How to Prepare for a Job Interview

Probably one of the most stressful events in a person’s life is going to a job interview. Job interviews often hold the key to one’s future as a functioning member of the adult working world, and so the outcome of an interview can, in many cases, hold great importance in one’s life. There are three major stages in the interview process, and they do not all occur at the actual interview. Accepting the interview, getting prepared for the interview, and going to the interview make up these stages, and as you’ll see, they are closely linked. The first stage in the interview process is accepting the actual interview. This is the most exciting part of the process because you, as an applicant, have just accepted the idea that someone thinks you may be suitable for the job offered.

As you will see, emotions run high during the interview process and fluctuate throughout. When accepting a call from an interviewer offering you a chance at an interview, it is extremely important that you be polite and show gratitude for the opportunity. Saying “Thank you for this great opportunity” or “This will be a fantastic opportunity, thanks so much” is suitable as a form of appreciation. During the phone conversation, ensure you get all important and necessary details relating the interview. Avoid blocking out any small pieces of information as a result of excitement. Know who your interviewer(s) is/are, where your interview will be, and what to bring with you. The more prepared you are, the less nervous you will feel the day of the interview.

The second stage in the interview process is interview preparation. As stated before, collect as much information as you can before going to your interview. Before you go to the interview, ensure you have a portfolio assembled that includes a resume, references, identification, letters of recommendation, and proof of any other accomplishments beneficial to the job you are applying for. Make sure all of this information is neatly organized and stored in a presentable folder. As well, your appearance is as important as your credentials, so choose your interview outfit accordingly; most interviewers expect you will be wearing professional attire to your interview. Professional attire includes business casual wear to suit and tie; on the other hand, professional attire excludes t-shirts and jeans. Above all, your clothing should be respectable.

Getting prepared for an interview requires a level of mental preparation as well. Confidence is one of the most important attributes when interviewing. Know that you are worthy; you were chosen to interview, so you are needed. You have the credentials for the job you applied to, so never underestimate your abilities. At the same time, exercise modesty. Enter your interview feeling capable, but not over-confident. A combination of self-assurance and humility equals success. Once you have accepted an interview, do not overlook the necessary preparation steps that will help you achieve interview success. Careful planning and a confident self-presentation can be the difference getting and not getting a job.

Road Bullying

ROAD bullying has been around since automobiles were invented and roads built to enable people to move around in machines. But ostensibly, road bullies don’t pick on everyone or even anyone at random. They instinctively pick out and bully the weakest – which is typical pack animal behaviour. Victims need to learn how to deal with their tormentors. Rather than protection from anyone else, what they need is education to stop being and acting like victims.

According to one study, more than half of all drivers have experienced a surge of road bullying at some point. And a lot of accidents happen each year because of aggressive driving. According a prominent psychologist, the heavy metal of a car is a safe haven and road ragers don’t think about the consequences or even about other people on the road as real people with real families.

 In addition, violent behaviour of road bullies may be due to other factors of his or her life – for instance, stress at home or with a family. The psychologist says road bullies may also be inflamed by the absent-minded or stupid driving of those talking on cell phones, adding: “This is quite common since verbal confrontations on the phone can lead to confrontations on the road. It works both ways.” On the home front, just last year, a motorcyclist was fighting for his life at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan, Pahang, after one of two men in a car stabbed him in the abdomen for unintentionally grazing their car.

The victim was reportedly heading home when his motorcycle grazed the car at a traffic light junction. An argument was said to have ensued before the two men in the car drove away. Later, the motorcyclist and the duo met again at another traffic light junction and this time, one of the car occupants reportedly alighted and stabbed the victim twice with a knife, critically injuring him, before speeding off. The suspect was later picked up near the crime scene and a knife and a machete were also seized from his car. In a recent case in Selangor, a doctor wrote a letter to a national daily, alleging that police let a road bully (a van driver) off scot-free after he had lodged a report against the latter for ramming into the back of his car. The van driver had also allegedly used abusive language. Following the doctor’s report, police traced the van based on the vehicle’s number provided in the report. And search for the van driver is on-going. The police say they are looking at road bullying as a serious offence and there will be no compromise on it. Aggressive driving and road bullying are on the rise and according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, it is one of the top concerns for many drivers today.

