Fall of 2018

12 Tricky Interview Questions:

1. How many new cars, on average, are bought in the US each year? Answer: I would not know this question off the top of my head and if I had to guess I would say around 400,000. However a quick google search tells me the real number is 17.1 million. Way wrong.
2. Why are manholes in the street round? When you think about the construction of a manhole I imagine a huge hole is dug a pipe is laid and then dirt filled in around it. The pipe itself is round to allow for easier transportation, standard sizes, and structural stability. A square box would have four joints that could potentially collapse under pressure. (This is my best guess as a non-professional in the manhole and pipe industry.
3. Questions 3 has no question?????
4. What do you consider a lot of money? When I was younger, lets say late teens, I really thought that a couple thousand dollars was a lot of money. However after now being married and seeing how much the real world costs, I would say that a lot of money is relevant to your income:expenditure. When you have 10X the amount you typically spend I would consider that a lot of money. For me this number is right around $100,000.
5. What song would you sing on American Idol? Creed – With arms wide open
6. You have six zeros do any math on it and make it 120. 0+0+0+0+0+0+125-5=120
7. How many cars did BMW sell last year? Im going to use part of the knowledge I gained from question 1 and say around 2 million.
8. 10 people
9. If you were free on a Saturday and had some extra cash where would you go shopping? Old navy and TJ Maxx – they have the best deals.
10. How would you invest 1 million dollars right now? In a mutual fund or a medical savings account.
11. How many barbers are there in Delhi? 120
12. Name five things you would use a gallon of water and a styrofoam cup for that don’t involve holding water.
    1. makeshift lantern with a flashlight in the styrofoam cup taped to the jug.
    2. music makers, bass drum and shake with beans in the cup
    3. flatten pancakes or cookies of different thicknesses
    4. tie a string through the bottom of the styrofoam cup and anchor to the jug and you have a banjo.
    5. Use the styrofoam cup as a funnel when emptying the jug.

Prompt: You’ve been promoted/won the lottery/inherited a vast sum/been given a ski lodge and you have to leave your current job. You give two week’s notice (ample in most jobs, more time should be given if you’ve been at the job for a very long time/you like the people you work for/you are very important or key to the day-to-day of the workplace) and you get *a week* to train your replacement. Give me a seven day calendar.

 

Monday

First thing you have to do when you walk in on Monday morning is to do damage control. Working in a home decor and retail shop that sells furniture like no other will leave giant holes of emptiness or space, and piles of little decor items in a big slump on the floor. The first thing you want to do is walk around the store and pick up as much of this stuff as you can. If you have giant piles of clutter and someone walks in the whole “farmhouse” perfect chic atmosphere is thrown off. After that is done you’ll want to learn how to use the Point of Sales system like a pro. Since often times you’ll be by yourself at the shop you have to know how to trouble shoot it when things go wrong-because they will go wrong. Once you finally figure out how to take money, give change, make the credit card machine work, and look up inventory… it’ll probably be time to close up shop.

Tuesday

Today many of the local artist that feature their items in the store need to come by and update their inventory. You’ll have to know how to look at a piece of artwork, jewelry, sign, or other odd decor item and tell who the artist is just by its style. Then in the back of your mind you’ll keep a count on if their items have been selling, or if a certain one seems to be more popular so when the artist come in you can tell them what the store needs. Often times when it comes to jewelry you’ll be asked to pick through the items they have brought in and decided which pieces you think will best fit in the shop and what price they should be. Many people will try to put their items for sale in the store but we want to maintain a certain character and style so we must be able to see that and what others might like even if we don’t.

Wednesday

Every Wednesday the FedEx truck will come by and unload what seems like a mountain of boxes. You must quickly and efficiently unpack the boxes in the back while listening for customers in the front. In between customers you must unpackage items and check off that you received the right amount. It is is not uncommon to receive up to 300 items at one time! If an item is broken or damage you must document the loss and fax the appropriate claims sheet out. Once you have received all items you must appropriately price and add them into inventory. After that you can print out the correct tags and stick them to the appropriate item, then place said items around the store in a meaningful spot that does not clutter the area. Any of whats left will be added to inventory.

