How to Prepare for an Interview

(notes from an Industry Rep) 

1. Come prepared.  Research the company and what we do. 

2. Present yourself well: Dress appropriately (business dress). 

3. Have a resume or at least some work experience written down and some contact information. 

4. Don't bad mouth your former employer.  That always leaves a question in my mind as to what caused the situation and how it was handled. 

5. Have specific questions for the employer.  Everyone gets nervous during interviews and their mind goes blank.  Bring something to write with and write on in case you need to take notes. 

6. Ask for the job.  Show your genuine interest or if it doesn't seem like a good fit, say so. 

7.  Tell the employer thank you for the opportunity to interview. 

8.   Make eye contact and show a sense of confidence.

On behalf of the Regional High Technology Center, Machining instructor Doug Cabe presented Dr. Johnson a plaque crafted by students.

Students Learn About Biodiesel

 

HCC Students in the AUT 285, Intro to Alternative Fuels course took a class trip to Blue Ridge Biofuels in Asheville, NC. Students were given a tour of the facility with an in depth explanation of how commercial biodiesel production operates, in both a fiscal and physical sense. Woody, the owner of Blue Ridge Biofuels offered students a chance to come back for an internship as their facility and market reach continue to grow across WNC. This was a great opportunity to show our students how complex and regulated the production process is when making over 350,000 gallons of biodiesel per year.

 

Exploring Alternative Energy

Students from the Alternative Energy class showed members of HCC’s Board of Trustees two solar hot water heaters they built at the September Board Meeting recently. Pictured are Bob Staggs and Scott Howe with the heaters. Both can heat 5 to 7 gallons of water from 73 degrees to 140-160 degrees in 3 hours. Pictured left is a Thermosyphon Solar Heater which cycles water through the coils but has no moving parts. A batch heater, pictured right, heats all the water at once in a tank. Special thanks to Blue Ridge Glass for help on this project.

Machining Remembers 9/11

Dale Haddock and his Tuscola High School machining students remember 9/11 at HCC's Regional High Technology Center. 

Solar Concentrator Heats up the Haywood County Fair

Josh Knight and Bryan Ray adjust the solar concentrator at the Haywood County Fair.  Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems, are systems that use mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy, onto a small area. Electrical power is produced when the concentrated light is converted to heat which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator.

Solar energy is just one of the topics in their class, ALT 120 Alternative Energy, in the EET program at Haywood Community College.  The class is currently building solar hot water units. 

Welding Student Dustin Cornelison Wins Sequoyah Fund Community College Business Plan Competition

Dustin Cornelison turned his belief in living a sustainable and frugal lifestyle into an award winning business plan. Drawing upon his past experience as a sustainability technician for an environmental education center and his acquired skills as a welder and blacksmith, Cornelison, along with his wife Sara Martin, have implemented a plan to turn their farm, Two Trees, into a model of sustainable practices. “We are selling the farm life style,” he said. “We hope to demonstrate self sufficiency and furnish people with the tools and knowledge to live off their own land.”
HCC Student Dustin Cornelison Wins Sequoyah Fund Community College Business Plan Competition