Road rage or bullying is defined as an aggressive or angry behaviour by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle. Such behaviour might include rude gestures, verbal insults, deliberately driving in an unsafe or threatening manner, or making threats. Most common-law countries prohibit common assault, which could apply to road rage or bullying where the personal safety of the victim is seen to be threatened. The common law regards assault as both a criminal and civil matter, leading to both public criminal penalties and private civil liabilities. What is important though is to try and drive with composure even under trying conditions. Another useful tip is to drive defensive. It’s pointless risking collision with a heavy vehicle even though we know it is being driven on the wrong side of the road. The consequences are always dire and should best be avoided. Invariably, discretion is the better part of valour when motoring with rogue drivers in our midst.

Inside Out

I recently watched a movie called Inside Out. It is a movie by Pixar who also made Toy Story, Wall-e, Cars and Monsters Inc. I was really excited to see this movie because the trailer looked amazing.

The basic premise is about the emotions in a person’s head that control the decisions we all make. These emotions are joy, anger, fear, disgust and sadness. The movie focuses on the emotions in the head of Riley, an 11-year-old girl who just moved to a new state.

The movie is very creative and at times genius with their concepts for things that go on in our heads, like an actual train of thought. The movie does a great job in sending a message that all emotions are important in our lives, not only joy.

            The cast did a brilliant job in portraying their specific emotions. Anger especially was great.

            Even though this movie has been advertised as a children’s movie, I think it is great fun for all ages, and I think a lot of what is going on the movie might be too complicated for some of the younger kids too.

This movie will make you feel an abundance of emotions from joy to sadness with more than one scene containing extremely sad moments.

All in all, i think this is going to be one of the better movies this year and one of the best kids movies in recent history. Its great fun and you should check it out.

Random thoughts...

            How have we as a species fallen so far?? At this very moment there are things going on in this country that are flat out idiotic, and across the shores, Donald fricking Trump could become the most powerful man in the world! How have we come to this? 

            Our forefathers built societies and technology and we have furthered on their discoveries, but on a social standpoint, we might be falling very much backwards. People are unhappy with what is going on somewhere and instead of trying to find out how they can improve, they just shut the negative comments out or twist them around making the bad guys good. The economy is plummeting and some people say it’s for our own good?! Sedition is being thrown around everywhere with prisons filled more with reporters and opposing politicians than serial killers and rapists. The world already knows what is going on, but that is not enough for some people to realise that they are not wanted. I just can’t believe it.

            One positive though is that the night is darkest before the dawn. Through all the hypocrisy there have been those that are against what is going on. As V from Vendetta said, “people should not fear the government; the government should fear its people”.

            Now back to Trump. How is this man the front runner to become the President of the United States? A man who’s most compelling argument in a presidential debate was “Shut up!”. A man who has been sexist, racist and homophobic on many occasions. A man who’s plan for immigration is to build a wall between Mexico and the USA.

        All I can say is I am glad I am not American.

Literature - How A Character Has Changed Due To Certain Events That Have Taken Place In His/Her Life

 The novel that I have read is Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine. There are quite a few events that are very important to a character in the story.

       One of the five pupils who came from a broken family is Pixie, whose parents are divorced. Every weekend she goes to stay with her father and his new family. She dislikes her stepsisters, Hetty and Sophie and calls them 'the Pains'. When Hetty moves into Pixie's bedroom, after quarrelling with Sophie, Pixie feels extremely unhappy. She thinks up all kinds of ways to get rid of Hetty. Such as pretending the room is haunted and giving Hetty the 'semi-silent' treatment.

     When Pixie's stepmother, Lucy, hears about her behavior, she has a talk with her. This event is the turning point in Pixie's relationship with her father's new family. Both Lucy and Pixie speak truthfully about how they feel about each other and the family situation. Lucy learns how Pixie hates pretending there is a normal family and how difficult it is to be caught between her divorced parents. Pixie realizes that Lucy hates being a step-parent and how hard it is caring for someone else's child. She also realises how badly she has behaved. This honest conversation creates an understanding between them. It ends with them crying and hugging each other. This signals the change in Pixie's relationship with her step-family. After this event, Pixie is happier and gets along much better with her stepsisters.

     The honest talk between Pixie and Lucy is an important event to Pixie as it improves their relationship and they become more like a normal family after that. It proves that open communication can heal relationships.

