Satellite Observation #2

I completed my second satellite observation at the BCC. I definitely preferred the environment to Bessey, but then again, Bessey has its positives.

The client had brought in his/her cover letter for a TA position, I believe, though it wasn't perfectly clear. The consultant asked him to explain exactly what he wanted his employer to know, and why he was the best person for the job. What the consultant was explaining to the tutor definitely didn't match up on paper. As we've been told numerous times in class, it's always necessary to have a conversation about the paper/piece of writing before even looking at it, and the client's eyes were already growing wide with realization as they discussed it.

The consultant had a pretty solid knowledge base for cover letter formats. The client had his stuff a little thrown around and not in super-logical order, such as the addresses and the "Enclosed/Attached" part, so the consultant asked where the client thought the employer would look first.

I liked that this session was non-directive. With things such as resumes and cover letters, one can get really carried away rattling off the strict formatting and page limit standards, but the consultant was continuously asking the client what he thought the employer might want or what specific information and details he wanted to convey most. The consultant did spend a bit of time going over cover letter rhetoric — such that it's sometimes the only thing employers will look at, so you have to make it eye-catching — but the consultant wasn't long-winded about it.

I really appreciated the different atmosphere. The session wasn't radically different from what I've done/seen at Bessey/the library, but the people here seemed different, with (obviously) different writing goals in mind. And, naturally, different people comprise a writing center specified for a certain group of students.

Good times!