Thursday

On Thursdays you want to arrive as early as possible because a new shipment of furniture has come in. Every other week on Wednesday nights the shop owners pack up a trailer full of newly refurbished and chalk painted furniture pieces. This could range from china cabinets, to chairs, to bed frames, 10ft farmhouse tables and everything in between! Now its your turn to find a good spot for all the new furniture and to gear the store up for Saturday! You must place furniture in an appropriate are for example – you would not put a headboard on the wall behind a dining room set because that not how a normal house would be set up. After you have all the new furniture pieces arranged and staged you have to find time to clean the store. You must dust all of the furniture off, clean off tables and glass, clean all the window seals. Then sweep all of the store, and behind as much furniture as you can get to. After all that is done you will also have to take out the trash and clean the bathroom. All this must be done while also taking care of customers.

Friday 

Today is your day off! Rest up and get ready for a busy Saturday!

Saturday

First things first – Start the coffee. Saturdays are our busiest days at the store. Hours are also shortened making demand and the feeling of being rushed even greater. Anything that was not done during the week must also be done before customers arrive (most of the time this is last minute cleaning). People usually roll in right at 10 and won’t stop until after its time for you to leave. You will be on your feet all day moving and loading heavy pieces of furniture, constantly checking back stock for extra items and helping customers with frivolous requests. While your checking people out there is often a discount or sale going on which must be entered in manually every time. You will want to pay close attention as you type it in because it is very easy to give someone $50.00 off instead of 5. When the crowd finally dissolves it will feel and look like a tornado came through the store. Luckily you will most likely leave it all for Monday though.

Sunday

Rest up and be prepared for another crazy week!

Prompt: If you know what career or profession you plan to pursue, describe how it has changed in the recent years. Identify the different ways “intelligence” (creative, analytical, practical) inform this career/profession. If you’re undecided about your future career/profession, pick one that suits you for now – how might the abilities and skills that interdisciplinarity fosters improve the “fit”?

 

Education is a profession that is constantly evolving through research, and trial and error. Classroom’s now look entirely different than they did even just 10 years ago. With the advances we have had in technology we have not only changed what we teach but how we teach it as well. As an individual we may structure our careers based upon our own given mode of intelligence but when you are an Educator you must structure your classroom for every type of intelligence.

According to Howard Gardner there are nine different intelligences: linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. I believe that educators must possess some of these intelligences naturally and must also be able to learn and adapt to those that do not come innate. For example, just starting with just the set up of a classroom, you must first decide what method of teaching you will choose. If you prefer a direct instruction style you might set up your classroom in rows. This would limit talking and distractions as each student would simply stare at the back of the person in front of them. If you wanted your instruction to be more student centered you might seat the desks in groups that encourage teamwork, and communication. The teacher must  think about how all students must be able to access materials, and think about potential physical disabilities students might have. While this is just one example there are many aspects of the classroom that an educator must prepare before they ever even get to begin teaching.

Another example of one of the many transitions the classroom has undergone is in the use and availability of technology. As a student myself we did not start seeing computers for students to use until middle school. Even then we had to go in groups to a computer lab and the programs we used were very limited. Now the classroom has transformed to a global platform with the use of smart boards, video chatting, interactive 3D maps, virtual reality googles, and personal lap tops or tablets for each student. This provides a totally new experience for the student and opens a whole new way of teaching. Although these challenges seem to only be improvements that could enhance learning, it is often a daunting tasks for educators to keep up with technology as fast as it is released. A teacher must be able to quickly adapt and master to then use it to teach and equip their students.

