Name: Casey Gardner
Internship, Co-op or Research Site: National Aquarium
Position Title: Animal Care Center Intern
Major(s)/Minor(s): Biological Sciences B.S.
Describe your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.
I am responsible for monitoring, cleaning, and feeding all of the reptiles (sometimes fish). I ensure that all of the animals are healthy and when needed, I will observe any medical treatment.
Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.
I filled out a somewhat extensive online application and completed a phone interview.
Which resources did you use to find your current experience?
I was a volunteer for almost two years.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?
I am very passionate about marine wildlife and I love being able to work hands on with the animals. It makes me feel great knowing that I am giving them the best care possible.
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
I have a positive, passionate attitude. I love the people that I work with because we are a team with the same goals and dedication towards these animals.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
Definitely go for it. Follow your passion because that is when you will be the happiest.
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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!
In one of my first blog posts, I wrote about the stigma against liberal arts majors; the idea that liberal arts majors are somehow inferior to STEM majors because of the difficulty of their majors. I don’t think that that is true, in the least bit. I think that many liberal arts majors can accomplish and master the difficult of STEM majors, and I believe that they should.
You might be asking yourself why should you, though? Why does it matter having skills in a field that isn’t directly related to what you’re interested in? In a world that is becoming so heavily reliant on technology, having some STEM background is favorable. Knowing a little coding can make you extremely competitive. When applying to jobs in the Social Sciences, skills in the STEM field such as coding make you stand out in a sea of people with similar experiences.
Since I was little, I wanted to be an astronomer. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent watching the TV show Cosmos or those specials on National Geographic, trying to make sense of the world. But after taking my GT Physics class in high school, I was fairly certain that I was incapable of learning the math and science necessary to succeed as an astronomer. So, I switched gears and focused entirely on law. In retrospect, I’m happy with my decision. There are, however, times when I wonder whether or not I could have done it; I only made my decision based on one or two classes. There are times when I stare at my course catalog, wishing I had taken particular prereqs so I could take the science classes I was interested in, even if I didn’t major in the field.
Then I think about what skills I’ve learned being a Political Science major that would help me in a STEM field. On the surface, I think none. Then I remember that I’m a critical thinker because of these classes. I can look at a big chunk of text and find minute details, figuring out ways to connect these thoughts together. These are skills that translate in the STEM field.
I don’t see the world in black and white. In my mind, two plus two doesn’t always equal four. I think I don’t belong in the STEM field. But, just because I’m not a methodical thinker doesn’t mean I’m not valuable. We want majors of all kinds on our Mock Trial team. They bring a new and exciting perspective on facts and details that many of us see the same way, and vice versa. Imagine how different the world would be if we had doctors with a background in social work taking care of patients.
We all matter, so that’s why I say don’t knock it until you try it.
HackUMBC is coming up the weekend of April 29-30, and I suggest that you all check it out or submit an application to be part of it. Applications are rolling. To find more information, visithttp://innovate.hackumbc.org/. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to learn new skills and test the waters of a field you may not have ever considered.
]]>Name:Tanner Yatsko
Internship, Co-op or Research Site:CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Baltimore, MD
Position Title: Technical Operations and Support Services Intern
Major(s)/Minor(s): Information Systems
Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.
I work as a Technical Operations and Support Services Intern in the Healthcare Analytics and Informatics department of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. I handle the manipulation of SQL programs to pull pieces of data relating to healthcare information that are then formatted into reports that are used by representatives of the different departments of the company.
Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.
I acquired the position by having the desire to gain experience in the field I was studying. In today's world, it is known that higher education is a great way to obtain the bigger positions, but it is also key to have the right experience. Using this as inspiration to obtain that experience, I just took the time to visit the Career Center where I had my résumé critiqued multiple times, which I then took to a Career Fair that was hosted on UMBC's campus and handed that résumé out to potential employers. It was a fairly simple process. It just took knowing that there would be some work involved.
Which resources did you use to find your current experience?
UMBC Career Center, Career Fairs, UMBCworks
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?
I love my internship because it has allowed me to not only put prior knowledge to use, but it has also allowed me to learn a lot more than I would ever learn in a classroom. To see how skills and education are applied in the working world has been an eye opening experience and has certainly helped me prepare for my career after I graduate.