Star Wars VII

            Now that I have seen The Avengers already this year, there is only one movie running through my mind right now, Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens.

            I have been waiting all my life to actually see a Star Wars movie on the big screens and it is finally becoming a reality. Not much is known about the plot or the characters, but that is one of the best parts for me. Nowadays if you go online or watch a trailer to a movie, you basically know everything there is to know about that movie and the experience in the cinema is not as great. With this movie however, I still do not know much of what is going on.

            The trailers have made this movie look amazing as well. They had the task of showing us the movie without showing much of the plot or revealing a few characters and they actually achieved that. I have lost count of how many times I have watched the trailer.

            The film’s director, JJ Abrams has also made it a point to use as many practical effects as he can. This is a great contrast to most big budget movies today. It makes the movie look a lot more believable and not like a cartoon.

            I am also exited because of the cast this movie possesses. The main characters are being played by virtual nobodies, who have not done many movies yet, but with them come the likes of Oscar Isaacs (X-Men Apocalypse), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) and Brandon Gleeson (Harry Potter). These actors will bring a lot of experience and quality to this movie, especially Andy Serkis. Besides these actors, Original Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are returning for the movie.

            All in all, I am obviously very excited and cannot wait for this film.

Literature - Comparing Two Characters

Based on the novel I studied, Step by Wicked Step, by Anne Fine, there are many characters that share distinct contrasts and similarities in their actions and general persona. The characters I have chosen to compare are Richard and Colin.

            The obvious similarity is that they are both children that come from broken homes, with both of their fathers being unavailable to help their children for a majority of each of their stories. Both of them had a strong bond with their fathers, making them at times inseparable. The difference is that Richard’s father passed away, while Colin is still out there somewhere. Richard has lost all hope with reuniting with his father, while Colin made it his mission to find his father, saying, ‘One day, I’m going to have enough to go back and find him.’ 

            Besides that, both of them have mothers that ignored them. In Richard’s case, his mother did not try and help or defend Richard and allowed Reverend Coldstone to abuse him. Colin’s mother was quite oblivious to the fact that her son was mourning the death of his father because she was too busy attending to the household chores and her career. Both of these mothers should have been the most supportive people in the world in that instance because a broken family is a very bad environment for a child to be in.

            Finally, both of them had the same idea, run away from home. Richard and Colin were convinced that, them running away from home would solve the problems that they faced. Richard ran away to make life better for his mother and sister, with that having the opposite effect in the end. Colin however, wanted to run away in order to reunite with his step-father, saving up money and everything to aid his search, 'I'm saving up now....enough to go and find him.'

            In conclusion, even with all the similarities these characters have, they encounter very different paths. Both characters embody bravery and fear while coming out on opposite ends by the end. What we can learn from this is that we must be careful making a decision because it could have one of many different outcomes and we would have to pray that it is a good one.

What I am expecting from the BPL

            Football is something that not everyone loves, but is sometimes all that is worth living for, for some of those who do like it. I am a football fan and the Barclays Premier League has just started and as a fan of one of the league’s bigger clubs, Liverpool FC, I am very exited for the season. For once I am quite optimistic of Liverpool’s chances of challenging for the league title this season. Liverpool have bought many new players for quite a big sum of money in total, almost totaling 100 million pounds. I am particularly exited to see Christan Benteke and Roberto Firmino playing for Liverpool this season.

         











           
         After seeing Liverpool play a few games this season already, I am optimistic this season because I can see glimpses of the old Liverpool, that played good fun attacking football which instilled fear in the hearts of other teams. I think Benteke can form a formidable partnership with Liverpool’s other striker, Daniel Sturridge. 

          As a Liverpool fan I am not always celebrating when Liverpool play. This was never more obvious then last season when Liverpool played horribly. I could not wait for it to end so that I could look forward to the future, because we couldn’t fall much further. Even with many star players leaving the club, I think Liverpool have replaced them sufficiently. Fan favourite Steven Gerrard has left to go to Los Angeles. He was one of the best players I had ever seen play and it  will be strange to see him play anywhere else because he had played for Liverpool for 17 years! He is a true legend and will be missed.

