“Don’t Make Me Think” Review

“Don’t Make Me Think” by Steven Krug is an critical tool for anybody who want’s to create a successful website.This book is an updated version of the edition first published in 2002 that was modified to include mobile examples and mobile-specific usability issues. Krug uses a witty and clear approach to explain the elements of web usability. Web usability is an appraisal of whether or not a site is useful, learnable, memorable, effective, efficient, and desirable.
He starts of the book by elaborating on the title, which ultimately emerges as the book’s premise. He explains that when using the web, surfers don’t want to think about what they’re looking at. He explains that internet users have no sense of scale, direction and location and that we often scan instead of read. He preaches simplicity in design and wording. As far as Krug’s visual approach, he recommends establishing a visual hierarchy, using conventions, breaking up the page into clearly-defined sections(the grid), making it obvious what’s clickable, and keeping the noise down. When the user is required to click between two options that can be confused, the site-creator is urged to include brief, timely and unavoidable information as aid. Chapter five elaborates on omitting needless words. Needless words can be comprised of happy talk(welcome text or anything that makes your conscience say “blah blah blah”) and instructions. Krug then discusses web navigation, which is meant to tell what the site contains, how to use it, and why to trust its creators. He emphasizes the homepage’s role in reeling the audience in, which can be supported by a tagline, a welcome blurb and a “learn more.” Chapter 8 discusses the delicate balance of designers and developers in creating websites, which leads into the point that there is no use in asking “do people like this feature?” Instead, website creators should focus on whether the feature fits in contextually. He then talks about mboile apps and how they need to be learnable and memorable as well.He discusses the importance of usability testing over focus group to assess a websites effectiveness, even if you only test one user. Chapter 10 comprises the mobile addition to this edition and the usability tradeoffs on mobile platforms(i.e. small screens). To combat this, he suggests allowing zooming and providing a link to the full website.The end of the book focuses on why usability is so important and what you can do to facilitate it.
“Don’t Make Me Think” is an excellent book for not only website creators, but web-surfers too. It helps web designers make their product user-friendly while making difficult websites easier to navigate by giving readers and understanding of their mechanics. Krug makes a lot of interesting points about what the user actually wants to see and makes the read more exciting by incorporating humor, graphics and comics. He also writes in a very basic manner, making this book a bible for web-design beginners. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone living in the ever technologically-advancing present.

The Cover Letter

Now, to supplement your resume you’re going to need a cover letter. If a resume is your street credit, then your cover letter is your sell point. So the prospective employer has seen what you have done, now it’s time to explain what you can do and how your employment will improve the company. This should be done in a few formal paragraphs that summarize your skills and experience while illustrating how you will be an asset to the work environment.

Like a resume, there is no perfect way to create a cover letter. A good rule of thumb is to make a basic personal template that you can modify to accommodate various companies and positions that you apply to. Your cover letter should always have a heading with your name, phone number, email address, and maybe your website and mailing address. Then, your subheading should directly address the company. Provide the company’s name, the city is it located in and the date you are applying. Unless you know the name of the company’s recruiter, start with something general such a “Dear Hiring Committee:” Then introduce yourself. Talk a little about your experience and skills as well as your career goals. Then be sure to discuss the position you are applying for. Prove that you have done your research by referencing the responsibilities it entails, and how you think you can tackle them. When you have manifested all of that into four or five well-written, personable paragraphs, start wrapping it up. Thank them for their consideration and say something along the lines of “I look forward to hearing from you” to, of course, reaffirm your confidence in your abilities. Be sure to mention that they can contact you at any time via the phone, email etc. listed above. A nice personal touch to a cover letter is your signature, which could be added by scanning it into your computer and inserting it into the document.

And VOILA! You should have yourself a nice cover letter. But to make this all a little clearer, I’ll attach my template below!

The Resume

Probably the most important thing you’ll need when applying for a job is a resume. According to Dictionary.com, a resume(pronounced rez-oo-mey) is defined as a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience.  It’s basically your street credibility in the job force. What have you done prior and what do you have to offer your prospective employers?

Here is what your resume is expected to have:

Your Name and Contact Info

If this prospective employer likes what they see, how can they get a hold of you? This contact info includes but is not limited to a cell phone number, an e-mail address, a mailing address and a personal website.

An Objective/Summary

If you only had 15 seconds to convince someone that you’re right for the job, what would you say? In one or two sentences, an objective will summarize what kind of career you want to achieve and what skills and experiences you have would make you qualified for the position.

Education

Where did you go to college and graduate school? Include the location of the school your major and minor, the month and date of your graduation and your GPA.

Work Experience

This part is arguably the most important! Employers want to know that you have employed your training in a professional environment. List all relevant work experience. Each item should have the position title, the company, the location of the company, the dates you worked there, and a brief summary of the positions responsibilities.

Skills

This is another place you can show off a little bit, although the skill section will vary greatly amongst applicants and jobs being applied for. Skills can range from communication skills, to artistic abilities to computer applications and social media sites!