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
The experience has made me feel more confident in the fact that my college education is going towards something that will only improve my life moving forward. When it comes to my coworkers, I feel that I have helped take work off of their shoulders. It has been wonderful to see myself as a part of a team that truly appreciates what you do for them. It certainly takes time to get the hang of things, but in time you see the progress you are making, and it only makes you a larger asset to those you work with.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
My best piece of advice for students seeking an internship would be to just go for it. A student needs to be willing to put in the work, use the resources that are available to them, and then put those to use when looking for an internship that is right for them. There is nothing more satisfying than being offered an opportunity after a student has done the work to obtain it. It is also good to keep in mind that there are employers that want and need interns that are educated and have the desire to put that education to use.
Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position.
An internship is the bridge between college experiences and real-world experiences. They help you get to where you want to go.
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Money is a touchy subject, even in an industry that you’re part of to make money. I know plenty of students that are nervous to discuss money with an employer because they simply don’t anything about what that process is like. That makes sense to me though; I’m a student first, and studying has always been my priority. I’ve never had a full-time job with a big salary that required a lot of background knowledge. But as graduation approaches and job offers are filing in, it’s important to know how to ask for the salary that you deserve.
First, never bring up money until the employer does so first. If they bring it up before a job offer is finalized, try to be vague about what amount you’re looking for. Only give a specific dollar figure if they insist on having one, and even then let them know that you are willing to negotiate that number. The time to negotiate your salary is after the job offer is given; only then do you have a real, tangible offer to negotiate.
Deciding how much you think you should be paid is the hard, but also most important part of the process. You want to make sure that you go into the discussion knowing how much your skills are worth in the marketplace; that way, you can make sure you’re being paid what you’re deserved. Some sources to help you figure this information out are NACE Salary Survey, Job Seekers Salary Calculator, salary.com, GlassDoor.com, and Career OneStops. If you want help using these sources, make an appointment with a Career Specialist!
That being said, you don’t want to provide a definite salary amount, but instead a range of figures you’d be comfortable with. When you tell an employer this information, explain why you think that range is important. Talk about what are the standard salary amounts in the field you’re applying for and why you think your qualifications lead you to the higher or lower end of the range.
Salary is not the only thing you should consider during these negotiations. Think about your benefits. Insurance and retirement plans are other factors you want to consider. These plans can add as much as 30% to your compensation, You can have a high salary but no paid vacation days available to you during the year. Maybe you value having those days off in return for a slightly lower salary.
Think about what your work environment will be like; who you’re working with, how many hours you have to put in daily. You want to find a job you’re good at and workplace that you want to be at. Sometimes, these characteristics aren’t worth compromising.
On Wednesday, April 26, from 12 PM to 1 PM in Commons 331, the Career Center is hosting an information session about evaluating job offers. This is an excellent opportunity for you to learn about what’s important when it comes to accepting a job offer; characteristics you may not have even considered before! These components are often what will be the deciding factor behind your choice to accept or decline an offer. ]]>By: Lauren R. Barrett
There are two types of storytellers: those who recall a story with elaborate details and in-depth analysis of people, places and things (sometimes so long you forget where the story began)...and then there are storytellers who are brief and succinct in their delivery, hitting only the essential points and eliminating extraneous detail so that the "point" is the focus. In order to successfully respond to behavioral interview questions, you must strike a balance between the two!
Behavioral questions are the core of the interviewing process as they illustrate who you are beyond the page. Sharing too much information weighs down your response, and not sharing enough leaves the interviewer with only a sketch instead of a clear image. The Career Center advocates using the STAR approach in responding to behavioral questions, which ensures that you share enough about your anecdote to paint a picture, and leaves out superfluous information.
"S" frames the situation or scenario, "T" details the task at hand, "A" prompts for your specific actions, and "R" concludes with the outcome of the situation. Using these four items as a checkpoint in sharing your behavioral examples will help you gain a sense of the appropriate amount to share in answering a behavioral question. You can practice your responses with this in-depth list of behavioral questions compiled by The Vault! Want more information or coaching on how to use STAR? Come to the Career Center for an Interview Preparation appointment!
Students and Alumni -- Have you used STAR to respond to behavioral questions? How has this strategy been effective for you in your interviewing preparation? Any other strategies that you support or use? Let us know in the comments below!
22 Behavioral Interview Questions Big 4 Firms Ask:
http://www.vault.com/blog/interviewing/22-behavioral-interview-questions-big-4-firms-are-asking-now
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