Professional opportunities and job skills

Hi everyone! I hope this semester is going well for you!

This week we are going to be talking about professional opportunities and job skills. I am sure that everyone in this class has different educational and career goals for themselves, but can all relate to the topic. Are you currently using your interdisciplinary skills in your professional life? I as well as many others can say that my degree is not actual related to my current professional life, but it has still taught me numerous skills. I currently work at Crispers (I have been there since I was 16, and I am now 22) doing everything from cooking, to cleaning, to management, but I plan on using my degree in the medical field. My degree focuses are biomedical science and behavioral/social science with a minor in health administration. I have found that the behavioral and social science part of my degree has taught me to communicate more thoroughly   with others, and the administration part has assisted me in organization and professionalism at my current occupation.

Everyone has their strong points and their weak points. My strongest points are communication, organization, recording, and positive attitude. If someone at work is having a bad day I will do something to make them smile and move on.  Due to the fact that I have worked for Crispers going on six years now my weak point is my friends. I worked my way into management and now I have to manage my friends. It is extremely difficult to hold a professional demeanor when you are working with people you go out with. I have learned that communication is a great was way to defeat weaknesses. As far as working with my friends that will be over as soon as I graduate. I know that criticism is a massive weakness for many people. The way that I look at it is if someone is taking the time to tell me what I have done wrong and how to fix it; then they must like me and want me to succeed.

Professional groups or organizations are a great way to prepare for future employers. My degree will be related to healthcare and two groups that I currently know of are American Public Health Association and the Intermountain Healthcare Group. The American Public Health Association provides its members with information on latest trends, research, legislation, advocacy and policy issues through multiple print and online publications, expert commentaries and many networking opportunities (APHA). This would help to keep me informed on the latest information to impress future employers.  The Intermountain Healthcare Group is a network of 23 hospitals that provide a wide range of care (InterMountain Health Group). The intermountain Health Group also provides research and professional opportunities to its community (InterMountain Health Group). I learned about both of these organizations through other classes. UCF also offers a wide array of fraternities and sororities related to different career paths.

I have to say that I have unfortunately not interned or externed anywhere. I can say that I have volunteered several places. In high school I volunteered at Boggy Creek Gang Camp. At this establishment I was pleased to work with handicapped children and their parents. I found this to be one of the most rewarding places to volunteer. To see a smile on those children’s faces was amazing. I have also volunteered at Childcare Choice Services (CCCS). This establishment provided under income families with a means to receive daycare. I have spent numerous hours helping with Rely for Life events. I currently have talked to the Harbor House about volunteering, and I will be starting there on March 1. I suggest that if you cannot intern or extern to volunteer or job shadow.

My philosophy is that nothing gets handed to you on a silver platter. It takes determination, courage, time, input, hard work, long hours, and whole heartedness. All of these attributes put together can equal success. Anyone who applies themselves from the beginning can achieve what they want to do.

I am not sure about you, but I wanted to be a vet, then a policeman, then a nurse, and now I am studying to work in the nonclinical side of healthcare. My career goals have changed drastically since I was a child. When I entered the IDS program my focuses where; behavioral/social science and health administration with a minor in criminology and sociology, but now even that has changed. If you are still unsure about what you want to do, don’t worry it will come to you. Focuses and minors may alter, but it is a growing experience.

Are you currently using your interdisciplinary in your professional life? Have you interned, externed, volunteered or job shadowed? What are your strong and weak points? Have your career goals changed since the IDS program?

Good Luck in your professional lives,

Tiffany Gray

"APHA: American Public Health Association." APHA: American Public Health Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://apha.org/>.

"InterMountain Health Group." InterMountain Health Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://intermountaingroup.com/

Topic #3 Cover Letters and Resumes

Hi gang!

This week we’re going to discuss Cover Letters and Resumes. You don't want to end up at the bottom of the pile! One of the most important things job seekers can do is put together a great cover letter. This will give future employers an idea of what kind of person you are. It is important to tailor your letter for each company you are applying to, don’t make a stock cover letter. You could make a template, but make sure there is a portion of the letter focused on the company you are interested in working with. The cover letter is one of the best places to discuss your degree. Remember that an employer will probably not know what an Interdisciplinary Degree is. The best way to get past this is explain what your areas of focus are in school and how they relate to the company you are applying with. One of the things I like to focus on being an IDS student is my diversity. It’s important now-a-days to be able to wear many hats. In a lot of jobs they are cutting back, so they want people who are able to do many different things. What’s more perfect than an IDS student?

While the cover letter is important and should not be overlooked, a well put together resume is key in getting your foot in the door. There's an image with this blog of some resume blunders, these are obviously a little strange. You want to stand out, but not in that way! Take it from someone who has looked through resumes to find candidates. I personally have gone through stacks only to narrow it down to a few. I believe everyone that is picking candidates has something in their mind they are looking for. For me, one of the most important things about a resume is grammar and spelling. After all if you are not going to care about what is right or wrong in your resume (your first impression) than how are you going to care about the position you are applying for. I always recommend not depending on spell check to find mistakes, it’s not full proof (just like the word you just read, it should be foolproof, but spell check would not catch that one, shows you how important it is to let someone proof read your documents before you submit them!). So once you have put together your resume read through it, have others read through it. Don’t just slap it together and go, because you will end up at the bottom of the stack or worse in the garbage. Especially in today's job market.

