Tough Decisions and Exciting Announcements

As some of you may remember, a couple weeks ago I went on a trip to go check out the three grad schools I was considering attending this fall (Texas A&M, Purdue, and Ohio State).

Well, I've made a decision.

In the end, none of my friends were surprised because I chose the school that I had been talking about since the beginning of all of this grad school business... But it truly was a very difficult decision.

This fall I will be attending The Ohio State University to begin my two year program for my Masters in Human Resource Management (MLHR as the program is currently called but my insider info tells me that the name of the degree is going to be changing).

That means that as of this August I will officially be a Buckeye, residing in Columbus, OH!

I can't wait to share my journey from CA to OH with all of you.

Luckily my move to Ohio will be a lot more time with this girl which is amazing since we never really expected to be living in the same town again.

I'm Back...

... and I have some exciting news to share with you all!

As many of you may remember I spent the months of January and February studying for/taking the GRE and applying to grad school. Well, I have recently gotten my first acceptance! 

I've been accepted to the Master of Labor and Human Resources program at The Ohio State University!

Me and Brutus!

Throughout the whole process, Ohio State has been at the top of my list. Of the four programs I applied to, it is the only school I have already been to. My best friend, Alex- who you may remember from THIS trip, got her bachelors degree from OSU and is currently getting her masters. Also, one of my best friends from UCLA is a Columbus, OH native- she is in the pic with me on the far right of the collage below.

I am certainly going to wait until I have received decisions from all of the schools, but it was amazing to have my first acceptance come from the university I had been most excited about.

Even though I am a true blue Bruin and we strongly dislike those red-wearing Trojans from across town, I definitely think I could wear red scarlet for the Buckeyes! Heck, I already have =)

These are from my November 2010 trip to visit Alex

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Thanks for being understanding of my little break last week! Even though I was not writing, I was definitely still reading all your blogs!

I've Got An Interview!

I received my first request to interview for one of the graduate programs I applied to yesterday! Aside from being completely shocked by their super quick turnaround with my application, I was immediately hit with a wave of nerves.

You would think that as an aspiring HR professional I would be comfortable with interview situations, but interviews always make me nervous. I've had many phone interviews, a skype interview, in person one-on-one interviews, and group interviews; none of them have been particularly comfortable situations. Some have gone well, others I've left wishing I had said or explained something differently.

To turn this post in to more than just a rant about my current grad school progress; here are my top five interview tips.

1. Appearance- Before a word leaves your mouth you will be judged by whether or not your presentation is appropriate. Stand tall, give a firm handshake (weak handshakes are an EXTREME pet peeve of mine), smile, and make eye contact. All of these things, along with appropriate attire, will allow you to exude confidence.

2. Do your homework- Research the company/school/organization you are interviewing with prior to your interview. Be as knowledgable as you possibly can about the position and the company in general.

3. Have an answer for the very simple "Tell us a bit about yourself"- You will inevitably be asked some variation of this vague question towards the beginning of your interview. Don't get stuck on something simple like this. Have an idea of the most important things about yourself that you can easily articulate with out rambling. Make sure you throw in a few details that they would not already know by reading your resume.

4. Use specific examples when answering questions- When asked about your strengths, don't just say "I have strong communication skills." Instead, have a short anecdote in mind to demonstrate your communication skills. In preparation for an interview, I always make lists of different experiences I've had and think through concrete examples which demonstrate skills I could bring to a company.

5. Ask good questions- Every interview will end with time for the interviewee to ask questions; have questions prepared before you enter the interview. Nothing is worse than an interviewee who passes on the opportunity to learn more. It can make you seem uninterested. However, there is also such a thing as a bad question in an interview. Steer clear of questions that you could have easily found the answer to on your own pre-interview. Personally, I like to ask the interviewer about their experiences with a company. I find that it helps to make a more personal connection with the interviewer, plus everyone loves to talk about themselves.

I hope you guys found these tips helpful! If you have any tips of your own leave them below in the comments. Also, if you have been through an interview for grad school (especially if it was for a business school) I would love to talk to you about the experience. Leave a comment, tweet me, or email me at acanfield04@gmail.com.