Teachers must also posses interpersonal and intrapersonal competency. Interpersonal in the sense that each educator must possess their own style of pedagogy and engaging with the students. Beyond the student, educators must also work in conjunction with parents and administrators to have a successful classroom. Teachers must also have Intrapersonal skills to be able to reflect on their lessons and their classroom. While lesson plans might look good on paper it is important for a teacher to reflect on the aspects of the lesson plan that worked and the aspects that failed miserably. This self reflection is critical in order to grow and evolve as a teacher. Overall an interdisciplinary study course adds more dimensions and experiences that a teacher can bring with her to the classroom.

Theme: Hook up something you do at work to something that’s going on in the larger world (your field, perhaps?)

One of the best parts of working at a gym is getting to see the incredible fitness transformations that happen. Being the photographer, lead documenter, and chief motivational high fiver, I get to celebrate these accomplishments at the gym even more. Most people only visit the gym once a day but since I try to achieve photos that are diverse and represent all of our members, I am usually there at many of the classes. I get the chance to talk to most of our members and learn their stories and goals. Sometimes I even get the chance to showcase those goals in hope that someone else would be inspired by their story. This is the mission that the coaches and trainers have at heart; to inspire everyday people through fitness and nutrition to live a healthier life.

This is a huge contrast however to the Crossfit Games that you see on TV. In an Olympic Games style showcase, the best in the world come to Madison, WI in an effort to claim the title as “fittest on earth.” Much of the Crossfit media was geared towards these incredible athletes with their huge muscles and super human strength. That was, until the founder and owner of Crossfit, Greg Glassman, decided it was time to change things. Since the beginning Glassman has been dedicated to teaching the public about fitness. He does this by simply teaching cross training, weightlifting and most importantly nutrition. He is quoted with saying that fitness in 100 words is:

“Eat meat & vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise, but not body fat. Practice and train the major lifts: Deadlift, Clean, Squat, Presses, Clean and Jerk and Snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: Pullups, Dips, Rope Climb, Push Ups, Presses to Handstand, Pirouettes, Flips, Splits and Holds. Bike, Run, Swim, Row, etc… Hard and Fast. 5 or 6 days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.”

He is also known for his “war against coca-cola.” He is a guy that isn’t scared of adversity, or of what anyone thinks about him. He is quoted as saying that Crossfit is a “media company” because he wants to use the platform as a way to reshape how society looks at nutrition and who they receive their information from.  This is why when Glassman fired all of his media staff in an effort to revamp the brands focus back to the average athlete it actually wasn’t that big of a shock. Personally I think this is the right move and although it is drastic, Crossfit’s rapid expansion won’t come without at least a couple growing pains. I’ve found that in our own box (Crossfit lingo for your home gym), the pictures of the most muscular guys lifting 500lbs aren’t the reason new athletes decide to join. They make that choice when they see a picture of a mom getting her first pull up and they resonate with her. Or they see the story of a man who hasn’t lifted a weight in 40 years, but wants to be able pick things off the ground without pain who can successfully do that now. I think most clients are not looking to be a super athlete, or to have less than 5% body fat, they simply want a healthier life. Crossfit HQ has also figured this out and is now responding. It is refreshing to see that at the bottom of the Crossfit homepage you can connect with stories about Kids, Older Athletes, Pro Athletes, Adaptive Athletes, Military, Law Enforcement, and Weightloss Transformations, because the truth is every person that decides to step into a box and take on a workout is an athlete. And that deserves to be in the spotlight.

What do you need on your “bookshelf” to make your course of study best serve you? Using my example as a reference, I began with music, then added history, philosophy, literature (including journalism, oral history, veterans’ accounts from Australia, Vietnam, and the United States), and religious studies to my work – what areas do you need to draw from to enhance your goals? You’re already naturally inclined toward something, per Blog Post #1, so what disciplines will help you get there?