Here are some important tips I’ve learned about resumes:

• Keep it simple and the design easy to read. Don’t put your resume on fancy paper, most large companies scan resumes in and if your paper jams their scanner where do you think you will end up?

• You can have a formatted resume that looks pretty to bring with you on interview day, but it is also important to make a plain text resume also. This is very helpful when you have to paste in your resume on a company’s website.

• Update your resume often, so you always have an up to date copy, you never know when you will need it.

• Significant accomplishments are very important to include in your resume. Have you saved your company money, found a new way to do things or worked on a team and did a great project.

Do you have any specific concerns or questions about cover letters or resumes? Maybe you have some examples of letters you would like to share. If you were to write about your IDS degree in your cover letter, what are some important things you would bring up?

Thanks!
Donna

Topic #2: Personal philosophies / career goals

Our blogging this week will cover your personal philosophies, career goals and academic/volunteer opportunities that are available here at UCF.

As your undergraduate career is coming to end and you are preparing to take the next step in whatever direction you have chosen or you have just begun your college career, what sets you apart from your peers? Of course there are numerous differences in concentration areas, minors, grad school options and potential employers, but I am referring to your character. What do you pride yourself on? What is something that you feel has gotten you to the point you are at today? What personal philosophies are going to accompany you down your future path? Some of us focus on attention to detail, to the smaller aspects of a task. Others, me included, may focus on completion, timeliness and the overall feeling of hard work. These philosophies will, or already have contributed to your success as an undergraduate student and will propel you to the next step. It is important to ask yourselves these questions as early into your college education as possible. Determining the type of student and overall person you want to be sooner rather than later will make a significant positive impact on your future. I look back at the beginning of my time at UCF and think about how if I had figured out what type of student I wanted to be, what I wanted to pride myself on and how I wanted to show my professors and employers that hard work was a major character trait of mine, getting into graduate school would not be as hard and stressful as it currently is. As I prepare for my one and only physician assistant school interview next week, I am trying to get ready for the tough questions that I know are coming; the questions about my some of my grades and class choices that I made early in my days at UCF. I applied to several physician assistant programs from Florida to New York and while I have great health care experience as a paramedic, it does not always make up for taking the easy road with some classes or putting off taking an extra science course simply because your major doesn’t require it. I was expecting to get many more interview invites that I did, and as I look back at my application (which I have done as each week passes and no invitations arrive in my inbox) I attribute it to a lack of knowing the type of person/student/employee I wanted to be when I first started my academic journey.

What to do after graduation? The question that you ask yourself in your final semesters is one that has troubled us all (even if we won’t admit to it). Personally this question still pops into my head from time to time. I have a plan that I am focused on but I can't seem to shake the "what if's." For those of you with firm and concrete plans – what are they? How did you come up with them? Do you have any plan B’s? While indecision is normal and still acceptable, it is something that should soon be phased out. Your career goals and plans are your future. Now is the time to start making plans, looking into programs, prepare for entrance exams, rack up volunteer hours and shadow possible future colleagues. UCF is here to help in this department and has the resources to get you started. Career services (www.career.ucf.edu) is an excellent supply of tools and information to help decided and undecided students prepare. The website provides a list of upcoming workshops and events; on February 16th there is a Hands-on resume builder workshop as well as Siemens and graduate school information sessions in the following weeks. I also strongly suggest beginning a KnightLink account as soon as possible – this is a great job search tool provided for free!

Volunteering is something that makes you more marketable to both potential employers and graduate school admission committees. Does anyone currently volunteer on a regular basis? If so, what do you like about it and why did you decide to get involved? UCF has great opportunities to get involved in the local community. Check out UCF’s volunteer website @ www.vucf.getinvolveducf.com, take a look at the upcoming events, are there any that interest you? Volunteering is almost a mandatory requirement for graduate schools these days, and the good thing is that the opportunities are right here in your back yard. Don’t let volunteering slip to the bottom of your to-do list. Whether this is you first or last year in college, volunteer hours WILL do nothing but help you move on to your next place. To the future health professionals looking at graduate schools sometime in the future, this is a way to get hands on clinical experience and make you application that much better than the thousands of other students applying to the same program.

Be sure to include your first and last name when blogging!

Jeff Owens

Getting to Know You

Welcome to our blog! Grab your favorite drink and spend a few minutes with us. We hope you find this opportunity interesting and helpful as you refine your skills stepping out into a new adventure.

I believe IDS is about taking the best of you and bringing it all together. Whatever your experiences are that have brought you to the IDS degree, they add value to your resume. Cornerstone opened my eyes to how valuable IDS is, be proud of it! We are here to help and support you along the way. Feel free to ask us anything. This degree is so versatile, you literally can go anywhere and use it. Don't forget to sign your name to each post, and relax, this will be fun!

