Mock Interview

Has anyone had a mock interview before that would like to share your experience with us? Then please feel free to post your interview experience(s) in the comments message box below.

I just had my mock interview at university today.  It was a compulsory interview that all School of Engineering students have to do in third year.   It was a good experience because the interview is for a real job and at the end the panel give you feedback about how well you did and what areas need to be improved upon.

I have had experience in a couple of interviews for jobs for example: working at the Enquiry Unit at university.  I don’t mind interviews as it is a part of the application process where you as an interview candidate can express yourself verbally in front of perhaps a panel of three or five interviewers.

Today’s interview went well.  There was a panel of three interviewers that conducted the interview with me today.  Before the interview commenced, I was quite nervous because I did not know what would happen and what questions they were going to ask.  Once in the interview room, it first felt a bit edgy as I needed to relax and be comfortable being in front of people I have never met on a personal face-to-face level before.  As I gradually got settled in the interview, my confidence shined through and the interview did not seem as bad as I thought it would be.

My advice to all of you that have an interview coming up, please go to GET or a careers advice as they are the best people to help prepare you for interviews by going through questions and answers, interview dress code, appearance and impressions etc. and applying for jobs.  I went to the university’s provided student services for career support to help me with the whole process from applications, CVs, cover letters to the actual interview.  The GET employees offer workshops for students to attend that will be relevant for the future job opportunities.

Find what is best for you and how you can handle yourself at interviews and other assessment methods.  The best thing that I like to do is prepare myself beforehand so I am not stuck on the day of the interview and I know what I want to say to impress the interviewer(s).

I hope this information helped those of you that need it.  Please don’t forget to share your interview experiences here in the message box below.  It will be very helpful for all of us even me.  We can all learn from each other here so let’s start today.

Thank you all for reading.

Have a brilliant week and all the best in your interview preparations.

Valentine’s Day

Shopping for presents, booking restaurants, planning surprises and providing extra care and treatment all make up this one day to show someone you love how much you appreciate them.   I hope this Valentine’s Day will be a great one for you.

My friend the other day said to me that Valentine’s Day is every day you share with the special someone you love.  That is very true.  I cannot fault that statement.  That is what most people believe is the truth.  I believe that too however, I also believe that this day is slightly special and significant as it is a popular day that we all share around the world. 

I find that the hardest thing to think about on this special day is the preparation, the presents you buy for the one you love and finding the best surprise that will make him or her not forget the day for a long time.

What is everyone doing for Valentine’s Day?

I wonder what the university societies have planned this year.  I remember in both first and second year, there was an event calling all singles (males and females) to participate in the universities “Take Me Out” production. It was funny and great entertainment but a good dating service provider. Haha

Valentine’s Day is for everyone so share your love with someone on this day.

 Thank you everyone for the love.

Happy Valentine’s Day

I hope you share it with someone you either like or love.  This person or people can be family, friends or your partner even your pet.  Whoever you spend the day with, please do not spend it alone.  Show your affection.

2nd Term of Final Year

This term deserves pure dedication.  A lot of work and studying is required this term.  It is very crucial that I am on top of all my work and studies as these all mount up to a significant moment in the year.  Presentations, exams, group projects, final year project all need to be on point at a high standard.   I have set myself goals to work towards and achieve.  I hope this term will be a great one for me.  The new term shall project how well I am developing on my course and identify any changes that need to be made in order for me to work at the best of my ability.  Improvements is always a good way to proceed forward in life. 

Being stuck on something for a long time and not doing anything about it, is not good neither is it healthy for a person.  Rising to the challenge is always the best.  Whether you succeed or not, perhaps it will be a learning curve for you to know what to do next time and gives you an idea how to do better or improve in the future.

In the first term of my final year on the management and communications course, all students on that course had to write a reflective journal similar to a diary.  These reflective journals had to be done weekly.  They had to show that you have done a reflection on events that has happened in the past.  Furthermore, a discussion on how you have dealt with the problems that may have occurred and what you will do as future preparation if the event occurred again had to be mentioned.  The second term does not require the reflective journals now but it is still a good idea to continue so you can reflect on your life progress to analyse where you are now in life and where you were before.

Time Flies

For people like myself who started university at the same time as me and has progressed on a full-time three year course, then you will know the greatest but also sadness news I am about to share.  This year, 2014, means there will be a graduation for us in summer 2014.  It is only a matter of time left now for the 3rd year students (including myself) to finish their undergraduate degree course and graduate.  Can you believe it?  I have been in university for almost three full years but to be honest it feels like two years.

