winding down

In addition to the peanut butter pretzels, what I will miss most are my amazing co-workers. Working with Ann, Lauren, Taylor, Jojo and Wendy has been such a great experience. They are all awesome people that have taught me so much more then Quality Initiatives. I am so grateful that they have been so welcoming and understanding threw this whole experience. They have supported me each step of the way and I will truly miss seeing their smiling faces each day!

soooooooooo sad :(

I can't choose one thing I will miss so I will list the first five things that come to my mind. Not in order of importance:

I will miss....

1. Everyone. And yes I mean everyone. And the fun, welcoming, yet hard-working environment that everyone at SHM has helped to create.
2. Crashing Wendy and Beech's lunches with Joan.
3. Racing to get peanut butter pretzels as soon as they are poured in the Hub.
4. Hearing Todd call Joan chicken shit.
5. Andrew ordering from Johns and then calling the lunch truck ladies on the shuttle to make sure they stay open to make him dinner.

Less than 2 weeks until most of you are out of here. Sad face.

What is the one thing you will miss the most?

Keep in mind - if someone posts before you, don't post the same answer as them! (aka you can't all say THE PEOPLE or NO HOMEWORK).

Interview

Well I knew my interview was going to be in a group because Mike had told us in the email string. I knew how many people would be there, even who would be there (turns out I knew some people), how long it should be, etc., etc. However, SHM throws you a curveball. I had never been on a group interview and neither had anyone I knew so all I knew of group interviews was the standard group interview that we learned about in COOP101 - you sit with a group of people they ask you all the same questions, you answer (trying to make yourself standout), you hope they liked you best. But SHM changes it up a little (here comes the part I wasn't expecting) and makes you work with all of your peers (or interviewees) and in all essence you basically run the interview. This type of interview style definitely makes sense for the culture of this organization but I think it really surprises typical Drexel students, like me, who have only ever heard of the word "group interview" in COOP101.

SHM Interview

From what I understand, my interview at SHM was outside the norm. Rather than participating in a structured group interview, I met by myself with Ashley and Meredith. I remember the vibe of the interview to be very relaxed (Friday afternoon). Having already gone through several interviews, I was fairly familar with the process. I answered there questions, asked my own questions, and listened to the description of the job position. After a short while, they offered the job, which I accepted soon after.

(Not really an interesting blog post but thats pretty much how it all went down. )

First Interview

Since this was my first co-op interview ever I had no idea what to expect but the general questions I had been prepared with after taking Drexel's Co-op 101 class. Most questions were similar which helped ease the nervousness.

When first hearing about SHM I expected a hospital atmosphere. After researching before my interview, I learned it was an office setting. I didn't really know what to expect of the job because I did not fully understand what the Quality Initiatives department was at the time yet after meeting with Wendy, Lauren, Ann, and Taylor, I felt more comfortable and was really excited to learn more about their projects.

With not much experience with working in an office setting I did not expect much besides what I hear from people who do work in an office setting or what I have seen in The Office (haha jk!). I did not expect such a comfortable, casual, and fun atmosphere but I am glad it was:)

Unusual

My interviewing experience wasn't the same as everyone else, but I did learn how to interview in a different situation. I was sat down in Ashely's office and it was pretty much a one-on-one interview, and then Kat came in to look at my portfolio. It was fun because Kat just popped in, and it gave me a glimpse of how people work at SHM, but I think that the way we interview here for co-ops (group, open discussion, etc.) allows the potential MAs to get a sense of how we work here, which is something that I didn't get when I went on interviews at other companies!

Right now, the Marketing department is in the midst of B-Round interviews, which I'm sure reminds all of you about when you were interviewing for your co-op positions.

What did you expect when interviewing here? What was different than your expectations?

Since I am still in vacation mode I would ask.... What is your dream vacation?

hmmmm...

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
hah just kidding... Do they even make those things anymore?

What's your favorite reality tv show?

Staff Question

I'd ask...

What's something you regret not having done while you were my age (M.A age)? Why?

dreeeeam

I would ask them....
"What is your dream job?"
Interesting to see how close their answers are to their actual job!

Let's do a fun question this week.

If you could ask the entire staff any question, what would it be?

(Yes, I may or may not use your answers for the next newsletter...) STAKES ARE HIGH PEOPLE.

de-stress

After a stressful day, I usually kick back on the couch with a cold drink and some good music. I'm also listening to my Ipod no matter what kind of mood I'm in and usually have some "go-to" songs for when I'm stressed and just need to relax. Sometimes I'll go to the gym or turf and play soccer or basketball, which usually helps me block out whatever thoughts I was having from the day.

cook/eat/cook/eat/cook/eat

When I'm really stressed out I can seriously cook for hours. It's kind of a problem because when I get on one of those kicks I literally cook almost everything in my fridge. I usually hate chopping because it can take so long (depending on what you're making) but when I'm stressed chopping is like my favorite thing. Cooking can almost always make me feel better (unless I screw up my recipe then it usually makes me feel worse). It's better than anything because I get to eat something yummy at the end :)

Calling All Housewives!

I am such a mom when it comes to relaxing. I usually work out when I'm stressed, but when I'm in season (and already working out a lot) I like to clean my apartment or bake and cook. It makes me feel accomplished when my apartment is clean, and also makes it seem more peaceful. I just love baking and cooking and it's something that I can do at any time while watching TV or listening to music and it always relaxes me.

Self Time

I would say my main way to de-stress from a stressful day would be to work out. Going to the gym or even just a run makes you forget about the stress and also feel good about yourself. I have become a fan of yoga and think its an awesome way to get yourself together. Sometimes we need just a few minutes to ourselves to relax and think of what makes you feel good. If I'm too lazy to work out that day I would probably de-stress by hanging out with my friends or family. Nothing better then surrounding yourself with people that make you happy and help you through stressful times!

Great question:

How do you de-stress from a stressful day?

Accomplishment

What I'm most proud of during my time at SHM is probably how much I've been able to learn about all the different aspects of the organization. When I first arrived for my interview, I had no idea what kind of work the company did, let alone how and why they did it. Working in social media has given me the opportunity to research and draft a lot of posts/letters about everything that SHM has to offer. I've been able to learn about all the different educational meetings, the different Q.I offerings, practice management, advocacy, ect.. I've come a long way since this co-op started and its even more evident with how much easier its becoming to write about SHM.