            One player that won’t really be missed is Raheem Sterling, who left Liverpool because he wanted more money. I am very glad I do not have to see his face as much anymore because I feel like punching him very badly.

            I honestly think this is Liverpool’s season to actually start challenging for the top spots once again and I will be supporting them all the way.

SPM 2009 Literature question - Difficult Decision Made by a Character

In the novel that I have read, “Step by Wicked Step” by Anne Fine, there were a few difficult decisions that have been made by the characters of the story. Out of all the difficult decisions that have been made, I have decided to write about the decision for Richard to run away of home as it is unique and special, and of course of I disapprove of his actions to take flight from hardship and proper education that was given to him from his step dad, Reverend Coldstone.

            One of the reasons why I think I think it was a bad decision for him to run away from home is because it took a toll for his mother, Lilith's life. As stated in page 27 of the book, on the second paragraph, Richard's mom used most of her fortune to look for him, and that Reverend Coldstone was opposing the idea of using her money in such a fashion as it was only a waste of money, as quoted in the book, “Lilith! Waste more money of your dwindling fortune on this folly and I will make you pay for it twice over!” With no one to turn to and without knowing which side to lean on, she soon passed away from too much stress gathered from Reverend Coldstone for being too strict and Richard for being childish and naive. This is one of the reasons why I think Richard's decision to run away from home is a bad decision.

            Another reason why I think it was a bad choice for him to run away and not face the challenges ahead of him is because he also caused the death of his step dad, Reverend Coldstone. As stated in page 27 of the book, in the letter that Charlotte, Richard's sister, wrote to Richard, Reverend Coldstone was clinging on to their mother so that he could obtain the large amount of wealth that their biological father owned. He persuaded Richard's mother to not spend all the money on Richard so that he could keep the rest for himself. As it turns out, he wasn't even entitled to receive the family inheritance and that only Richard can claim the large amount of cash. After realising that, he got filled with so much wrath and anger, he passed away, as stated in the book, on page 27, on the first paragraph, “My mother died of heartbreak, my stepfather of fury when he realised that no trick of his could keep the house from me.” Therefore, I think that Richard running away from home is a bad choice.

            The last reason why I think that it was a bad decision for Richard to escape from his mother and stepfather is because his decision even ended up killing his own beloved sister, Charlotte. As stated in page 28, first paragraph, “And so, last year, upon my sixteenth birthday, I married Charles Devere. I do not love him as I know as I know I should, and he cannot make me happy. But he is prosperous, and he has promised to keep up the search,” she married Charles Devere so that she could use his money to look for Richard. Riddle and Flook, his solicitors, also put up notices in papers inquiring Richard's disappearance and humongous wealth. In the end, she died after she got a fever from childbirth from such a young age, as quoted from the book in the second paragraph, “But if I die in fever of childbirth, as so many do, then Charles will send this letter to our old home, to tell you why you return to cold, cold silence.” Again, this made me think that Richard running away from home is a bad idea.

            In conclusion, Richard should have faced his challenges instead of running away with his tail between his legs. He should confront his step father head on, using any way possible. Either listen to him and act as he is told, or just beat the living hell out of him. If he actually concentrated on his studies and thought about his decisions in a more mature way, his mother wouldn't then have to spend most of her money into searching for him, and his sister wouldn't have to marry someone for the purpose of obtaining wealth instead of marrying someone out of pure love.

After SPM?

I know this is quite a bit into the future, but what are we going to do after SPM? I know most people are going straight to college or university, but what about everyone else. Some people don’t even know what they are going to study in the future. There are many things I would love to do once SPM is done.

            One thing I will be doing is catching up on television and movies. I have a long list of stuff that will have to be watched by me eventually. I cannot wait to catch up on shows like Sherlock and start watching shows like Breaking Bad and Daredevil. There are also many exiting movies coming out around SPM that I might not get to watch, so I will have to catch up on those and also have movies that have come out after SPM as well.

            Besides movies and TV, I could always try and get some money by getting a job. Getting a job would not only get me more money to watch all those movies, but it would get me some work experience which will be very important in the future. If you are very sure of what you want to do career-wise, an internship is something you could try and get. It would be very hard to get one without a degree, but not impossible.

            People always say that the time period in between SPM and the start of college is a waste of time. Well, I don’t think so. I think there is no such thing as a waste of time if you know what to do with it.