Autobiography and Statement of Purpose

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Autobiography and Statement of Purpose

• Autobiography Opening Interesting and to the
  point
• Autobiography conclusion summary needed.
• Autobiography not a life story!
• Autobiography story-telling
• Statement of Purpose Wheres the beef?
• Interview Preparation

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(No Transcript)
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Autobiography opening

• Interesting and to the point.
• e.g. My name is . . . I was born . . .. Is
  this necessary?
• Alternative My friends usually call me Kate. I
  like it, because it sounds more mature than Katie
  and more determinate, efficient and resolute than
  Katherine.

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Autobiography openingapplying for insurance
agency
My personality was formed in Tainan, a friendly
city where I lived for 18 years with my
grandparents. Immersed in grandparents love and
affection, I learned to take care of others and
what they need. Having all of my worries and
questions answered by them, I also listen to
others misgivings and complaints with patience
and readiness to help. In college activities and
especially through a part-time job at an
insurance company, I got to be more confirmed of
my personality and its suitability for being an
insurance agent.

• Followed by
• description of school activities and the job.
• Then move on the abilities
• Being organized and Making plans,
• Analytic skills and understanding of people
• Language skills

• In 1980, I, Emily, was born in Tainan, living
  there until I was eighteen, when I moved to
  Taipei for university. So far, I am a junior
  mastering in English in Fu Jen Catholic
  University at the age of twenty-one. During the
  golden period in university, I started to plan my
  life seriously. Hence, in order not to waste my
  life, in summer vacation, I would find jobs which
  interest me to devote myself to. Luckily, in
  2001, I had the chance to go to an insurance
  company to understand what insurance really is
  and to put the theory into practice. In the
  work, I got experience of insurance and merge
  interest in it.

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Autobiography openingapplying for ?????????
It is no exaggeration to say that I am outspoken,
organized and fluent in English. Besides my
lifelong interest in English, in the English
Department at Fu Jen we have been required to
speak out in all the classes and make various
written reports, public speeches and group
presentations. However, I am not satisfied with
just being equipped with good English abilities.
I knew I needed to know more about international
trade, my career goal, so I became a minor in
Business Management Department.

• I am now a senior in English Department and a
  minor of Business Management in Fu Jen Catholic
  University. The reason I choose English as my
  major is that I have always been interested in
  English since I fist learned it. In addition,
  English is the international language which could
  be a beneficial tool for me in my future life.
  Being an English major is just what I want.
  However, merely equipping the tool is not enough.
  I need to gain more knowledge about the field of
  my interested future career which is about
  international trading. Therefore, I decided to
  become a minor in Business Management Department.

• What follows
• What she learned in the English department and
  Business Management (Dont just list the course
  titles)
• 2. The management and interpersonal skills she
  acquired from extra-curricular activities and
  part-time job.

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Autobiography (2) OpeningWhat are the problems?

• Clever, intelligent, adorable, excellent which
  are the good adjectives I can describe the famous
  female journalist - Lee yan qui (???). Frankly
  speaking, she is not my idol, but her good
  qualities and career are what I want to chase for
  in my life. Besides, according to the
  personalities of my horoscope Leo, I believe I
  have the potential to dig out these elements
  within myself. Therefore, to be a journalist can
  be the best way to challenge myself, and this is
  also what encouraged me to prepare myself in my
  college life.

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Autobiography OpeningWhat are the problems?

• Im Lucille. In 1979, I was born in Taipei on
  May 9th. And in 2002, I graduated from English
  Department of Fu Jen University, and during the
  golden four years, I had a number of experiences
  to be an English tutor to teach kids and junior
  high students English. The purpose that I had
  those part-time jobs was not only to earn money
  but also to learn social experiences. As the
  matter of fact, there are several reasons for me
  to choose English as my major. Firstly, of
  course, English has been my favorite course since
  I started to learn it. Secondly, when I was a
  kid, my father always told me that English is
  very important, particularly, when having a job.

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Autobiography conclusionapplying for ?????????

