Canada Revenue Entry

I learned quite a bit in this lesson. I never knew much about taxes or tax returns. Now I know when I need to fill out my tax return and how, when I need to return it and why we are taxed. How taxing can help provide services for us and if somebody cheats the system it hurts everyone else. I learned many terms that I did not know before. Now when I get a job I now know what to expect when I get my first paycheck and how to handle taxes. I think the government makes filling out a tax return pretty straight forward, it does not look complicated at all. I thought this lesson was interesting and informative, but there was a lot of questions! I wish we could have typed them too because my writing is definitely not the neatest, so sorry!

interviewing blog entry

I thought this lesson was a little bit boring. Most of this was common sense and what we should know already. Also got the feel that this information was meant for older people getting interviews for management positions and that there was not enough information for high school job applicants. There was some useful tips in there about dressing for what job you were applying for. As we draw to the end of the year, I find myself trying to finish Planning projects as quickly as possible and trying to get them over with because other teachers keep piling on work. I am not learning as much as I used to in the beginning of this course, I do not know why, but because I am trying to put so much effort into my core classes, I always have little to none for planning. Mr Coutlee if you are doing Planing 10 next year this same format, I would keep the assignments, but I would try to finish it in the 1st semester.

Interviews

1. 3 qualities interviewers look for: are you able to do the job? Willing to put effort into the job to make it a success and are you manageable?
2. In the first 15 seconds of an interview, the employer will judge you on your appearance and your handshake.
3. You should dress for a job appropriately, like if you were going to apply for a management position at a software company you would wear a suit, but a suit would be overkill if you were applying for a position at McDonald's.
4. When going for an interview you should "dress and groom like the employer is likely to be dressed and groomed, only neater." Management: Suits! Mid-level Professionals: Coordinated shirt and slacks or skirts(for women). Commercial personnel: More casual, pressed slacks or khakis, nice shirt or blouse. Avoid wearing athletic shoes!
5. The 3 step process for introducing yourself is: 1. Have clean and manicured nails and hands! 2. Make sure your hand is warm and not sweaty. 3. And lastly, shake hands with a firm(not bone-crushing) grip and a warm smile.
6. The Non-verbal communication skills are to promote your self-confidence. You shouldn't fidget, cross your arms or swing your feet around. Flat on the floor for men crossed for women. Do not slouch and use your hands with your conversation. Do not bit your lip, fake cough or touch your mouth a lot. And put on a honest warm smile. Make eye contact and nod slightly during the interview.
7. Try to get your interview not on a Monday or later on in the day. At these times the interviewer will not take as much interest as they might have at a different time. Also try not to be the first person to be interviewed. Going later means the interviewer will remember you.
8. You should research these topics before you go to the interview:

• Company products and services
• Markets and key customers
• general business philosophy
• sales trends, cost trends, profit trends
• Plans for growth
• key problems
• principles
• values
• beliefs
• predominate management style
• mission

I thinks these are all valuable and useful points to know before going for an interview

9. Questions you should ask:

• How would you describe the ideal person for this job?
• What parts of this job would you most like to see improved from a performance standpoint?
• What are some changes and improvements that must be brought to this position?
• What problems would a successful candidate for this job will need to solve?

These questions can demonstrate to the interviewer that you have researched and you are very interested in the job. I think some of these questions are a bit over the heads of high school students to ask this as they apply for a job at a fast food joint.

10. The 3 step process to answering questions:

1. Understand what is being asked. Figure out what the employer is looking for.
2. Answer briefly and without causing damages. Don't back yourself into a corner with your answer. And don't ramble on.
3. Answer the real question by presenting your related skills. Talk about how you would be good for the company.

11. Keep the interviewer interested by changing the topic on to a more interesting subject or ask them a question to keep the interview flowing.

12. Problem areas:

1. Gaps in your work history
2. Having been fired
3. Too old
4. Too young
5. Overqualified

The only one that would really qualify to me would be "too young" I have not even done a job interview yet, I am planning to get a job in a couple weeks after all this school stuff is over! I think you just need to be respectful and show you are qualified for the job.

13. Reflecting questions:

• In what skills,experiences or background did the interviewer seem most interested in?
• What questions were the hardest to answer? Why?
• Did you enough about the job and company?
• What did the interviewer say about salary? How did you respond?
• How did you feel about the interview overall?
• what would you differently?
• What should you study?

