2011!

The new year is approaching FAST! Honestly, 2010 just flew bye...I cannot believe it. Honestly it was not that good of a decade to be completely honest, a lot of bad things happened. I am more than excited for 2011 & the opportunities it will bring! I just read that there were less jobless claims for the first time in a very long time--which makes me very happy for people out there--there is still hope! :o) Any progress is good progress in my eyes!

My new years resolution is to tone tone tone! I got a personal trainer for a little while this fall--he taught me some excellent strength training techniques and I'll probably sign up for another package because I am beginning to master the moves. I am glad I set this goal before the new year so it is already in progress. Also this year I am going to really need to sit down and create a budget for myself. Chicago really does suck you into all of its entertainment. Or maybe its because when I moved here I had...3 friends? So i didn't do much--that's probably the reason to my intense increase of money spent. (A really good website to use for capturing your money is mint.com--it's free and very easy to use I would strongly reccommend this website!)

This new year I will be travelling to Lax, WI & then possibly spending time in Minneapolis! I am very excited for this weekend! I never knew New Year's Eve was considered a holiday? But I guess you learn something new everyday.

 As I spend more time at my internship I am learning more and more about people every step of the way. I'm amazed how much I have learned in my classes (personnel) that I actually see in my everyday life here at my internship. For example, I learned that verbal cues and and the way someones writes is not a very good predictor of performance. I even thought it was funny that someone would actually think that the way someone writes would tell you anything about a person. But some of the other employers at my job actually do take into consideration verbal cues and writing skills! All you can really do is take those things with a grain of salt. I made sure to inform my personal boss what really matters in  terms of performance predictors.

It's also interesting to see how different our generations are. Some employers hate the idea of technology or the use of facebook and other social media websites. But if they took the chance to read more about it, they would understand that those websites are the future. Yet, it takes some people time to change. With change comes great ideas. The internet is not a dangerous tool in my opinion. I think the advancement in technology is great & it allows us to do great things. It allows us to stay connected, recruit, find jobs, post jobs, etc. Without the use of the internet, I would not have found my job or even learned about my Master's program. I am living in the tech world and I embrace every minute of it!

Anyways, you have no idea how many entertaining applications I go through a day and even more entertaining is when the applicants come in for an interview. People have quite the interesting personalities, questions etc. I feel very fortunate that every day I can learn something new and exciting. I will say this--this year I was very blessed! I thank god everyday for all the opportunities!

Well I am about to do an interview--I already know it is going to be entertaining. Everyone have a safe and fabulous New Year! I cannot wait until the clock strikes 12:00. 2011 will be a great year--I can feel it.

*Ash

Santa Brings....Turkey?

Today was a very interesting day...to say the least. I walked down the street on my way to the train when a lady approached me. I am not really a morning person but I refuse to give someone so nice the cold shoulder at 8 am. She mentioned that I was very brave to wear my shoes. ( I was wearing simple black shoes for work) She told me that I should be aware of the rule--bring your uggs to work to put under my desk & switch when I got there) Well I guess I am only used to the high heels at night-- switch into flats 4 hours later rule. She was very nice and ironically a Psychology major in her undergrad. I am very grateful that she introduced me to this rule--thank you kind Chicagoan!

Something that really gets underneath my skin is the people who sell the street wise magazines-- I don't mind that they are selling them--I don't even know what types of articles or information is inside of them~But at 8:30 I cannot stand the street wise jingles that people come up with! It's just a pet peeve that I needed to share--not very important

Anyways-Today I screened different resumes. I was looking for potential medical assistant candidates. I basically needed to weed out who was qualified and who was not. If there were any gaps open in resumes--how long a candidate worked at a certain location--I called to verify and if I felt they were a good candidate, it is my job to bring them in. This can be tricky because some applicants live far away from my work. What I do at my work is what in the I/O work is called continuous hiring. I constantly am looking for qualified applicants--even if a position is filled. I keep finding the best candidates, in case someone gets hired and they decide they dont want the position for some reason down the line, I still have qualified back ups.

While I was working, Santa decided to visit me. I was very..confused. Santa brought me a turkey for Christmas...I don't recall putting that on my list Santa, but it is the thought that counts! Sometimes I think I am secretly in a reality TV show--I believe the most amusing things honestly happen right beside your desk or cubical....