Your mentors will be Donna Bauer, Kimberly Buffkin, Tiffany Gray and Jeff Owens. Here's a little about us...

Hello everyone! My name is Tiffany Gray and I am happy to say that I am finally graduating this semester. My degree focuses are Biomedical and Behavioral/Social Science with a minor in Health Administration. I am hoping to work in the professional aspect of a hospital or medical facility. I think that the areas I chose flow extremely well together for the health care field. I have enjoyed the endeavor of obtaining my degree very much because I never got bored in a certain topic. When I got tired of science I would study administration. It worked perfectly for me. I am that girl you find outside doing about anything. I love sports, horseback riding, trail riding, running, and the gym, basically anything active. I am also that person that is passionate about helping people; from children to the elderly. I believe that every day is a gift and not a right, therefore; spend it wisely. I think that laughter is the cure for anything. If you are crying and someone makes you laugh your day will be a little better. I hope we are able to assist you in your adventure to your IDS degree. Ask us a lot of questions and learn as much as you can that is what we are here for. I wish everyone luck in life!

Tiffany Gray

Hi, my name is Donna Bauer I’m an unconventional student. For my classes after my AA degree I have only been able to do online courses. I work full time as a Contract Administrator under an Army Contract. We manage soldier simulators. I am finishing up my degree only to get promoted. I also have two kids (4 & 7). So my life is very, very busy! I started my Interdisciplinary Studies degree in 2008 and so relieved that it is almost over. My minor is in Health Science. My two areas of concentration are Life / Biomedical Science and Public Affairs. Health Science and Life / Biomed are very similar in that the biology course I took for Biomed helped me a lot with my Health Science classes. The Public Affairs portion of my degree was mostly concentrating on Criminal Justice. My degree is kind of all over the place, but it will get me promoted at my current job, so that is what is important at the moment. If I ever go out looking for a new job I will be able to sell the fact that I am very diverse! I look forward to mentoring you. My hobby is photography, of course as a Mom I’m always taking pictures. The problem is digital photography, there are TOO MANY pictures and since I don’t have any extra time they are piling up. I plan to organize after I graduate … right! Let’s make this fun, you can respond any way you wish, just be sure to sign your name.

Donna Bauer

Greetings Cornerstone group! My name is Jeff Owens and I will be one of your mentors throughout this semester via a blog. I am a 6th year senior here at UCF and if all the stars align and everything goes right, I will be graduating in May! I stretched out my undergraduate studies because I took some time to become and Firefighter/Paramedic. I worked for the City of Casselberry in Seminole County. Becoming a paramedic lead me to the path that I am currently on, I aim to go further into medicine and I am currently in the process of applying and interviewing for Physician Assistant programs. I have my first one next week in Roanoke Virginia!

The IDS Degree experience has been great for me. To be completely honest I chose this degree because it seemed like the fastest way for me to finish my bachelors and move on to graduate school. But since taking Cornerstone and Capstone, I have a new found respect and love for this program and have recommended it to many other undergraduate students I know. I can truly say that a degree with multiple areas of concentration is significantly better at preparing future employees to enter the workforce. My areas of concentration are Life/Biomedical Sciences and Social/Behavior Sciences with a minor in health sciences.

I hope that I can be a source of information and knowledge to each and every one of you during this semester. If anyone is thinking about PA school I would love to talk more about the application process and keep you posted on how my interview goes. I hope I can be a source of encouragement as well. Remember to sign your first and last name when posting on the blog; you cannot earn points if we don’t know who wrote the posting. Good luck to everyone, remember Capstone is right around the corner and that means so is graduation!

Jeff Owens

Hello Cornerstone! Welcome to our blog. :)

My name is Kimberly Buffkin and I am in my 20th, yes my 20th year of college. My areas of study are Life/Biomedical Science and Social Science with a minor in Health Science. Fresh out of high school I was a pre-med student, my major was Micro/Molecular Biology. I was passionate about medicine and saving lives. In my last semester at UCF I went to EMT school and my life changed. I loved the job. I went on to Paramedic school and then Fire Standards. I got a job and 12 years later I am a Lieutenant with Orange County Fire Rescue. Along the way I have taken classes, taken breaks, gotten married and had 2 kids. I managed to pick up (3) 2 yr degrees along the way, but I want that B.S. to move on to graduate school. I enjoy so many things, there is not enough time in the day! I guess my passion is for kids, I feel strongly about child abuse/neglect. My second love is photography, I'm a total amateur, but I enjoy playing. I'm a social being and overschedule myself because I like going places and doing things. Add college to the mix and things get crazy sometimes. A good crazy, though. :)

Kimberly Buffkin

Now it's your turn. Tell us about you, your likes and dislikes. What are your areas of concentration within IDS? Why did you choose IDS and what do you plan to do with it? Post an interesting fact about yourself, or a hobby you enjoy. We look forward to hearing all about each of you.

Don't let things sneak up on you!!! Be prepared.