I think after a interview, whether it was successful or not, you should see what you did right and what you did wrong and prepare yourself better next time.

14. A thank you note shows you appreciate that the interviewer took time to listen to you. And it gives you an extra point, people will remember that "nice person who sent us the card" let's hire them! You should type a well written note.

I think a thank you note is a wonderful chance to suck up to your potential employers. I have written thank you notes before and I would probably do it again.

networking

1. The equations are- more leads= more chances to get interviews and more opportunities to receive job offers= greater odds of becoming employed.



2. People who have gotten jobs in the past 15 years:

• 35% learned about the job from someone


• 30% contacted their present employer directly


• 14% answered a want ad


• 6% were referred by a private employment agency


• 5% were referred by a state employment agency


• 2% took civil service tests


• 8% other methods

When applying for a job I would take my Resume directly to the employer. These stats make sense because most people hear about jobs from friends who make be trying to get the same job. I think most teenagers go into the business that they want to work at and give the employer their resume personally.

3. Yes, the quote makes sense to me. The more leads there is for a job the more competition there is to actually get the job. When there is less leads there is less competition making it easier for the applicant to get the job.

4. Traditional search methods that do not work well:

• ads in newspapers- because the ad could be seen by quite possibly hundreds of people the competition for the job would be quite high and the chances for a single applicant becomes less and less.


• employers are looking for applicants that match their specialized field of the job- If you do not have a certain skill and they have many more Resumes to look through they will not spend the time and money to train you for the job.


• only 5-24 job seekers will get a job through employers- because of all the Resumes that are sent to the employer the job applicant has to all the skills and background that the employer wants exactly or else they would not get the job.


• Sending out Resumes- the chance off the applicant who sends their resume is 7%. I suppose the employer does not want to spend time to read all sent Resumes.

5. "A network is an informal group of people who have something in common." When you are looking for a job having a network can help your chances. They are like contacts, one person might know someone who could get you into a interview for a job you want.

6. Building a personal network is important, like I said in question 5, someone might know someone who can help you get the job you want.

7. People or groups that you can utilize in your personal network:

• family, friends, neighbours


• social acquaintances


• people you have worked with


• customers


• people who sold you or your company


• church


• parents of your children's friends


• trade groups


• alumni groups


• social club members


• health club members


• PTA members


• classmates


• teachers


• anybody you wrote a check to


• lawyer, real estate agent, accountant


• dry cleaner


• politician


• friends whom you served in the military


• volunteers


• parent's friends


• doctor


• dentist


• insurance agent, stock broker, travel agent

8. Networking is getting information that might help you get a job. To get introductions to companies that you may want a career in.

9. 6 rules for networking:

1. get started - set up a meeting: This is probably to make sure the person will want to talk to you and listen to what you have to say. This makes sense because you have to meet the person to have them give you information.


2. present yourself well: First impressions are important, if you show up and at like you are not listening to the person you are meeting they will not be happy to share their information with you. But if you acted politely and listens they will be happy to share.


3. learn something: When you set up this appointment you are expecting to get information even when what they are saying might not be helpful to you now it could come in handy later on.


4. get 2 referrals: Having people that know you and will back you up are important for building you network. Having people who know people who know you will help you expand your network.
   
5. follow up on the referrals: If someone refers you, you should follow up on it as soon as possible because that shows you have interest. If the person took the time to refer you, it means they think you would do well in that that sort of job and if you do not follow up it is being slightly rude.


6. send thank you notes: After someone has taken time to help you, it a nice gesture to send a card to thank them. It shows you appreciated their time.

10.

-Don't worry about having something clever to say. The person is not judging you over your small talk, they want to know if you are right for the job and that's all.

-Handling crowds. To make sure you do not barge into a private conversation between people use phrases like "May I join you or is this a private conversation."

-Help people remember your name. It's awkward for both you and the interviewer if they have to ask your name again. The interviewer can be listening to you perfectly, but your name may have slipped their mind. It is best if you repeat your name in the beginning of the interview and again later on.

-Spend at least 5 min. with everyone you meet. Five minutes is a nice amount of time that you can talk to someone without making them feel rushed or awkward because you are still talking to them.

-Spend 80% of the time listening. If you just yapper on and on and the interviewer cannot get a word in edgewise that is a bad sign. You should sit there and listen to them, this shows you are interested in what they are saying.

