Sunday, March 19, 2017

Mock Interview Competition Week!

OK everyone.  I've always been one to post extremely buttoned-up blog, but there's so much intricacy to what we have to do in class this week.  Please see below for my simple outline:

Monday – students send me anything they want printed in color via Drop Box AND put everything in their portfolio
Tuesday – students fill out their own appointment cards and turn them in for a grade, students finalize their portfolio by putting in all other stuff (letters of recommendation, report cards, assignments from other classes, awards, certificates, etc.) and submit for a grade, students practice interview questions in front of the class for a grade
Wednesday – students put their appointment cards in plastic badge holder and go over everything for Thursday, students practice interview questions in front of the class for a grade
Thursday – interview day – if they’ve finished their interview before they get to class, they’ll complete a reflection assignment.  If not, they’ll write about how they think they’ll do.

Friday – interview any students who failed to interview on Thursday, review the good, the bad, and the ugly of the interview (students share out how it went)

Of course, we'll have to discuss the particulars, but each day will be extremely busy from bell to bell.  Please make use of every minute and be as prepared as you can for your interviews on Thursday.  Each of you will be interviewing with a very important person in this community, whether it's our superintendent, County Mayor, or President of the County's Economic Development Council.  That said, it is imperative that you shine, so we'll be practicing answering these questions a whole lot.

See you all in class!

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Back to Business Operations

After our hiatus from normal business operations, it's time for us to re-focus on maximizing profits for Make-A-Meal.  Although I'll be out of the classroom on Monday, I'll still be in the building (acting in an administrative capacity).  You can always email me if you have any questions or need any assistance.  This week, we'll have to complete the following tasks, with the majority of the Make-A-Meal tasks to be completed in my absence on Monday.  You WILL be able to do this as long as you get right to work as soon as class begins and work through the bell.  See below for your tasks:

  1. Company Newsletter (Admin & HR)
    1. Employee Spotlight - select and interview one employee this week
    2. NWHS Sports at a Glance - CEO and Crawford to highlight Spring Sports Opening Days
    3. Business-Related Article - Corporate Philanthropy - Read and summarize this article.  Then, relay the benefits of our decision to donate 2% of our sales to underprivileged families.
    4. Item of the Week - Get with IT and highlight an item of the week on our website AND in our newsletter
      1. TO BE COMPLETED BY SALES (SEE BELOW)
  2. Website Update (IT & Sales) 
    1. Highlight Item of the Week 
      1. Come to consensus on item (preferrably a package)
      2. Report information to Newsletter Team
      3. Make Item prominent on website
    2. Make site more navigable
    3. Ensure meals and party packages are easily accessible
  3. Item of the Week Flyer & Other Sales Duties (Sales)
    1. This is to be completed FOR Admin & HR in our newsletter
    2. Designate at least two employees to collaborate with IT and then create the flyer (use Publisher, Word, or PowerPoint)
    3. Compose formal promotional email (ONE Sales employee) to be sent with our Item of the Week flyer to all VE firms
    4. Call at least one VE firm to conduct business with (better than that NY firm did with us)
  4. Display Board Update (Normal Display Board Team)
    1. Change background color
    2. Determine new theme (Spring is right around the corner)
    3. Decorate board
  5. Finance/Accounting Tasks (Finance Department)
    1. Payroll
    2. Check company email for orders and process these
    3. Update inventory in Wholesale Marketplace
    4. Email and follow-up with outstanding orders
    5. Assist with other departments as needed
  6. Mock Interview Preparation
    1. Analyze job posting
    2. Review work you have personally completed throughout this course
    3. Identify relevant portfolio artifacts
    4. Prepare for interview questions 
Well that's it for this week.  You have your tasks/duties.  I look forward to hearing about your progress when I return to the classroom on Tuesday.  See you all tomorrow!

Monday, March 6, 2017

Let's Try That Again

Aside from BAM Tech, we never got to view and critique our other presentations.  Discussions of the jump in the stock market, other business ventures, and finalization of presentations consumed our time in class.  That said, we're going to complete our business plans and begin working on getting reference letters this week.  Below is the order in which you will present:


  1. DARPAL
  2. Burger McKing
  3. Agua Sensations
  4. Jeezy's 
  5. Posture
  6. ChromaKey
Once finished (hopefully end of class on Wednesday), we'll work on requesting references for Mock Interview Competition.  I'll go over formatting and content of business letters and how to approach potential references.  By the end of the week, we'll be back on track.  See you all soon!