At the end of my long day I worked out and went to meet up with my friends at a local Mexican restaurant. It feels good to chat with people who have the same passions and aspirations as me! I can't wait until we are all in the real world and discussing our jobs. I love talking about I/O and research. We even came up with a very good research idea at dinner~ nerdy i know..but love nerds! One day they could be your BOSS!
That is all for tonight--I have a big day of interviewing tomorrow! Stay classy


*ash

The Start Of Something Great--Internship

I started my internship today! Since the day I went to my interview--I have been overly excited for this position. I was counting down the days until I could begin and the day finally came! I walked in today and my boss was in the middle of an interview. I sat down and watched and listened to the types of questions he asked potential candidates. ( By the way I work for a company who specializes in health. As a result I will be working with doctors who are looking for RN,medical assistants etc.) After he was done interviewing the applicant he quickly came to me and showed me the resume. He asked me to look at it and wanted to know what I thought. In my head, I thought he meant the resume. After I was done reading the resume-he told me I was going to ask the applicant questions for about 5 minutes. I was shocked! I don't know any specifics about qualifications of RN's etc. But there was no time.. I had to go in it with an open mind! I interviewed her for a brief period--I absolutely loved it! I think I may have found my niche!He told me I asked great questions--so that made me feel good.

After my interview my boss showed me to my desk, passwords, how to use the database etc. I felt so important! He set up my e-mail and signature--my official title is HR-Marketing and Coordinator :) I honestly feel so incredibly grateful for such a great opportunity. Also, this job, is more along the lines of I/O which is even better in my personal opinion. Towards the end of the day I looked for potential candidates to fill a position. I also tried to think of places that I could place adds. After I left the office, I already wanted to go back and learn more. That's how I knew I made the right decision. I am ready to grow and learn as much as I can. I also love the environment I am in because although it is fast paced, it is laid back at the same time, if that makes any sense to the mind of the reader.

I will make sure to keep everyone updated on how things are going. Today was only day one, I am sure stressful days are on the way! I will let you know how I handle all of that! Now it is time to sit back, relax and get ready for another day in the life of an intern. Also, I did well on my first semester of classes! All of the hard work I put in def paid off!!!!! Which I am very happy about. Until next time...thanks for reading! :)
*Ash

Complete

I am officially done with my first semester of graduate school! I feel extremely accomplished! All the long nights studying are finally over! (for a few weeks) You have noooo idea the RELIEF I felt when I slowly but surely completed all the papers, assignments, and turned in that very last final for Personnel Psychology. I really loved all my professors this semester-next semester is going to feel weird!

If I could find one word that describes me it would be determined. Through this last semester, I realized that I have this deep inner strength to find the small piece of happiness in any situation. Because of that strength, I never give up. I think if most people had to walk in my shoes, they would have given up awhile ago. I went through a lot this semester with classes and such. When you fall the only way is up right? Every stumble was just an opportunity to improve. I am very pleased with myself and I am ready for new challenges. Bring it on 2011.

I start my internship on wed!! I mentioned it my previous blogs already but I really am excited to learn all that I can during my time there. Hopefully it will open new doors for me in the future. I really hope one day to become a consultant. For now, that is my ultimate goal.

I'm glad it's finally break I am going to relax as much as possible. I have to do all my christmas shopping this weekend because I didn't realize that Christmas was approaching so fast! Good thing I have a small family! I can't wait to see my family for the holidays! I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas Season! If you are in Chicago you should take a look at all the Christmas Stories in the Windows at Macy's! Hopefully you will also get to catch Santa riding the EL. Enjoy the little moments in life because they ultimately add up to mean a lot. Stop & do something nice for someone. You never know how something so small can light up someones life. That's all for now! Have a good day everyone!

Long Distance

• Between 25-40% of all romantic relationships among college students are long distance.
• Couples live an average of 125 miles apart, and visit each other 1.5 times per month.
• Phone calls are made every 2.7 days; the average call lasts 30 minutes.
• Letters (not counting emails) are exchanged 3 times per month. 

While I was browsing facebook I came across a new years contest.  Couples wrote into Nieva (a body care company) and told the corporation about their long distance stories. The couple that gets the most votes will be reunited in Times Square to ring in the New Year! I thought it was a very good concept. http://promomagazine.com/news/nivea-facebook-contest-1207/
So i decided to write a blog about it because there are several people who are in long distance relationships-including myself.  Over half of my current relationship has been long distance so I am pretty used to it. I even experienced being 9,000 miles away from my significant other for quite some time--and that was the hardest! But oddly enough, if I had to do it over, I wouldn't change anything. That experience def made my relationship extremely strong and I am really thankful for that. 