I had to ask myself the other day, where did the time go?

Over the years, a lot has been accomplished.  A good education, gain of knowledge that not only resulting academically but also socially and professionally.  The skills developed are a great help for me to take into industry.  Overall, I can say I have enjoyed my university life and will miss it especially the friendships I have made and the close bonding connections I have with a couple of people.

I remember being back in Year one when everyone was getting to know each other.  Then Year two, relationships/friendships blossomed and still to this day there is a growth.

It does seem that time is flying by a little bit quick therefore, we all need to be on-board with what we want to achieve before the end of university and after university.  Do not let the time pass you by.

I will be here whenever you need to chat.  If you have any request or issues you would like me to address or blog about please do not hesitate to ask me by leaving a comment or message below.

Thank you

2014

Hi everyone,

Welcome to a new year.  We've made it.  I do hope the New Year brings good things in each of your lives.  The New Year will mean a lot to people.  Different events might be happening which you may or may not have already planned.  Perhaps events like a holiday or starting work etc.  These all mount up to a significant time in the year.  Whatever it is, I hope you have a great time.  The New Year shall be a change for you.  Improvements on whatever happened in 2013 and can take effect in this year.  If there were problems you were facing in 2013 that you could not change, then now in this year, you have the opportunity to make those changes.

The New Year can mean a lot.  It is a new academic term start for all university students and others in education.  It is a time when people set a goal such as a NEW YEAR’s RESOLUTION which helps with the changes that individuals would like to make in the New Year.

Just a quick show of hands, how many people have already broken their NEW YEAR’s RESOLUTION?  I see one, two, three…   Not to worry, we all do it.  I am not here to judge.  Hopefully, you can retry and this time perhaps stick to it and be stricter on yourself.

I do hope you have reflected on the past and have decided what you want to do differently and/or keep the same from 2013 into 2014.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Graduate Position

Graduate job positions are being advertised on company websites and job agencies therefore it is my advice to ALL THIRD YEAR STUDENTS to apply as soon as possible, as the job won’t wait for you.  The goal is for you to go for the job, wait, and see what happens.

I have had heard and also seen for myself that GET in university are conducting workshops to help you with interviews, CV and Cover Letter writing etc.  I have booked myself on the CV and Cover Letter workshop as well as the Interview techniques workshop which on both occasions I found very helpful.  From the workshops that I have attended, I can now apply what I have learnt from them to any job applications and interviews I get.

The university support students like us to do well and they also prepare us to go out there in the world to look for jobs and get jobs.  I believe that the services that are provided to us students should be taken advantage of because this will benefit each of you in the long run as well as the short run.  I have been informed that the services that are provided to students of the university are extended to graduates of the university for up until 2 years after graduating from the university.   This is for those of you that need more guidance and help in finding a job etc.

To be perfectly honest, just knowing there is only a few months left for us final year students seems unreal.  We’ll be in or looking for our ideal jobs or even furthering studies.  Whatever the path in which you take just remember the opportunity does not wait for you. 

Raspberry Pi??

Have you heard of a Raspberry Pi? Not “Raspberry Pie”, “Raspberry Pi”.   Well if you’re an engineer then you should know what this is.  Of course, I am not talking about the food that people eat; which I personally detest but, that is just me.  I am actually talking about the engineering tool that is used by engineers. 

You can do loads with a Raspberry Pi.  It is quite a nifty tool if I must say so myself.

Just a couple weeks ago, I had to do a presentation of what I designed using my Raspberry Pi.  I developed a dynamic website for a bookstore.  It was quite easy to do once the work and knowledge began to flow.  The website did not need to be very over the top and technical.  It just needed to be a simple website showing different features which had been developed on it to make it user-friendly.  This was a part of an assignment in the Advance Hardware Systems course.  The good thing about it was you were able to share the workload by working in pairs.  The next assignment will be a group project with only 6 members allowed.  I am quite excited to know whom I will be working with and what the group and I decide to design and develop as a large system or software application.

I have always wanted to build a robot so perhaps I will get the chance to do that in this course using the Raspberry Pi.  Overall, to me, the course is going well because I like the incorporation of the practical aspects that it allows you to do.  It is quite like preparation for the real world of work when working on designing and developing new concepts/ideas.