Group Mentoring, Group 5 Session 4

Sophomore Group Mentoring leader Zachary Blackwood would like to thank his peers and group mentors for yet another excellent group mentoring meeting. He feels that they certainly learned a lot during the meeting. Following are the meeting minutes:

How is the Pope stepping down going to affect you and the business world?

Kim:

• It is noble of him to do so
• Doesn’t really affect me or the workplace

Joe:

• Won’t really affect the workplace
• There aren’t too many catholic companies or companies that have catholic themes

Did anyone try the challenge of giving up technology for 24 hours?

Kim:

• After the hurricane, it gave everyone a sense of a community
• Also by not having television, you didn’t have to see the damage from the storm

Joe:

• Part of the reason of taking the hiatus was to stop the onslaught of the wave of information coming at you
• Television did not used to be driven by profit driven initiatives
• You can choose to take a break from the media outlets trying to get your eyes on the television and your heart racing
• Information used to be more factual, now it’s more mayhem and drama
• News is more manipulative than it was in years passed

How do you go about finding more balanced news sources?

Joe:

• Look up websites and cruise the articles to find the diversity in articles

Any specific examples of manipulation?

Kim:

• There’s tons of office politics constantly in play
• Know yourself and what you feel is right
• Have sounding boards/mentors to help you
• Don’t be afraid to ask about the leadership board, its style
  • During interview
  • Try to get an idea of how congenial the company is
  • Ask open ended questions

Joe:

• At times I chose not to say something
• Just go along with it
• What to do if you speak out against it?
• One of the great things of this program is you get to practice things
  • Taking initiative, exploring, speaking out
  • Take the opportunity to take a risk
  • Glassdoor website
    • Like the “yelp” of the workplace
    • Ask what the employees do in the off hours
      • Gives a sense of culture
      • Be prepared with questions!

Have you ever talked to peers at the companies you were interviewing at?

Joe:

• I just recently did this at an interview
• Reached out to the contact I was given
• I have done it and coached a lot of people to do it
• Especially when you’re on the fence
• Frame a question differently, set yourself apart

Recently read an article that intermittent breaks are better for productivity. What are companies leaning towards?

Kim:

• Previous companies have said don’t sit at your desk all day, go out for lunch
• Work life balance
• Don’t want to get burned out at a job
• Ask the right questions before you go in

Joe:

• Don’t be afraid to reach out to other people
• Don’t rush them, be respectful of their schedule of busyness
• Think about setting something up in the future

Dress Code?

Joe:

• Dress at the level of the company and one notch higher

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