Book Review: Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?

Caroline Head ‘10 Reviews Ellen Gordon Reeves’ Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?

This should be the bible for college students preparing to enter the job market. Reeves’ book covers every topic imaginable, and leaves no questions unanswered. Published in 2009, the book is perfectly up-to-date (although I imagine new editions will be necessary as social norms evolve) and especially appropriate for young 20-year-olds. Reeves’ qualifications are exceptional, but her personal experience in the job search process is even more valuable; an eduaction and job in the Ivy Leagues does not prevent her from writing in a witty, understandable, and relatable language. Furthermore, Reeves does not simply offer general suggestions for dealing with searching, networking, resumes and cover letters, interviewing, etc. She provides speficic examples, templates, and phrasing that are realistic and practical, and is certainly a LOT of information packed into 200 pages, but the subject index in the back eliminates wasting time flipping through pages looking for a specific topic. I have not come across a better guide to tackling today’s intimidating job market and I would highly recommend the purchasing – and promotion – of thsi book for all W&L students!

“NASA’s Return to the Moon” with Dr. Christopher J. Wohl

Friday May 15, Dr. Christopher J. Wohl visited Washington and Lee students from the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Dr. Wohl gave a lecture with W&L science majors before attending a Career Services sponsored lunch with a group of students and professors. Afterward, Dr. Wohl made himself available for meetings with individual students in the Career Services office.

The sciences attracted Dr. Wohl’s curiosity from an early age. As a young child, he enjoyed mixing concoctions of juice together and seeing them separate and balance out over time. Upon graduating from high school, he attended a local community college before transferring to Virginia Tech. He recounted that the sciences were his clear strength, and he often encountered trouble in other disciplines. Nonetheless, he stressed the importance of interdisciplinary skills, namely writing, in his scientific work both as a student and as a professional. After graduating from Tech, he enrolled the PhD. program at Virginia Commonwealth University. There he exhibited an outstanding record, earning his Doctorate of Philosophy in three and a half years with a 4.0 GPA. This academic achievement far surpassed VCU’s averages for the PhD.

After completing his studies, Dr. Wohl took on a job at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. He noted that NASA’s most significant test right, with regard to space exploration, is economic efficiency and commerce. NASA is brainstorming possible ways that colonies or pit stops on the moon or Mars could make space exploration commercially profitable and more efficient. Launch sites with lower gravity and less atmosphere would save substantial rocket fuel. In addition, moon factories with low gravity could naturally do away with vastly expensive machines that replicate such gravitational conditions on Earth.

Dr. Wohl also spoke to many students’ the coming tests in the job search. He stressed communication in all forms. “In every position,” he said, “communication is key; if you can’t communicate your ideas correctly, you can’t get people to buy into your ideas.” Dr. Wohl especially stressed writing and public speaking. He offered several suggests for improving one’s public speaking abilities. Observation and imitation of skilled speakers provides a strong model. Practice develops one’s speaking skills. His best form of practice entails coming home from work and explaining his day at NASA to his wife. He believes that if he can make his wife (who has little background in science) understand what he’s working on, then he has done an effective job communicating.

Dr. Wohl provided an informative perspective for NASA’s move into the 21st Century and a great account of a student’s move into the job force.