple of Solis Minerva, we saw her sacred pool, and the head of her statue. It was a wonderfully organised museum, easily navigated, and you felt like you were able to see everything. The best part for me was seeing and walking on the same floor that ancient Romans would have walked on almost 2,000 years ago, plus being able to experience first-hand what I have been studying in my Roman Empire course this semester. But if you ever go to England, not even just Bath, I would have to recommend the Roman Baths they are a wonderful destination to see.

Bath Abbey in Bath!

At the Roman Baths with Bath Abbey behind it

There se is, the Roman goddess, Solis Minerva

The Roman Baths

My friend Ben and I at the Royal Crescent in Bath

The city didn’t look as modern as Cardiff and especially Bristol did, which was something I liked, it definitely had its own feel. Benjamin and I found we had loads of time in Bath and we roamed around everywhere in the city and a few pubs too, and we were able to gain a full look and feel of the city. At this one pub we stayed at we drank the popular locally brewed Abbey Ales, named for the famous Abbey we visited in Bath, and we spent a good almost 2 hours there relaxing enjoying the sun from the window and some chips (French fries).

The awesome pub in Bath that we spent like 2 hours in

While waling around Bath

All in all, what we thought would have been a power packed and rushed two days, became a relaxing and calm time where we saw a lot more than we had hoped. Another tip for you travellers: I found that the harder and more precise I planned my trip with my friend the more time we found we had to relax and to just roam around the city! So plan your trips well, because it is figuring out what to do while already in the city that wastes time, but also if you have a power packed schedule make sure you put in enough time to relax and just to roam, because that becomes the most special and unique part of the trip.

Cheers to you all, and good luck traveling,

Alexio

Wanna See My Ink?

More and more students are getting tattoos and piercings – it’s becoming less of a trend and more a form of self-expression among younger and older people alike. Students are proud of their tattoos and the stories or memories they represent, and they feel more comfortable sharing them in public than past generations. However, many students still feel confusion over whether or not to share their tattoos with potential employers. A student recently took to Jobipedia asking for feedback from hiring experts in various industries regarding whether it’s appropriate to show tattoos during an interview. The responses were generally the same- dress professionally during the interview, and be on the conservative side. It is important to understand the company culture and whether it is a deal breaker for you to be in an environment where tattoos are acceptable. During your chance to ask questions of the interviewer, you may want to ask “how would you describe your company culture” so you have a better idea of how relaxed the office is, or what their dress code allows. To see what the employers had to say, read more here: http://www.jobipedia.org/Questions/Conversation/I-have-visible-tattoos–Should-I-be-worried-about-this-for-my-upcoming-interviews-I-love-my-tattoos-and-would-prefer-not-to-always-have-to-hide-them-when-at-work–My-schools-career-counselor-said-I-should-consider-covering-them-for-my-interviews–Im-

Victoria Sweeney, Internship – Fromm Electric

Hey Albright, it has been awhile! Summary so far in the Intern Life of Tori Sweeney…I had spent six weeks interning in the Accounting Department at Fromm Electric and then I transitioned to the Marketing Department for three weeks. (Today is actually my last day in marketing!) I have enjoyed every minute in the marketing department, which actually surprised me. I have taken a marketing class before and was never really fond of it, but it is completely different learning about marketing techniques than it is to actually be apart of the process. I have done a range of things from taking inventory of materials, to market research on magazine publications, to printing marketing flyers, to actually starting and finishing a project. It has been interesting learning how the marketing department has evolved over the years to where it is now and various types of marketing that has been done. Below is a picture of some of the marketing materials that are pretty common to see…

One thing I learned which is super cool is that Fromm is apart of a group called Affiliated Distributors, aka AD. AD is a way for smaller companies to come together to better compete with bigger businesses. Generally, when a company orders more of a product from a manufacturer, there is a discounted price. So small, little old Company A might be buying 1,000 of a product while big, chain Company B might be buying 100,000 of that product. Company B is going to get it for a cheaper price than Company A, selling it for cheaper, and, in turn, having an advantage over Company A. AD tries help out companies like Company A. All the companies in AD come together and say, “Okay, we all need 2,000 of this product so we will make one giant order of it, get it at a lower price and we will be able to competitively price our product compared to bigger companies.” Pretty cool!

I mentioned that I started and finished a project in the beginning of this blog. What was that project, you might ask? I was put in charge of making hanging price labels for the sale room. Sounds simple, yes. Was it as simple as it sounds? No. The interesting thing with this project, though, is why I was doing it. One of the vendors that Fromm heavily works with did a market research study and found that sales had increased 20% with the use of these bracketed price hangers. The group here at Reading wanted to try this theory out and the vendor offered to start us off by giving us some of these bracket hangers. I was given a list of almost 300 products with some info about each product and with that I had to make the price tag. I set the whole thing up as a mail merge so that the process would be easy with the gathering of a report. There were a lot of roadblocks that I hit because Microsoft Word and Excel aren’t exactly the easiest programs to work with at times. In the end it turned out perfectly and everyone loved it.

Overall I had a great time in Marketing and got along with the marketing team really well. My next department will be Human Resources and I am excited to see what I will learn and be doing over there for a few weeks!

Above is a picture of my Marketing Manager, Ed, sporting his “I Survived the Intern” pin that he made.
(Hopefully not suggesting that he is super happy to have me move on out of his department!)

Breaking Bread Together

Every spring, our office hosts a Bring Your Own Briefcase event for seniors, an opportunity for students to network with alums and also learn about dining etiquette. It is important to have excellent table manners, but it can be difficult to remember all the rules! A point of anxiety can be “whose drink is that?” or “whose bread is that?” Our friends at the Culture and Manners Institute just shared a timely article about how to deal with the dreaded bread plate, and what to do if someone steals yours! Read on to learn more, and stop by their website at http://www.cultureandmanners.com/ to get more polite suggestions.

“A friend of mine, who attends a lot of fundraising dinners in Chicago said, ‘Here is what makes me crazy. The guy on my right correctly places his bread on the bread plate on his left. Then I notice the guy on my left has taken my bread plate, the one on his right. I’m left holding the roll.’ When someone bogarts your bread plate, remain calm. Etiquette means we try not to call attention to others’ shortcomings. So please do not call that person out in front of everyone at the table and ask for your bread plate back. Don’t even whisper it in his or her ear. Try not to correct anyone’s etiquette in public — unless they call you ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad.’
Just place your roll on the upper left side of your salad plate or dinner plate – so at least your roll can gaze wistfully at the bread plate, a few inches away. Or skip the bread. Seriously, at a big banquet meal, who really needs another starch? If you do have bread, there’s a right way to eat it. Break off a bite-size piece, butter it and eat it. Then repeat. Do not cut the roll in half and butter the entire roll and bite into it. Do not touch the bread until the meal begins. Some people at business banquets dive into the bread basket and devour the contents before everyone is seated at their table. Bread is not a pre-meal snack. Ditto for the cracker basket. Before the meal, hands off.”