Many may disagree with me, but to be honest I think being in a long distance relationship is a very good thing. It def makes you stronger and allows you to build trust in the other person. It also gives you time to really miss someone--which I find to be very important. It also shows you just how strong you really are & I learned a lot about my strength this year. Even when you think you are going through something tough, just think, someone out there is further away than you are from their significant other. I always think of the people who have someone fighting out there in the war..I give a lot of credit to those people! Before I went to graduate school, I had a teacher who said her marriage ended because of going to school. :/ Haha, why would you tell someone that?? 

Anyways, I think it's very important to follow your dreams--so that's what I did. I thought moving far away would be impossible! But after that loooong distance-I knew that in the end, miles between really means nothing. I am glad I have a very good support system 300 miles away! Without that love and support it would be very difficult to be so far away and make it work.(Thanks cakes! :))So to all of you experiencing a long distance relationship--kudos to you! I hope you  all get a chance to ring in the new year with your loved ones. And to all the single ladies/men out there--I hope you find new love in 2011 :)

Internship and End of the Year!

It has been quite awhile since I did my last post--so I thought I would update you on some new things going on in my life. First I would like to say, where did the time go? It seemed like yesterday that I graduated from Winona State University! Now it's almost 2011! It seems crazy to me! Over the course of the semester I applied to several jobs and internships to gain experience during my time in school. A lot of professors say that by having a Masters degree adds on years of experience. Although that may be true, I think it's very important to get hands on experience as well as being very educated. I applied to an HR/ marketing/bilingual internship and I got it! The interview was very intense, I was asking and answering questions for about an hour.I am really excited because this internship is very I/O influenced in my personal opinion. His passions are extremely aligned with my passions. I am also really happy that I will be able to use my Spanish skills. Although I have studied Spanish for years, I feel if you don't use it, you may lose it! I'll be able to see just how HR works in every aspect. I will be able to do structured interviews--something that I feel I will excel in, set up interviews, screen calls, find potential clients, research etc. My internship starts next wed. So I'll make sure to blog about my experience as a HR intern! In case you are thinking about going the HR or I/O route, than hopefully my blogs can help you to understand what a day in the life of a HR employee might be like. 

This upcoming week is my last week of the semester! Fortunately, I have only one exam! So this entire week will be dedicated to reading articles for my Personnel class. I found this class to be very beneficial, I actually talked about it a lot during my interview. I am really excited for my next semester of classes. I am taking a survey development class which I will be able to implement in my internship! I am also taking Advanced Statistics and Organizational Psychology which will be a review for me because I took it already in my undergrad, but hopefully it will have a very different teaching style and may focus on things that I did not in my undergrad course work. At the very end of my Personnel class we watched this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixUbdeXCp0M&feature=related 
Check it out! This captain landed a plane on the Hudson River, he was going elsewhere, but birds flew into his plane and engine and he had to make an emergency landing. This man knew the protocol very well! He was actually an I/O psychologists!--which is why I find this to be so interesting. I/O psychologists are very knowledgeable eh? ;)

I hope you guys are not snowed into your homes! It's beginning to look like Christmas here in Chicago! Stay warm! :)

End of the semester

Well, I am almost done with my  first semester! I can officially tell you I am in the right place. I am actually very proud of myself. I have def worked very hard this semester and it all really paid off. I have a presentation and a proposal due tomorrow and then my very last exam next thursday and then i'm done! I am really excited to celebrate NYE here in Chicago! I can only hope it is not as cold as last January. New years brings resolutions and new goals which i'm very excited for. Next semester I hope to mentor more. I also hope to get involved in doing research. Right now I am really interested in various types of bias, I made a post before on dialect bias which was really interesting. I actually found some literature for further studies. I really want to do something on name bias & race bias in job selection. I am really glad my mom named me something normal like Ashley (thanks mom) I also hope to start looking for internships for the following semester. Since the Master's program is only 2 years, I have to accomplish a lot in a small frame of time. Well, I want to accomplish a lot. I really enjoy writing this blog because it gives me time to really think about things, especially goal related topics. Also, I hope to go to Tanzania in 2011. I really hope everything goes as planned because I have been looking forward to traveling there for sometime now! So I really need to start saving for that adventure this summer!:o)What are your goals for 2011? And what are your new year's resolutions?