Reflective Post

Fig. 1. Czapski, Christy. (2012) Important components of ALES204. Retrieved April 13, 2012 from Wordle.net.

Fig. 2. Sima.Picture of wheat and money. Retrieved April 13, 2012 from http://www.featurepics.com/online/Wheat-Money-930589.aspx

I must admit, I was very apprehensive and hesitant about the course when ALES 204 started this semester. I was resistant to Twitter and other social media sites, didn’t think I would learn anything from a 200 level class as a fourth year student, and had no idea how blogs worked. Yet, while I still have many suggestions for improvement, I picked up some very useful skills from the lectures and labs. Although it pained me greatly at the time to start using Twitter, I have come to enjoy it. While I never feel the need to tweet anything except in response to our classes, I do appreciate reading others tweets. Currently, I follow the Western Producer, Canola Watch, Western Canada Wheat Growers Association, and Alberta Barley. These groups tweet the most up to date information on market prices, predictions, and opportunities. As a producer, this allows you to make quick and educated decisions about when to sell your grains and oilseeds, in order to get the best price for your product. I will definitely continue to utilize this resource. In addition, I plan to follow different conferences and special agriculture events that I am interested in, so that I can learn and experience them even if I cannot be present. Fellow classmate Rosie Templeton's introductory blog explains how she was inspired to attend a conference after hearing about it on Twitter. In my future career, I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest creating a twitter account for whatever company I work for, which I would feel comfortable using to advertise, share information, and connect with other industry members. ALES student Daniel Schwenk also explains how businesses can use Twitter to their advantage. Agriculture companies should develop their social media access, in order to appeal to consumers, young farmers, and international markets.

My PowerPoint and presentation skills have developed throughout of this class. Although some of the advice and information seemed straight forward, it proved to be critical. For example, guidelines about keeping PowerPoints simple, only using very contrasting colors such as white on black, and utilizing lots of pictures with small amounts of text, is invaluable to students and someone about to enter the workforce. These ideas were re-enforced by the guest lecturers and TA’s, who either did an excellent job on their slides, or demonstrated how too much creativity can interfere with the audiences ability to read your slides. As I enter the agriculture workforce, I know I will be able to present clear, visually appealing, and engaging presentations to my supervisors and peers. I am also more comfortable with Pecha Kucha’s now, and feel I could model my own professional presentations after them in the future. The Pecha Kucha concepts of being brief and to the point are invaluable in the business world. It was also great to learn how many words I speak per minute, hear myself answering questions on audioboo, and learn about common mistakes made during job applications. Another thing I learned inadvertently from ALES, is to practice your presentation before and ensure it is an appropriate length. Dragging through details in the first half of your slides, then skipping through the next 20 in order to finish on time is unprofessional. Fellow student Kelsie Gilks noticed some of these mistakes in her other courses too. ALES204 has definitely influenced the way I prepared for in class presentations.

Fig. 3. Jester Arts. Orange Guy. Retrieved April 13, 2012 from http://www.imageenvision.com/cliparts/magnifying-glasses

One skill I learned in ALES 204, that wasn’t emphasized on the syllabus, was to be a critical reader. While students use websites such as Wikipedia everyday when they start research, writing articles ourselves demonstrated how unreliable the information can be. My classmate Becky Bohlender does a great job of explaining this in her Wikipedia blog. I was surprised to learn, however, that scientific articles can be unreliable too! Pamela’s lecture about the peer review process was enlightening, and many of the statistics were frightening. Throughout this semester, I have definitely learned to independently analyze everything I read, including published articles, to be sure the science behind them is correct and unbiased. I think this is an important skill for any professional, especially in today's society where we are overwhelmed with information at our fingertips. I realized that when seeking information from any source, the reader should question whether the material is opinion, or factual. For example, scientific blogs are not peer reviewed or acceptable to cite in a paper, and should only be used for inspiration and personal entertainment.

