The Goal

In my operations management class, I had to read The Goal by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt. I did not expect to like the book considering it was over 300 pages of talking about a management theory, but I actually ended up really enjoying it. In fact, I wish all textbooks could be written in the same way that Dr. Goldratt wrote this book. He teaches the theory of constraints to his readers by telling the story of a plant manager, Alex Rogo. He takes the readers through Alex's daily life, showing them how Alex learned about the theory of constraints. Instead of writing a book listing all of the rules and principles of the theory of constraints (TOC), Dr. Goldratt taught the method by using Alex as an example. As Alex explored the happenings at his own plant, he discovers what needs to change. Ultimately, the steps he takes to make the changes are the steps for implementing TOC techniques. By following Alex through the decisions that led him to discover the steps for TOC, the reader gets a clear understanding of why TOC works. Instead of just describing the content of the theory like most textbooks do, this book showed the development of the theory. I found this technique much easier to follow and understand than the way a traditional textbook would present a theory.

Another thing I like about the book was that Dr. Goldratt incorporated parts of Alex's personal life into the story. The stress of his job was affecting his marriage, and the turmoil he and his wife were experiencing was included in the book. The book was much more interesting because there were parts about his personal life, which helped break up the technical content of the majority of the book. It also helped show how much impact your involvement in a job can have on your personal life. While I was supposed to be concentrating on learning the practices of the theory of constraints, I couldn't help but to dwell on Alex's personal life as I read the book. It made me realize how important it is to establish a clear balance between your work and personal life. No matter how stressful a job or career may get, it is essential that you take the time to spend time with the people who are an important part of your life. I think many times it's easy for people to get caught up in their obligations at work, and it is easy to stop spending as much time with your family because the thought is that they will always be there. If you constantly make it a habit to put work first, it will definitely strain the relationships in your life. This book taught me an important lesson about the importance of establishing a good balance between work and personal life. As someone who will be starting a career in just a few years, I think it's important to start thinking about what really matters to me. You have to establish your priorities early on because it is hard to change them once you get into the habit of something else.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Aside from the theory of constraints techniques that could be useful in a management position, I learned important lessons about life in general. There is so much more to learn in life than just the facts and principles that are generally taught in a classroom. It was refreshing to read something for a class that helped me gain knowledge that I can use both inside and outside of the classroom, which I think is very important.

Cover Letters

I did not know that much about the use of cover letters, so this website was very helpful to me. For the most part, I agreed with everything they said. The only piece of advice that I found strange was the part where they said to handwrite the P.S. statement. To me, that seems like a very informal addition to a formal document. If I personally saw something handwritten, I would think that the person forgot and threw it on the page at the last minute. They said that it would be the first thing read, which I do agree with. The statement would definitely stand out, which I guess is what you would be going for. Maybe I just didn't like this piece of advice because it doesn't really seem to be my style. I'm the kind of person that likes everything to look perfect and to be uniform, and it would bother me to write it in. I suppose that it may work for some people, but I do not see myself doing that.

The website as a whole was very useful, but the part that I found the most beneficial was the sample. I like to see an example of what people are telling me because I think it makes it easier to understand. Even though a lot of their advice was easy and simple to follow, it really helped me to see all the advice put together into one good example of a cover letter.

I didn't realize that a cover letter was supposed to focus so much on the company and that it was supposed to be so specific. After reading everything the website says, it makes perfect sense. The purpose of your resume is to show them your qualifications and show them who you are, and the cover letter does not need to restate that. The cover letter should be used to show them how you can specfically add to their company's goals and needs. Overall, I found this website very useful, and I know I will be referring to it as I write my cover letters.