A big part of my work at Simply Carolina is serving other the way Jesus did. This means instead of lecturing people about who God is, or judging, all I have to do is love people through my actions. To really understand this my own bookshelves are filled with 20 books just on who Jesus is and how he walked through life. How that life still correlates with our lives today. So my first and probably largest discipline is religion. The second discipline I would add would be communication. When building a platform it is important not only to have the right content but to also present it in the best way. Digital marketing has skyrocketed and has outdated many telecommunication sources such as newspapers, billboards, and radio. In an age where consumers are purchasing most items by sight/presentation it is important to know what is pleasing to the human eye. This would lead me to my third discipline: art. It is important to have some sort of eye or background for art to know what is not only pleasing to society but also what is controversial, a conversation starter. I think I would also add Psychology, and Humanities to my bookshelf. In order to reach people in an authentic way I think it is important to understand the differences people have.

Prompt: What do you naturally gravitate toward? What things do you like? What things make you happy – and not just happy in the sense that it’s easy for you to like it – what makes you happy enough to work with it? What wouldn’t you mind doing all day? What subjects come naturally to you – even if you don’t “like” them, you made good grades in them – and why did they come naturally to you, do you think?

If I think about the things that are most fulfilling for me it always involves serving others. Something that comes very natural to me is being friendly and loving to everyone. While that might seem like it should be a given for being a human, I believe that it really is hard for some people to do.

I have had many jobs such as a Pre-k teacher, a pyrotechnician, a sales associate, a store manager, a nanny, a social media marketer, a wedding coordinator, a photographer, an interior designer and more that I just can’t remember at this moment. Even though this set of jobs seems to be random with each one I was serving others in a way that I believe was really personal. Whether that was helping to teach someones precious kids, or finding an outfit that made a woman feel beautiful, or providing a space that brought comfort to an expecting family with each one I found a way to connect with somebody new.

My dream job would be to explore not only the world but people in each place too.  I thrive off of getting to know others and what makes them into the person they are. I think that is because I am a really good listener and there are many people who just want their story to be heard by someone who cares. My current job at Simply Carolina is located in downtown Ridgeland. Ridgeland is the epitome of small town American Living where everyone knows everyone and has for the past 100 years. So the most frequent question I am asked is “Now who is your momma?” after they’ve asked how my weekend was and something about the weather. I thrive off of those kinds of relationships. Where people truly care about others.

In school every subject came naturally. I don’t remember opening a textbook to study or doing any homework or studying for tests, yet somehow graduated at the top of my class. I think I was just good at getting to know the teachers and in turn knew what they were expecting and did it. In college it was a lot harder because I didn’t know my professors and felt very disconnected in a school that had 65,000 students. Transferring to a smaller school was one of the hardest yet most rewarding things I have ever done.

I’m often told I am different in the way that I bring joy, thoughtfulness, or intentionality to my work, friendships or just random people. I still don’t know if these people are being nice and say that to everyone or if they truly mean that about me. But I hope it’s true and like to believe that it is.

 

This week’s blog post: what was one thing you did this week that was really great, and why? How about something not so great?

This past week was literally chaos. Hurricane Florence decided to give everyone a run for their money and the song “Should I stay or should I go?” by The Clash seemed to be on repeat. Thankfully the storm missed Bluffton entirely but we still decided to evacuate to play it safe. One thing that I did really well over the evacuation was I tried intentionally to really think about my words before I spoke. We decided to split a hotel room with another couple to save money. While it was a great idea, and wasn’t too terrible, stress, unfamiliarity and close proximity do not create the most welcoming environment. You can bet that at the end of day three I was ready to book it home. In moments where things were said in a way that could have been nicer, or situations handled in a way that I wouldn’t have, instead of inserting a useless opinion I held my tongue and just made the most of it. I reminded myself that this situation was temporary but the words I potentially say would have a very lasting impact. Something I was not so great at was having patience with my husband. We are coming up on our third anniversary and while I love him more than anything else we still have days that are hard. I find that I expect more from him than anyone else and when he messes up or does something in a different way than I would I give him less grace than anyone else. A successful marriage is constantly putting your spouses needs in front of your own and I know that I need to be constantly improving at that.

