December Mentor Meeting

This month's mentor meeting with my mentor our topic was tips for interviews. Dr. Felan as usual is very creative with his answers, the first question I asked him was about a piece of advice that is usually given which is: "always be yourself". He told me that it was good advice to give someone with also a good piece of advice being "be honest and don't get off topic". He gave a few examples about that saying that if somebody takes too long with an answer then it leaves a bad impression of that person. He also told me that when he speaks to his students about interviews he tells them that whether they like it or not an impression of them will be made within the first 30 seconds of an interview. Another thing he told me is that in an interview both parties have to be honest and that an interview is only trying to see how the interviewee reacts to the work environment. When asked about the flip side about what is the worst thing to do at an interview he simply said "to lie and to get off topic of the question". He would know this as he has been on both sides of the table whether being the interviewee or interviewer, because he's been on both sides he knows a lot about what may be the best answer and what may be the worst answer. Another question I asked him was "When you've been the interviewee what has been the toughest question you've been asked" and he sat for about 45 seconds thinking about it and he responded with the experience he had when he first got out of the PhD program and had an interview at a private university in Pennsylvania. I also mentioned to him about cultural differences regarding times for interviews and he stated that here in the United States and other western countries it is expectation to look others in the eye while in other places that may not be the case. He also mentioned the fact that when American companies try to do business abroad it is advantageous to learn the cultural norms so the meeting will be smooth. I agree with him because in my culture while it is expected to look someone in the eye, time on the other hand is more relaxed in terms of actually being there on time.

November Mentor Meeting

In my November Mentor meeting with Dr. Felan I asked him about tips to make a resume. His response was "That because we ask teenagers to have a 1 page resume its kind of difficult to give any tips on how to improve them but obviously as you get older always make sure that you don't put too much on there". He also mentioned to me that he really hasn't used his resume other than when he's worked outside of education stating "By the time you have a PhD people assume that you know what you want to do and the title itself does most of the work on job applications". However he did tell me to make sure that whatever I do to make sure that my resume stays updated. I agree with him on that note because what is the point of saying that you have a basic understanding of a foreign language when that is no longer the case, or giving the wrong contact information means that chances are you will not receive the job as the employer cannot properly contact you. Obviously these things are very situational but doesn't mean that it does occur on a regular basis around the world, wherever it may be.