Involvement and Awards

This is where you can list any clubs, agencies, and societies you are a part of. If you held a position in the group, be sure to include that too. Include the group title, dates involved and the functions of the group. If you have received any notable awards or recognitions, list that with a brief description of its significance.

References

This one isn’t as common as the others. This is where you list the contact information for someone who can endorse your candidacy. This will usually be a past boss, supervisor or professor. For this, include the person’s name, the company they work(ed) at, their position there, there phone number and or their e-mail address. Another option is to simply write “References provided upon request.”

 

As far as formatting, there is no perfect way to do it. The best thing you can do is make it easy to read. No employer wants to spend two hours deciphering your resume. Use legible fonts and effectively incorporate underline, italics, bold, and bullets to increase readability. Try your hardest to keep it all on one page. Additionally, there is no right order to your sections. Typically name and contact info go at the top followed by your objective, but there is some debate whether or not education or work experience take priority after that. You can be a little creative, but keep it professional. This can be done in rare and tasteful incorporations of color. Some resume’s include a small head shot, but I have heard some professors say they were not a fan of this.

Below find an example resume!

Click for photo credit

Getting After It: Outlining Your Goals

So now that we got all that introductory stuff out of the way, let’s get started.

My first post talked a bit about uncertainty. Well my first certainty is that I certainly need to find a job. But, alas, another fork in the road. I’m not one of those people whose first words were “I want to be a CEO” and has strictly followed that aspiration ever since. I do, occasionally, form short-lived career goals depending if I’m watching Grey’s Anatomy or Law & Order: SVU. But for the most part, things are up in the air for me.

But how do I get a job if I’m not even sure what job I want?

Flexibility. See, the convenient part of looking for a job straight out of college is that I don’t have my pick of the litter anyways. I know I’m a very qualified hard worker, but to excel in any industry I’m going to have to pay my dues. They’ll be tons of people with more experience than I do at this point. So instead of being picky, I need to apply to positions that could be my foot in the door to proving myself.

What I do know, is what I’ve always known. I’m not a math or science girl. This is why I’m a telecommunications major. I like my major a lot! But the beauty of a focus in communications is that the studies are relatively general: I’ve learned many facets of media. I’m not a seasoned veteran, but I feel as though I have enough foundation in TV, radio, interactive media, web writing etc. to equip me for many entry-level jobs in media(in addition to specific job training, of course.)

So that takes care of what kind of jobs I want to apply for. Another factor to deal with is the where. I was raised just outside of NYC and wouldn’t have had it any other way. I thrive in fast-paced environments and love the energy of a big city like New York. I’ve also dreamed of a cozy Manhattan apartment since I was little and I know this is where a lot of my family and friends live. Now like I said, FLEXIBILITY. I’m not pulling the plug on opportunities anywhere else, but for now this is a good place to start(figuratively and literally.)

The last consideration is consideration is taking the where one step further. What companies am I interested in that have offices in New York? Thankfully, most. I made a big list that includes what teams I could see myself being a part of. It includes, but certainly is not limited to, BuzzFeed, Pop Sugar, VICE, Barstool, Comedy Central, and Insider.

The next steps include preparing my resume, cover letter and website for application!

The Intro

Hello there! Before I dive right into it, I wanted to dedicate a post to giving my prospective readers a glimpse into what I will be writing about.

First off, who am I? I am Stefanie Hall(that freckly girl in the picture). A senior at the University of Florida. A telecommunications major. An Italian language minor. A New York Native. A dog lover. A cancer zodiac sign. A Game of Thrones fan. A scuba diver. I’ll cut it there for now. But if you’re anything like seemingly everyone I come into contact with these days, you’ve picked up on a key-word in my second describing sentence. Yes, I am a senior. Which will probably feed you into your next curiosity and the topic of this blog: what am I doing once the imminent monster some call graduation arrives. At this point, I’m not sure yet. So why don’t we figure it out together?

The post-college world is the first period of absolute uncertainty in many of our lives. There are more options than those new computerized soda machines(maybe?) For most people, you go to preschool, then elementary school, them middle school, then high school, then college then?????????? There are so many options! Are you going to go to medical school? Are you going to get a job? Are you going to pack a backpack and hitchhike across Asia? Personally, I don’t think graduate school is my path but if its yours, that’s great too! I just returned from an amazing semester abroad in Sydney last spring, so I don’t think my parents financing a globe-trotting gap year is in the cards for me either. So it looks like i’m getting a one way ticket to the real world. I’m going to use this blog to document every move I make in securing my spot in the work force.

So you have a couple of reasons to keep up with this blog. Maybe you’re in the same position and we can be terrified together! Maybe you’ve been employed for eight years and have some criticisms or advice on how to land I can land dream job. Or maybe you’re a senior in high school and just want to see where I wind up! Whatever it is, I challenge myself to be employed by the time I walk or trip across that stage in my cap and gown, which is three months and one day from today(no pressure).

Game on!