Prompt: Using a job experience as an internship for a few weeks? You’re getting a chance to do some on the ground assessment. Internships often involve student work outside of the classroom for the purpose of exposure. What is hard? What is demanding? What is annoying? What do you see as challenges that make you think twice? What do you see as good challenges? What sorts of things happen at work that make you feel like you *did* something today? What areas of your job do you see as encouraging what matters to you? What matters to you at a job, actually, while we’re at it, and where does this job meet that criteria?

My current education focus has been on Elementary Education. Specifically being a 2nd – 6th grade general education teacher. Over the past three semesters I have been given the opportunity to be in the classroom, work with great educators, and experience first hand what managing a classroom looks like. What I found is that while I am a natural teacher, it isn’t necessarily something that is soul fulfilling. What I mean by that is that while I scored “exemplary” on every assessment, I never left the school in the afternoon feeling “successful”. Often times I felt defeated and drained. I have the suspicion that if this is the path I choose I will soon find myself feeling the burn out that new teachers often describe. At my current jobs this semester I do feel as though I accomplish something most days. By running authentic marketing campaigns for our gym I can see a direct growth in customers who choose to join. At Simply Carolina Home, the days I feel like I accomplished something are when I have meaningful interactions with a wide variety of people. I really thrive when I get to interact with people in a raw and authentic way. I enjoy hearing about people’s homes and then creating a floral arrangement or design that fits their style and needs. I get the same feeling when I talk to a fitness client about what their goals are, and how this community of determined people are giving them the motivation to get there. Most days I am given a list of tasks to complete and I have the choice on how to complete them. I love getting to check off boxes and physically seeing the work I have done. I think I work best when I am one on one with a client. The best challenges that I face are when my bosses put me in a position of leadership. At a previous job I was made a manager and put in charge of hiring, firing, and disciplines. While I felt extremely out of my comfort zone it was a time of growth for me and I had the privilege to directly impact the company and its’ workers. At my current job I am also a store manager but my responsibilities look a lot different. Mainly I am in charge of marketing, campaigns, and assisting my two coworkers with complicated orders, or challenges.

One thing that is hard at my current retail job is that when we have slow days it can feel like the day was wasted. I especially feel this way when we have a long week of bad weather and I have completed all the minuet tasks around the store. At that point it feels like I could have used the day to do homework or something more important rather than staring at the clock waiting for it to be 5pm. Working for a small family business really highlights the fact that I would not want to own my own small retail shop. While it is probably nice being your own boss I have seen first hand how a bad week can effect a family directly. In 2008 the family that I work for now owned another business that unfortunately collapsed during the recession. They had to file bankruptcy with two children and then build themselves up from there. While they are stable now and can afford various luxuries they still are at the direct will of the economy and consumers.

When I think about the type of job I want to do for the rest of my life I still can’t picture exactly what it looks like. I know that what matters to me most is representing a brand that is authentic in serving its’ clientele. Working for people who have a passion and a platform in two profoundly different areas has shown me that. There are many business owners and companies who really are looking to make a quick buck but the job worth having is one focused on changing the lives of others for the better. Thankfully both of the incredible people that I work for have a heart to do just that.

To my employers,

This semester I will be documenting my work as the marketing coordinator for both the Simply Carolina Stores, and Crossfit Port Royal Sound to finish my degree in Interdisciplinary studies. For this internship I hope to learn best how to market any business using the fastest growing platforms such as social media. Over the past year that I have been in this position I have already learned how to sort out who the target customer is, how to organically speak to these target consumers, and how to manage and organize campaigns. Over the course of this semester I would like to place an intentional focus on the strategies you know and already employ. By documenting this and understanding the marketing strategies of small businesses it will greatly enhance my skills in any of my future careers. I hope to document any details that you share on this blog by writing the instructions, the methods, and goals for each campaign.

Sincerely ,

Kendall Philips