Fig. 4. Facebook (2012) Facebook connections jpg. Retrieved April 13, 2012 from http://www.webpronews.com/murders-organized-using-facebook-2010-08

Although aspects of this class have been frustrating, the skills I learned as a result are valuable. Most importantly, I learned not be be afraid of social media and new technology. Rather than resisting it, a successful professional utilizes it, to educate themselves, connect with industry, and advertise to the public. I feel excited to continue using Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook for personal and professional functions. In addition, I’ve become more interested in some of the other sites we didn’t learn about, such as Pinterest. ALES student Brittany Stewart explains how this site works, and inspired me to check it out. Although I might not have time to continue writing my own blog, I am now much more interested in reading other blogs. One of my favorites is called Veterinarians Behaving Badly- hilarious and sarcastic posts written about real life experiences of vets and their clients. Now that I am graduating, I'm particularly thankful for social media websites. Not only will they help me find a career, but they will allow me to stay in touch with my friends and peers whom I might otherwise never get to see again. The way that the internet connects people is astonishing, and I'm looking forward to reading my friends status updates, hearing about new research ideas at conferences on Twitter, and interacting with potential employers on LinkedIn. Thanks to ALES204, I have been convinced to embrace new technology, rather than avoiding it.

Other blogs I have commented on:
Rosie Templeton
Daniel Schwenk
Kelsie Gilks
Becky Bohlender
Brittany Stewart

Interviews: Tips and Advice

When you are an introvert, kind of shy, and lack public speaking experience like me, interviews are challenging. Whether it is for a summer job, a professional program like Veterinary Medicine, or a new post-grad job you’re hoping will become a career, interviews can be stressful and scary. But they can also be kind of fun. I’ve had a number of interviews over the years, including two vet school interviews (and I’m about to have a third). Looking back on these events, I’ve learned a lot about how to prepare and behave for different scenarios. Whether it is a single individual or a panel interviewing you, or multiple mini interviews used by med schools and UCVM, there is some advice that is helpful for every situation.

Many people are interested in sharing interview advice. Ideas like taking toast masters courses and paying close attention to body language while imitating the interviewer are always good suggestions. From everything I've learned, the advice I’ve found most helpful is to be confident. Confidence will be noticed instantly, and they say first impressions only take seconds to form. Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake (Fig. 1). Speak highly but candidly of yourself, know what you know, and have faith in your abilities and opinions. Be polite and friendly. This demonstrates you have a good working attitude, you can work on a team, you have respect for those in charge, and that you’re genuinely interested in the company/job/school. Actions speak louder than words, so telling an employer you are a team player won’t hold much water if you didn’t shake their hand, stare at your shoes, and never smile. Try to be yourself and let your personality shine through. During some interview questions, such as MMI’s, demonstrating your experiences and background can be challenging. Try to work these details in so that you stand out from the other candidates.

Fig. 1. Unknown author (2007) Handshake, [digital image]. Retrieved April 11, 2012 from TopNews.in: http://www.topnews.in/usa/what-your-handshake-says-about-you-215064

Even if you are absolutely charming, a great public speaker, and present yourself exceptionally, it’s still important to prepare for every interview. Research the company or school you are applying for- know their core values or vision, the basic structure of positions, and some details about their background or research. Be prepared for ethical questions, and know the industry. For example, many MMI questions will test how you would respond in different animal welfare issues, and the interviewers will expect you to know and mention agencies involved in regulating welfare. Practice what you think the interview questions will be. For example, to prepare for vet interviews, you should study the ethical questions in the Canadian Veterinary Journal, published every month online. Talk about your answer to someone who knows the industry. Record your answers on audioboo or another program so that you can listen to your own voice. Did you speak clearly? Too quickly? Did you stumble over words, say “Um” too many times, or ramble on monotonously? By listening to yourself and speaking in front of a mirror, you can start to make changes in the way you present your answers. These suggestions are reflected by my fellow classmate, Chelsea Livingstone. She explains in her blog how she practiced in front of a mirror in order to train herself to slow down when speaking, stop fidgeting, and articulate confidently.

