This blog serves as the home page for MCom 100W, sections 2 and 7.

Everything you’ve heard about this class is true.  Yes, you have to write a minimum of 8,000 words. Yes, there’s no let-up in assignments. Yes, it’s a lot of work … but it can also be a lot of fun.

I like to think of 100w as a “sampler” class because we get to do a little bit of everything. The best way to make sure you pass this class is to complete all of the assignments on time. The best way to fail this class is to miss a bunch of classes and assignments. If you fall behind in this class, it’s really hard to catch up … so stay on top of it.

You’ll find links to the course syllabus, class schedule and list of assignments at the top of this web page, as well as in the sidebar to the right.

If you’re new to blogging, be sure to check out the “Starting a Blog” page.

See you in class,
Cynthia Fernald

We can talk about it after Thanksgiving break. If your class or work schedules tend to make bringing potluck snacks difficult, maybe we can order in pizza or something.

Thursday evening 100w students — how about it? You guys are always starving by the time we take a break, so how about bringing in snacks or ordering in pizza for our last class session too?

In Final Cut: Words to Strike from Your Resume, which appeared in Forbes online, self-described “word nerd” Elizabeth Lowman writes:

The average resume is chock-full of sorely outdated, essentially meaningless phrases that take up valuable space on the page. Eliminate them, and you’ll come off as a better, more substantial candidate—and your resume won’t smack of that same generic, mind-numbing quality found on everyone else’s.

Some of the words she recommends you avoid using in your resume are: experienced, team player, customer focused, people person, energetic and enthusiastic. To find out why, and what to say instead, check out the article.

Another recent article focuses on the skills and qualities employers say they are seeking in new hires. According to a recent survey by NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), three top-rated skills include:

• the “ability to work in a team structure”
• the “ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization”
• the “ability to make decisions and solve problems”

Since I know many of you had trouble getting hold of this book, I won’t mark this blog post as late as long as you get it done by the end of this week.

I sure wouldn’t want to be the person who let these errors slip by. Goodbye job, hello unemployment!

FYI, I am also getting started with SJSU’s D2L system this fall, so I’ll be transitioning some class information and materials to D2L as the semester progresses … but I’m not quite ready to give up my class blogs yet.

See you in class!

P.S. Does anyone recognize the dapper guy I ran into in NYC this summer?

Check out “Hiring surge brings recruiters to Bay Area campus job fairs” for details.