Financial Crisis

Everyone who knows anything about the financial market or who simply turns on the news knows that there is a major crisis right now. Big companies such as Lehman Brothers bankers and AIG are failing. Investors have seen there net worth drop dramatically in the past few weeks. This massive drop in our economy is going to effect every American and result in higher taxes. Not only will banks be hit hard but the effect will also spread to IT operations, accountants, lawyers, and other professional service employees who depend on work from finance companies. Even insurance companies, which have remained relatively strong, could be hurt if the economy worsens.
New York City is not the only city that will be effected by this financial crisis. Smaller financial centers and their suburbs could also see trouble ahead. Smaller cities such as Wilmington, DE, which is where many of the nations credit card companies are located; Charlotte, NC, home of Bank of America and Wachovia; and Sioux Falls, SD, where many back-office jobs are located, each have about 15% of residence working in finance, real estate, or insurance. These cities are not necessarily in trouble right now, but they could be hit hard soon.
Evrybody should be aware of the financial crisis going on in the United States right now and keeping up to date with news about the economy, especially those of us that will be in business industries. Hopefully the problems will begin being resolved shortly.

Cover Letter

I found the website about cover letters to be very helpful. I now feel that I will be able to draft a good cover letter to go with my resume. I did not know much about cover letters although, from I did know, I agree with the information given. One thing I may not agree with is that companies do not read cover letters. From what I have heard, many companies read cover letters to get a first impression of you.
The tutorial that I found most helpful was "The Best Use of a Cover Letter." This article was very informative of what you should include in your cover letter. I now realize that before writing a cover letter I will need to research the company I am writing it for. This is show the hiring manager what I am able to bring to the company. Also, when writing my cover letter I will include information about the company, my top skills and the benefits of them, and provide contact information. Overall, I learned a lot about drafting a cover letter and feel that I will not be able to write an effective letter.

Interviewing

The article that helped me the most was "It's Your Turn: What to Ask the Interviewer." On past interviews I have found that this is a problem for me. I get so nervous and can never think of which questions I should ask. For future interviews and my mock interview I will make a list of questions prior to the interview. As the article says, it is extremely important to ask the interviewer questions because it shows that you are interested in the job. It also allows you to express your knowledge about the field and industry, which will make you seem more credible. The article also taught me that there are different question you should ask workers in different positions, such as recruiters and managers. Asking questions is an extremely useful tool because I can see if the job I am applying for is truly a job I would enjoy doing.
The other article I read was "How to Answer the Toughest Interview Questions." This article was helpful because it taught me techniques to use when interviewers try and test your ability to answer certain questions. I have never been good at answering questions under pressure, never mind tough questions. Tips that I will use from the article are to be honest and not to seem too confident. The last thing you want to do in an interview is seem cocky. Another piece of advice the article gave is to think about the question before you answer it. This will allow me to think about what I want to express in my answer and to calmly answer the question. Overall, these articles gave me great tips to use when interviewing.

10 years

Ten years from now, I hope to be working for an accounting firm. My goal after receiving my undergraduate degree from Clemson is to attend grad school, most likely at Clemson, and obtain my CPA. I would love to work for one of the big four firms for my first few years in the industry, then move on to settle with a smaller firm. I would love to move back up to Boston and live in the city before I have a family. If I can't get a job back up north, I would like a job in a bigger city in the south, such as Charlotte or Atlanta. Also, I would specifically like to obtain an audit position at an accounting firm because I would like to travel around the country and possibly out of the country. As far as a family goes, I hope to be married and have at least one child. I hope to be settled with my family in a small town in the North. Honestly, right now, I have no clue where I will be in ten years but I hope that it will be somewhere close to my picture of the future.