Most importantly, remember that the interviewers want you to do well. They want to find someone who fits their position perfectly, and that could be you! Try to have fun, by enjoying the opportunity to share your experiences, opinions, and skills. Although you’ll probably be nervous when first starting, let yourself relax once the interview process has started, and put yourself at ease. This will help your personality shine, allow you to seem more friendly, and might help you articulate better. Leave the interview feeling like things went well, and even if you don’t get the position, and you’ll have more confidence next time.

Wikipedia Articles

Wiki's are an amazing way for people around the world to share information with each other for free. Anyone with internet access can search any topic, and professionals, experts, and enthusiasts can communicate what they know. Instead of having to work around copyright laws and publishing rights, information can be provided free of charge, in an easy to access format. However, readers must be critical of unpublished sources, and ensure that concepts and facts they find in wiki's are backed up with scientific literature or other reliable sources. It's an example of buyer beware: it is up to the web surfer to think before they blindly believe everything they read on the internet. Fellow classmate Meaghan discovered this first-hand, when she realized most of the information she was reading about entire animals on Wikipedia was wrong!

As often as I've used Wikipedia, I never considered contributing to it. While I knew the articles weren't necessarily written by professionals or professors, it never occurred to me that undergraduate students could have written the articles I use everyday! In fact, someone who knows nothing about a topic could do a little research online and create a Wikipedia article. For the most part, this is what I did- while I had learned about PSE meat in some of my Animal Science classes, I had forgotten a lot of the details. So this exercise was very useful for me. Ironically, I knew right away what stub I would chose to write about, because I remembered searching for this topic on Wikipedia before, and being disappointed there wasn't more information.

Learning the Wikipedia code system wasn't as hard as I anticipated. I found that creating bullet points, bolding text, and creating subheadings was quite simple. However, I did struggle a little bit with the references. Getting the footnotes to work properly took a bit of tweaking. Then I ended up manually changing the information within each reference code, to correspond to each of my references. When a source was used more than once, I just copied and pasted the entire code. It surprised me, that while the Wikipedia article pages are very clean, simple, and easy to read, the editing page is not! Personally, I don't think the page could have been more difficult to work with. Everything from the font, to the codes mixed amongst the words, made it very difficult to review and edit your work. Once I had inserted my lengthy reference codes into the edit page, it was almost impossible. However, with a little persistence I was able to cross all my t's and dot my i's, so that the format was the way I wanted it and all references were in place (Fig 1).

Fig 1. christy267 (2012) Wikipedia: PSE meat, [screenshot]. Retreived March 22, 2012 from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75279061@N06/7007710243/in/photostream

You can check out my Wikipedia page here. Feel free to edit, add, and expand! Everyone should get involved in sharing their knowledge. While my PSE article is a substantial improvement over the two lines of stub available before, there is still plenty more information that should be included. In addition, I think my article could be edited to read simpler, with less scientific jargon. I found that after four years of writing technical papers and reports in University, it was hard to appeal to a general audience. Maybe there is an educator out there who will see my article and have some ideas of how to make it simpler and more accessible to the public. If a few people learn something about meat quality and pork production from my article, I'll be ecstatic!

Facebook and Employers

Here's a screen shot of my new professional facebook page!

Screen, a photo by christy267 on Flickr.

It's becoming more and more common for recruiters to do online research about their potential new employees. Therefore, it's important for any graduating student to ensure there is some professional information about themselves available online, rather than just their own facebook profile. Drunk photos and dirty jokes posted on your wall don't do much to impress your future boss. However having an online resume, some appropriate pictures of yourself doing interesting things, and wall posts featuring intelligent conversations can really make you look more mature, responsible, and reliable.

Last semester my friend Hilary posted her blog and facebook page. Reading her post made me realize that it is important to include information and pictures that are not only appropriate, but also represent your interests. For example, if you are hoping to get a position at a company where you need to communicate with farmers about their cattle, you should be demonstrating your excellent writing skills on your page, and including information about yourself that relays your experience with cattle. If the employer sees nothing on your page indicating that you are interested in cows, they might think you are not very committed to the industry. It's also a great idea to show all of your many interests on your facebook page, to convey that you are a diversified individual.

