Friday,March29, 1996 Vol. XLII, No. 22 Cabrini College Radnor, Pa. 19087
Softball strikes out in double-header
Interview workshop flops despite the important lesson by Chris Lamanna assistant news editor
photo by MirenaAddesi
Junior Erin O'Neill swings in a double-header game against Allentown Monday, March 25. The softball team lost both games of the double-header 8-3 and 10-2.
SGA welcomes student input, no students respond by Hal/le Havens assistant perspectives editor
There is enough room to seat 250 students in the Widener Center· Lecture Hall, but only a few spots were filled when nonStudent Government Association-affiliated students abandoned the second general assembly meeting on Wednesday, March 20. The meeting addressed many concerns, but the lack of student attendance left little input to the changes being made. Sophomore Angela Palazonne, SGA class representative and CAP board member, reflected on student absence. "I feel that students need to come to the meetings," Palazonne said. "This is an op-
portunity for them to voice concerns and to help make changes. "A lot of students complain, and then they don't show up," Palazonne said. "These meetings are for the students and are held in the afternoon and night for the convenience of both residents and commuters." SGA president Melissa Scornavacca, a junior, led the discussion with the panel-like executive board that consists of sophomores Donna Falcone, interim vice-president, Lisa Mininno, recording secretary, Andy Burke, treasurer; junior John Lindsay, CAP (Campus Activities and Programming) board chairperson; senior Maura Wiswall, corresponding secretary; and first-year student
Cindy Balick, academic council chair. In addition to the presence of the executive board, with the exception of the absence of junior Kathy Malone, assistant to the academic council chair, several class representatives attended the meeting. The opening of the parliamentarian position was the first issue addressed. Balick, who formerly filled the position, assumed senior Edith Lamberti's position as academic council chair after Lamberti resigned for "personal reasons" on Sunday, Feb. 18.
SGA ...
continuedon pg. 8
People go to school to develop and refine their natural talents with the hope oflanding good jobs when they are finished. No matter how impressive their resumes look, if they blow the interview all they are left with is a nice try. The best way to blunder this facet of the job search is to not properly prepare for the interviewing process. Although the members of the office of career services and cooperative education organized a workshop on March 14, titled "Preparing for the Interview," not a single soul paid a visit. Among the topics to be covered by the workshop, which was organized by Nancy Hutchison, director of career services and cooperative education, and Cheryl Hallman, assistant to the director, were the different types of interviews, verbal ammunition or power phrases, how to dress, questions to ask, how to close an interview and what to do afterward. "People who have done co-ops have already been through this," Hutchison said. "This workshop is for people like the graduating senior who does not really have any work experience. They need to have a real good sense of how to go about this. "We start out very basic," she said, "with things like what to wear and to show up early. It is also necessary to have some background information on the company so you know what it is you are going in for." According to Hutchison, to get information on specific companies there are a couple of places for students to look. Trade publications and annual reports can be found in the office of career services and cooperative education's career library. The Holy Spirit Library houses reference books that contain general information about many prospective employers. "You have to brush up before you go in there," Cabrini graduate Lisa Hedtke said. "The most im-
portant thing is to be confident. To know how a company does business and who does what means a lot. "If you are well informed, you are in a position to ask the employ er intelligent questions," Hedtke said. "They love it. A good first impression is the best one. You have to get a feel for people and tell them what they want to hear." According to the "Preparing for an Interview" guidebook, the prospective employee should not wing the question-asking segment. It is an important part of the interview and techniques should be studied and practiced in a mock interview type of situation. "The first question I ask is, 'What do you know about my institution?"' Gregory Papa, a generalist in the human resource department of Germantown Hospital, said. "If they stumble or have nothing to say, it is an immediate tum off. "There is a saying," Papa said. "Whenyouareinlelviewing,you lwten. When you are firing, you talk. DuringinterviewsI askquestionsand listen. My intentionis to get theperson to talk about things like why they left theirlastjob or whattheirhobbiesare." The toolsPapa usesto judge applicants are -theresume, the application, the personalinterview,referencesand a gradingsystem of his own. "I pay particularattentionto people who did not like theirold supervisor," he said. "If it is becausethey were an autocrat,thatis a positivething. But if it is due to a personalityconflict,thatis a negative.It tellsme theydon't know how to get alongwith otherpeople. In the workplace people regularly disagree. You must be able to work throughthat" Accordingto Hutchison,there are certaingeneralquestionslike''Tell me about yourself?" or "How do your friendsdescnbeyou?"thateveryapplicant shouldbe familiarwith. More of these questionsand other useful interviewtips can be found in greater detail in the workshopguidebook, which can be picked up at the office of careerservicesand cooperative educationin GraceHall.
Week at a Glance ... March 29 to April 4 News
pg.4
Find out what happened at Superthon Weekend.
A& E
pg.5
Missed the Oscars? Check out the winners.
Sports
pg.12
Find out how women's lax did in its first home game.
Friday 050 Nights until graduation. OHousing deposits due in the business office.
Saturday OE.S.A.and Power99-FM basketball game in the gym at 2 p.m.
Sunday
Monday ORedCross blood drive beginning a~9 a.m. in the WCGA.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
OFree haircuts in the WCGA at lunch.
OResidence halls close after classes.
ONo classes.