• With the knowledge I acquired in the
  four-yeartraining in both English and Business
  Management Departments, and the skills I learned
  from the extracurricular activities and my
  working experiences, I believe now I am prepared
  to enter the field of international trading. I
  believe the working opportunity you offered would
  be an excellent chance for me to put what I
  learned into practice.

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Autobiography

• 2. Not a life story!
• No need to start with the moment you decided your
  direction unless it does show your strength. If
  you do, make it short and dont just focus on
  that singular event.
• Remember to focus on and specify your strengths
  and preparation.

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Not a life story! Example. Job document
secretary in charge of translation, editing and
proofreading.

• It was two long hours for a bunch of young
  learners of age ten to twelve who had no
  experience of English before. They watched their
  foreign teacher talking in a language that they
  had no idea of at all. . . . Two hours passed,
  parents took the confused learners home.
  However, not all of them felt it was two long
  hours. A girl told her mother that she wished
  the class would be longer. To her mothers
  surprise, she loved the class and wanted to learn
  more.  
• This is the scene that kept coming back to my
  mind as I grew up. I, the little girl, was
  attracted to the language

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Not a life story! Example. Job document
secretary in ????

• What more to include
• -- What computer skills?
• -- What filing and editing work you did.
• -- Experience of studying abroad.
• -- Understanding of foreign cultures.

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Showing of strength in a story-telling mode

• Liz, you have the making for being a secretary!
  After I transferred to Fu Jen Catholic
  University, I have been told about this for
  several times because I usually play the role as
  a reminder among classmates. Disliking
  forgetting things in daily life, I always have
  the habit of writing things down. Whenever I
  review my own schedule, I habitually remind the
  classmates who have to meet the same deadlines as
  I do.

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Showing of strength in a story-telling mode (2)

• One of my foreign friends argued about pledge
  with me once. He could never persuade me to
  believe in pledge. I do not believe in vows
  because a lot of people can hardly keep their
  words. I consider myself to be the kind of person
  who would rather take actions than making empty
  or grand promises. Before I can be sure about
  how my own limit and ability, I prefer doing
  things silently.

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Statement of Purpose Wheres the beef?

• Job experience is good, especially with a
  pertinent analysis of the skills and issues
  involved.
• But you have to include 1) your academic
  training 2) a study plan (possibly including the
  courses youd like to take).
• E.g. Hotel management training of English
  abilities understanding of various cultures.

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Comparative Religion

• In Christianity, God is everlasting,
  self-causing, and self-evident, and in Buddhism,
  Buddha nature (the possession by sentient beings
  of the innate Buddha-mind, which is, prior to the
  full attainment of Buddhahood) is also
  everlasting, neither arising nor ceasing. I think
  there are some similarities between them. It is
  the most impressive part of religious study for
  me. My assumption is that they are almost the
  same, but represented in different forms.

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Comparative Religion

• Every religion is in the pursuit of the extreme
  origin of the world or the universe (not human
  beings?). Maybe the origins provided by some
  religions are the same. Of course, on the other
  hand, the differences between the two different
  concepts are to be respected and studied. In the
  graduate program, therefore, I want to study the
  traditions of Christianity and Buddhism to
  understand their similarities and differences
  especially in terms of their concept of
  God/Buddha nature.

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Interview Preparation

• Re-read your resume and remember the skills you
  listed there.
• Bring with you examples of your work and evidence
  of your awards.
• Dress properly.
• Get to know the company as much as possible.
  Bring with you its complete address and contact
  phone no. just in case you cannot find it on the
  day of the interview. Better go there earlier.
• Prepare the answers for the possible questions
  they may ask.
• Be prepared with some proper questions about the
  job or the company to ask the interviewer.

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At the Interview

• Do not sit down before you are asked to.
  Remember the basic greeting manners. (Nice to
  meet you, )
• Use the questions to show and elaborate on your
  strengths. Do not just answer yes or no.
• On the other hand, do not talk on and on so that
  you monopolize the interview.
• Don't feel frustrated when they ask you something
  you do not know. However, try to direct the
  discussion to something you know.