Endings and beginnings

So next week will be my last week at my temporary job. It has been fun; I learned a lot, met some great people and had a good time. I am still continuing to get my certification in Human Resource Management and so I started the Employee Relations and Talent Management classes this past week and I am also in the middle of taking the Benefit Plans and Effective Performance Management classes. I am also doing more networking via informational interviews which is so helpful. Everyone has different experiences, advice and a different story to tell. They are all extremely helpful and I can't wait to talk to more professionals.

Last week I saw Whip It, which was a good movie. And I went to Le Bal des Vampires. There were a ton of people, in a variety of costumes, doing all sorts of dances. And this weekend I learned Argentine Tango at eastbaywaltz and went to see Othello. I had not seen the play performed since high school and thoroughly enjoyed it. I really enjoy watching Shakespeare's plays especially the comedies. Although Othello isn't comedic, it was still very moving and good to watch.

Office Parties and socializing

On Friday, my office had a Halloween party. It was a great way to socialize with other employees. These are the colleagues that you don't see everyday, the ones who work in different departments or just walk by your door and all you do is wave and smile at them and that's it. It was great to see everybody again because even though we are all together 5 days a week we are all so busy with our work that we rarely have time to really sit down and talk with one another.

Informational interviews

Last week I conducted my first informational interview and it was a great experience. An informational interview is a short meeting that you have with an experienced professional when you want more information about a field or company. It is best to get started by asking people you already know: friends, past colleagues, schoolmates, etc. about their experiences. You could also ask them about how they came to be where they are today or what it is like to work for the company and where they think it is going in the future. Informational interviews are also helpful for building your network because can ask them who else they would recommend you talk to. If you are relocating or the person you want to talk to is always busy, call them and ask if you can e-mail them a short list of questions. Don't forget to be professional: dress nicely, be punctual and have a business card ready.