While facebook profiles are public, employers should still use the information on them responsibly and fairly. In a news article by Business Week, Greg Fish says that "...employers should not use information obtained from Facebook, blogs, or other Internet sites in ways that would be intrinsically unethical or illegal". It is the recruiters responsibility to remember that not all information posted on the internet is accurate, and that people use the web to portray themselves in a way that may not necessarily be true. He also states "When companies use these profiles to find not only a professional but also an ideological match for a job, they’re misleading themselves and building ill will with talented prospective employees, who might decline to apply for a job..." Therefore, I think care must be taken on both sides of a facebook profile when it comes time to apply for jobs. The prospective employee should ensure they are portraying a message they don't mind their interviewer seeing, and the interviewer should take everything on the web with a grain of salt, and remain respectful of an individual's personal life.

Introductory Post

Hi everyone! My name is Christy and I'm in my 4th year of an Agriculture degree at the University of Alberta. This blog is designed for my ALES 204 class: Communication Theory and Practice. When I graduate this year, I am hoping to be accepted into vet school in Calgary or Saskatoon. Otherwise, I will use my degree to work in the animal science field. Throughout University, I've been involved in many student clubs including the Pre-Vet/ Animal Health Club. I've also volunteered with the Little Bits Therapeutic Riding Association in Edmonton, and with an equine veterinarian in Wetaskiwin. I love to go horseback riding, travel, watch old movies, and head out to the lake.

Standing in front of the bay in Cienfuegos, Cuba!

During the last four years of my degree, I have really learned to value good communicators. I have sat through enough boring, monotone, and non-relatable lectures to understand the difference between someone who knows how to transfer ideas and concepts, and someone who just rattles off what they know. Over the years, I have had to do my own presentations, and try to improve each time. My writing and critical reading abilities have increased dramatically after having to write papers and essays. During my various summer jobs, I have developed the ability to write informally yet professionally, in a way that is accessible to the general public, as well as scientifically. When I spent a summer speaking with poultry farmers across the province, I had to learn their own jargon, write information and brochures for them, and speak face to face and over the phone. Last summer, I spent three months in a research lab, and became very skilled at writing academically for a scientific journal article.

Communication is key in most careers, including Agriculture. While one might assume that an agrologist would mostly be interacting with plants and animals, they'd be surprised to learn how important verbal and written communication is. Many agriculture specialists work in the area of consulting, such as advising a farmer what  fertilizers to use, suggesting a new kind of feed ingredient to a dairy farmer, or educating a rancher about the government's new traceability requirements. You can even take diploma courses in Agricultural Communications at the University of Guelph! Researcher's in agriculture also have to prepare reports to apply for grants and funding, give presentations at conferences, and sell their new technology or development to companies who can distribute the products. Veterinarians may have animal patients, but they have human clients. Being able to get a patient history, explain tests and procedures, and educate an owner about a diagnosis are the most important roles a vet plays. A vet doesn't just have to talk to a client, they often have to explain microscopic biological processes or internal medicine that the owner can't see. They need to make intangible concepts understandable. All while maintaining a level of professionalism, and often sympathy.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/g/good_communication.asp

It's becoming increasing important to be able to utilize non-traditional forms of communication, including social media. Every business has to have a website, and many organizations update their web pages frequently. A great example is the Edmonton Humane Society, who typically posts new pictures and bio's of their adoptable animals daily. Personally, I couldn't imagine having to do research, look up a phone number, or find an address without the use of the internet and google. My friend Filmon also talked about this last semester in his blog.Organizations also make great use of facebook, including the U of A Pre-Vet/ Animal Health Club. We use our page to post new meetings, organize trips, and discuss vet ethical questions. As a result of this change in technology usage, I've noticed that telephone calls, mailed letters, and face to face visits are starting to be considered "special", and stand out from the ordinary routine of most offices. Therefore, I think these forms of communication will always be important. There's nothing quite like a phone call from an old colleague to brighten up one's day.