-Keep business card in a pocket. This is when they ask you for your card to contact you, but you have to spend 10 minutes rummaging through your purse or wallet looking for the card. If you can produce it promptly it shows you are efficient.

- Depart Gracefully. Make sure you know the status of the person you are talking to. If they are high up use a line like this, "I don't want to monopolize your time i know there are a lot of people here who want to speak to you." A good exit can be remembered and help you get a job.

I think some of these points can help people my age. Like depart gracefully, it is always good to be respectful to the interviewer, listening is a great way to show interest in the person. Another good point to follow is entering a group politely without seeming like you are barging in. Some of these points are a little bit beyond teenagers, I do not think many teens carry around business cards to promptly whip out to the interviewers.

Smoking ad #2

Ad #2 1) What is the main message of the ad?

The main message of this ad is "Smoking is believing!" The ad is telling the viewer that you can even smoke more with these cheaper better cigarettes.

2) What images appear in the ad that invokes a specific feeling from the viewer?

The women is pretty and she looks like a business women. She might relate to women of that time period. The viewer wants to get this product because it will make them look like the model and because they are cheaper.

3) What techniques are used in the ad to get the viewer to purchase theproduct?

This ad uses Friends, Fun and Excitement for their product. They make the cigarette sound really good in the description and they mention how "everyone can afford" their product. The model also seems pretty happy with her self for smoking these cigarettes.

4) What lifestyle or image is being sold?

I think this ad is directed towards the female audience and the ad is playing on models youth and her independence. The viewer thinks the model is in control of her life and she is saving money by smoking these cigarettes.

5) What would "happen" to you if you smoked, according to the advertisement?

If you started to smoke these cigarettes according to the ad you would be happier and weather.

6) What is the general ambiance of the advertisement? What mood does itcreate? How does it do this?

The general ambiance of this ad is happiness. The models happy the writing is in big cheerful letters with nice bright colours. It gives off the impression that if you smoke these cigarettes you will be happier... and save money at the same time!

7) If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? Whatcan be said about their facial expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, haircolor, ethnicity, education, occupation, relationships (of one to the other)?

The model in this ad is a young women. She looks like she works, is independent, smokes and loves it. Especially the smoking part and even more so when she smokes these cigarettes because they taste good and saves her money! She is young pretty and white. This looks like its set in the 50s or 60s so white dominance is still going on.

8) What theme or themes do we find in the advertisement? What is it about?(The plot of an advertisement may involve a man and a woman drinking butthe theme might be jealousy, faithlessness, ambition, passion, etc.)

I think this ad's theme is happiness and frugalness. The ad mentions summertime and goes on to describe how good their product tastes. The model has this big smile on her face that makes the viewer like her immediately. And the ad focuses on the fact that their product is cheaper than most saying "Everyone can afford" the product.

9) Is there a cool factor?

Yes, I think there is a cool factor. The model radiates happiness and makes the viewer want to be like her.

1o) What, if any, facts and figures are used to promote the fact that the productis "safe?"

This product does not use any facts of figures to promote the safeness of the product. It is more focused on the taste of the cigarettes and how it is least expensive to buy their cigarettes than someone's product.

Smoking ad #1

Ad #1
1) What is the main message of the ad?

If you are a guy and you smoke these cigarettes you will get hot girls to fall in love with you.

2) What images appear in the ad that invokes a specific feeling from the viewer?

That the guy is blowing smoke in the girls face and she looks very interested in the guy.

3) What techniques are used in the ad to get the viewer to purchase theproduct?

They are using the "Cool factor, " dreams and insecurities and ideal people in this ad.

4) What lifestyle or image is being sold?

The man gets attractive looking women by smoking these cigarettes and his lifestyle suggests that he is a 'playboy' and girls love him.

5) What would "happen" to you if you smoked, according to the advertisement?

This ad is mostly geared for the male audience and if you were smoking these cigarettes and blew in to a women's face she "follow you anywhere." They would make you feel cool, handsome and in control.

6) What is the general ambiance of the advertisement? What mood does itcreate? How does it do this?

The ambiance of this ad, I think is coolness. The advertisers are trying to make the viewer think you would look cool and handsome if you smoke their product. They do this by using ideal people; the man is handsome and mysterious and the woman is sexy and alluring.

