Number One Hits

Patrick Lightheart

11200 Mississippi Blvd
Coon Rapids, MN, 55433

Release Date:  Monday, November 29, 2010

CONTACT: Patrick Lightheart
Office phone: (800)-555-5673
Email: ligh0078@metnet.edu

Number One Hits

Husband, father, successful actor, and country music superstar Tim McGraw will be releasing his album Number One Hits on November 30, 2010. Number One Hits is a two CD set featuring 30 of McGraw’s hits including his newest single Felt Good on My Lips.  It will be released by Curb Records and will be available at Amazon, iTunes and Wal-Mart. Tim McGraw has been with Curb Records since 1990 and has sold over 40 million albums.

Family and home dominate Tim McGraw’s world which is respected by fans as well as peers.  Among the rewards that McGraw has garnered are Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, and People’s Choice Top Male Performer. McGraw is also a member of several charity organizations including The American Red Cross and community little league events.

Necessary Skills

It is not necessary to be an All-Star to get a job, basic fundamentals and the ability to verbalize them are needed, says Jeffrey Janas who runs the employment side of career services at the Coon Rapids campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College. Janas gathers relevant information from local leaders and businesses within the community to help guide students through the process of looking for a job.

When career services asked local businesses what their chief complaint was during the interviewing process, their answers overwhelmingly came back as subpar answers to questions or the failure to verbalize thoughts. It is surprising the amount of people that show up to the interview dressed inappropriately. "The coolest resume in the world won't get you the job unless you're prepared to do a proper interview," said Janas.

Job placement career services is designed to help students gain and develop the necessary skills through resume building, networking and interviewing techniques so they will be better prepared to cultivate their own future.

According to Janas, resume building is a critical part of attaining an interview. There are things that can be done to help bolster your resume while attending college. Volunteering for some sort of public service or being involved in community activities on campus can be important. These types of activities are always looked on favorably during the interview process.

Janas said there are various ways to gain experience through the process of networking and planting seeds for the future long before graduation. He strongly recommends doing what is known as an informational interview. This is where a person would find an individual within the field of study related to a particular major to ask questions relevant to that particular profession. There are a wide range of questions that can be asked, from how long did they have to work to get the position they are currently in, or do they find the job satisfying and are they happy with it. At the end of the interview one could ask if it would be okay to stay in contact for future questions. Now that face-to-face contact with someone in your chosen career path has been made the seed for the future has been planted. Six months later the possibility exists to go back and ask if they're looking for any interns and if not would they know anybody else in the industry that is. This can be a powerful method for networking and gaining work experience in a particular field.

The majority of most job applications are filled out online says Janas. A manager at Best Buy said that occasionally people come in after applying on-line to personally hand in a resume. According to that manager those people are moved right to the top of the pile for the interview because they are showing initiative and there is then a face to relate to the application.

A person may only hear back from two or three people after putting out 20 resumes in today's market. That is actually pretty good and means the resume is working said Janas.

Janas warns to stay positive during the interview process of job hunting. There are a lot of people out there looking for jobs and unfortunately rejection is part of the process of job hunting.

One of the most valuable services that is provided through career services is a mock interview that helps identify critical mistakes that could be made during an interview. Janas said everyone has a different comfort level when it comes to doing an interview. He said he gets people that are very well polished and are very prepared for the interviewing process. On the other hand though, he actually had to stop an interview because the person got so nervous that they stopped breathing and he had to assure  them that a mistake is not possible during a mock interview and everything was okay.

Janas was quite clear. If you want to get a job preparation for the interview is necessary. Practice interviewing and learn how to verbalize thoughts in a smooth tempo and a confident, clean and polished manner. Always dress appropriately for the interview. Take the time to research the company, learn a little something about them and their track record. This is your interview. Do not be afraid to ask some questions. You don't want a job that you won’t be happy with. Jeffrey Janas will be holding another workshop on campus March 29. For further information call 763–433–1430.

A Students Best Friend

For the past three months Linnea Branstrom has served as the interim coordinator for access services providing accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Prior to this Branstrom has been an academic advisor at Anoka-Ramsey Community College for almost three years. Branstrom graduated from St. Cloud State University where she completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling.

Branstrom explained that both positions are relatively the same at the core; advising and helping students achieve their academic goals. As an academic advisor she works with PSO students who are usually very prepared or accompanied by a parent. She said she also helps first-time students that just need a guiding hand to get through the process and occasionally an individual that woke up that morning and decided that they would start college that day. In some instances it would be the day classes were actually starting.

The core of both positions is similar in the aspect that students are helped to achieve their goals. Being an academic advisor comes with certain personal rewards, knowing that students are helped to navigate a steady course to achieve their goals. In access services the counselors go well past the core and delve headlong into heartfelt issues beyond an academic advisor.   There is a deeper sense of fulfillment that is found within the realm of intrinsic value. Even though just basic reasonable accommodations are provided to afford a student the opportunity for a college education they can actively participate in life. The students involved in access services show a deeper sense of appreciation that is undeniably candid. “There is definitely a broader sense of appreciation and personal fulfillment associated with the position,” said Branstrom.

Branstrom said that ARCC has an average of one hundred intakes every semester. The needs vary from one student to the other and there is no standard answer for most situations. The desires and goals are the same as any other student, they know that there's a hard road in front of them and they're always very determined. Most of the students know their self well enough to understand the obstacles that lay in their path. In many cases the accommodation have relatively simple solutions. Branstrom said, first and foremost, "we just need to follow their lead and make sure we understand what the real needs are and accommodate them within reason."

Every semester the access services office will schedule a meeting with each student and reevaluate their needs to adjust accommodations in accord with their individual needs and class schedule. "Sometimes you have to sit down and explain to a student that what they are trying to achieve may be extremely hard to achieve based on their situation, this is always a hard conversation to have," said Branstrom.

Linnea Branstrom will be spending three days a week at Anoka Technical College as the coordinator for access facilities. Branstrom will still be at ARCC for two days a week as an academic advisor at the Coon Rapids campus.