Second Life Interviews

I find it absolutely crazy that companies are actually starting to do interviews in Second Life. I really don't feel like you can get a good interview with a potential employee by conducting the interview in a virtual world. There are many problems with technology that may cause a perfectly good candidate to lose the job, and because of the uncertainty that is involved with the Internet, there may also be some unworthy candidates that get a job. For example, the Second Life program takes up a lot of space on the computer. There are problems with the program freezing. Even with the little experience I have had in SL, my computer has frozen several times. This can create bad situations in interviews. The example of the guy handing over a beer instead of his resume is another good example. I don't believe that anyone would ever make that mistake in person. When you have little experience with the program, it is easy to make these kinds of mistakes. Mistakes such as these give a bad impression of the person, when in reality, such mistakes in a SL program are not an indicator of someone's qualification's for a job. On the other hand, it would be easy for someone to make themselves appear better than they are. There is no way of knowing who is physically sitting at the computer and typing during the interview. Someone who may not be good at answering interview questions could be having someone else participate in the interview. These examples show why it is important that SL interviews have to be supplemented with live interviews; however, even with a live interview, I don't think SL interviews are a good idea. SL interviews are most likely used to create first impressions, and once those first impressions are made, they are going to be difficult to break. I don't feel like SL gives people a fair opportunity to show who they really are in an interview.

The article mentioned that it's better than live interviews because you can always hit the backspace button. If I were being interviewed, it might be nice to have the option to change what I say, but from an employer's standpoint, I think the main purpose of an interview is to see how a person reacts on the spot. I feel that SL does not give a candidate a fair chance to show their interest in the job or to show their true character when all they are doing is typing responses. I also do not think that employers get a fair idea of what the candidate is actually like.

It seems like companies may like the idea of conducting interviews through SL because it's cheaper and easier. The person conducting the interview can be anywhere they want to be, and they don't have to pay for travel expenses. Interviews over the Internet are convenient and easy. While it may seem like a better option, I think it is worth the price and hassle to get a real interview with a person. By putting forth the extra effort in the interviewing process, companies can save themselves time and money later when they are not facing problems due to bad hiring decisions.

In some situations, I can see where companies feel that SL is a good interviewing technique. In the case with the police force needing people to help regulate crime on the Internet, an interview over the Internet may be appropriate. It would show that the job applicant has knowledge and experience in SL. Some companies that heavily rely on computer software may also be the type of company that considers a SL interview. If a technologically based company wants to see that a job applicant has basic experience with programs like SL, the interview in SL could work. I think there are very few companies that are looking for people who have the skills to navigate SL, and overall I do not think that SL interviews would be effective.

Persuasion

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" when he was in jail in Birmingham, Alabama in April of 1963. King was in jail for his non-violent protest against segregation. His letter is a response to the statement of several clergymen who agreed that injustices were apparent in society but that it was the job of the courts to rule on the matter. They did not believe that the issue should be resolved on the streets in society. King's letter is used to disprove the statement made by the clergymen. King believes that the only way to get rid of segregation is for the oppressed people to stand up and show that they will no longer allow it. His persuasive letter aims to show how civil disobedience is effective and that it is the best way to fight for an end to segregation. He encourages a peaceful protest, saying that violence will only worsen the problem for his people.

In his writing, King uses many different elements of persuasion. He uses examples of people in history who have gotten what they wanted through civil disobedience. By showing that other people have successfully accomplished what he is advocating, King shows that his peaceful protest will also work. King also recognizes the arguments of the people who are against him, and he addresses the thoughts of his opponents. He takes their arguments, and he argues against them. He tries to show how their thoughts are faulty, but by presenting both sides, he makes the audience of his letter for those people both for and against him. He already has the support of the people on his side, so he is mainly trying to persuade those against him. He knows his audience, and he knows how to reach them. King is also very successful in his persuasion by bringing in many religious examples. He uses religion to justify his cause.

I found an article about an open position in a child care center in Atlanta. The facility is looking for a manger to oversee all of their programs and to help hire people. Although very different from King's piece, this article can also be seen as a persuasive piece. The article tries to make the job look appealing by giving its description and the benefits. Unlike King's letter, this article has a very narrow audience. This piece is written for people who would want this sort of job. The purpose of the article is much different from King's letter, so it is written in a much different manner. The article does not use flowery language, religion, and historic examples; instead, the article gives a very straightforward description of the job. People reading this piece would already be interested in this sort of work. This article aims to show how their job position may be different from other places, and it is trying to persuade an applicant that their position is the best available. They accomplish this goal by laying out all of the benefits of the job, showing how it may be different from others. The article uses a simple business-like writing style. It is short and to the point. Although King's letter and the article I found about a job opening are extremely different, both are successful pieces of persuasive writing. By looking at these two pieces, it is easy to see how writing has to adapt to the needs of the intended audience.