7) If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? Whatcan be said about their facial expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, haircolor, ethnicity, education, occupation, relationships (of one to the other)?

Like I said in question 6, the man in this ad is good looking and mysterious and the woman is sexy and alluring. The way they are posed and looking at one another creates a romantic tension between the two. The man looks like a playboy and when he smokes these cigarettes and blows them in woman's faces he get the attractive looking girl. This advertisement is an older American ad and with racial stereotyping still very strong, the people in this are white wealthy Americans with great tans.

8) What theme or themes do we find in the advertisement? What is it about?(The plot of an advertisement may involve a man and a woman drinking butthe theme might be jealousy, faithlessness, ambition, passion, etc.)

The theme in this ad is definitely temptation,passion and control. The man is tempting the woman with his cigarettes and his dashing good looks. He is also tempting the viewer to by the product because it could make them look like him. The viewer can see the passion between the man and the female and want that for themselves. The man has control of the woman in this ad. She is utterly seduced by this man and his cigarette.

9) Is there a cool factor?

There is a cool factor. The man and women are ideal looking people and they make the viewer want to be like them and the way they can is by smoking the same cigarettes the models are.

10) What, if any, facts and figures are used to promote the fact that the productis "safe?"

This ad does not say anything about it's product being "safe." It is more focused on the being cool and attractive side to smoking.

Smoking ad#3

Ad#3
1) What is the main message of the ad?
The main message of this ad is if you smoke these cigarettes they will make you feel thinner.


2) What images appear in the ad that invokes a specific feeling from the viewer?
The word 'thin' is used a lot. And talking about physical appearance, this may make the viewer want to be like the model in the ad. That they need these cigarettes to achieve these things.


3) What techniques are used in the ad to get the viewer to purchase the
product?

Positive Lifestyle is in this ad. The model is riding her bike outdoors. Ideal people, the model is thin and attractive. Facts and figures, the ad claims that the cigarette is healthier because it has less tar and methanol. Dreams and Insecurities, the model is thin and attractive in an ad all about "thin" cigarettes.

4) What lifestyle or image is being sold?

An active one one some part. The model is outdoors sitting on a bike not actually riding it. Also the major point in this ad is on the word 'thin.' The model's thin, the cigarettes are thin. The add mentions size and physical appearance 10 times in this ad. Talking about her "men trim" and her figure being "slim" and 'long and lean.'

5) What would "happen" to you if you smoked, according to the advertisement?

If you smoked this product you might end up as the model, thin and attractive. You will be healthier by smoking these cigarettes than others.

6) What is the general ambiance of the advertisement? What mood does it
create? How does it do this?
The mood of this ad is confidence. She is confident with herself. She is so confident with her she she can sit on a bike and look alluringly into the camera.


7) If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? What
can be said about their facial expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, hair
color, ethnicity, education, occupation, relationships (of one to the other)?
The model it thin and attractive. She is sitting on a bike to show her fun and active lifestyle with these 'thin' cigarettes. She looks confident with herself and happy.


8) What theme or themes do we find in the advertisement? What is it about?
(The plot of an advertisement may involve a man and a woman drinking but
the theme might be jealousy, faithlessness, ambition, passion, etc.)
The theme in this ad is all about appearance. Thin and attractive appearance. The model is happy that she is thin and she no has a thin cigarette to match.

9) Is there a cool factor?
Yes there is a cool factor. The women is attractive and she says this little speech about her ideal life while smoking these cigarettes.


10) What, if any, facts and figures are used to promote the fact that the product
is "safe?"
The ad talks about it's product being safer than others because there is less tar and menthol.


11) Please provide a minimum 10 sentence reflection of this assignment that
shares your thoughts of smoking in society today and what you have
learned..
When I was looking for ads for this project I found that it is very difficult to find modern ads for cigarettes, they are all anti-smoking! Do not get me wrong that's great that the government is cracking down on these tobacco companies and their advertisements. It was just frustrating to find any! I ended up finding old ads for smoking. I learned a lot from this project and realised how deceiving ads can be. The ad can play on the viewers emotions and insecurities. I need to be more careful on how I listen to ads now. Smoking in my opinion is a gross and filthy addiction. I feel sorry for those who are caught up in the trap and do not want to quit. I am glad they are enforcing more laws now that discourage smoking and make the air cleaner for all of us.