At this point in our academic life, most of us are not going to school just to have fun, we are planning on getting a degree so that we can obtain jobs in a professional setting.
Here is a link to the UCF career site which lists skills that employers have ranked in order of necessity. http://www.career.ucf.edu/ployers_Are_Seeking_16_74.aspx After looking at the website, did the information surprize you? What are your weakest and strongest skills? Do you have any plans on improving the weak skills and if so what are they?
How do you think interdisciplinarity can be used in your professional life? If you have some professional history already, what is it?
A lot of UCF programs require you to participate in volunteer hours, internships, or externships, if you have done these do you think it has helped you in your professional development at all? If you haven't done these, find and list 2 professional organizations that you think would be useful to your target career.
I know this week has you answering a lot of questions but they are all very important. EEmployers are eneviatably going to ask you what your stongest and weakest skills are, so it is important to recognize it early so you have time to think about it and adjust if necessary.
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ReplyDeleteThe list didn't particularly surprise me as those are important skills to have to be effective at whatever you do. I thought it was a bit interesting that work ethic ranked fifth but other than that the list seemed in order. As for where I could use improvement, without a doubt it's organizational skills, although I have to doubt my ability to right that ship after so long. In fact, I have become so used to working in a messy and disorganized manner that it actually works for me now. My strong points? Everything else on the list besides being bilingual. I am not trying to boast, you asked the question.
ReplyDeleteI believe the this idea of interdisciplinarity is used in almost every facet of life so, yes, I believe I will use it in my future professions just as I have done in the past. I used to trade stocks for a clearing firm, a job that at first blush would seem to require simply knowledge of market behavior and some basic economics. That would be missing much of what it takes to be successful. One has to be versed in statistics, business, psychology (there are always people on the other side of the trade, you had better know their motivations if you want to maximize the money you take from them, like poker).
I haven't participated in any internships, yet. As a minor in education it is unnecessary to participate in an internship but I plan on talking to an advisor that I have gotten to know in that college about doing one anyway. It would, after all, look great on a resume.
Jaime Pazos
I wouldn’t say the list surprised me; the only two things that I saw on the list that I wouldn’t think of were sense of humor and GPA of 3.0 or higher. I would say that my three weakest areas are self-confidence, bilingual, and being outgoing; my two strongest areas would be honesty and flexibility/adaptability.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my weak areas I would love to improve them, usually I begin to gain confidence once I realize that people around me appreciate and recognize what I contribute, but I guess as time goes on I will have to gain confidence on my own. Being outgoing is really just not the type of person I am so I may not work towards changing that, and I would love to minor, or study abroad or something along those lines in order to become fluent in Spanish.
Again I say that interdisciplinarity can help in my profession. Pharmacy is working with medicine that prevents, cures, or treats illness, so chemistry and biology (my concentrations) will be intertwined. The only experience that I have had with pharmacy is volunteering at the hospital, and working for a semester at the pharmacy at my job. All other professional experiences come from me working at Mercedes Benz dealership for over a year, which is not relevant to pharmacy at all.
Felicia Banks
Jamie-
ReplyDeleteI don't concider that bragging at all, I like when people are confident in themselves enough to admit that they are good, or on the flip side, horrible. :) Up until recently I too loved my "Organized mess" I knew where everything was hinding... But my fiance is a neat freak so I had to change my ways! But I know what you mean.
I also think it is great that you are concidering an internship with Education. Dr. Wise is really good and he is the head of the department. In fact he was the one who ushered me into the IDS program.
Good Luck!
Felicia-
ReplyDeleteThere are programs at UCF for study abroad ( http://studyabroad.ucf.edu/ ) I always wanted to do this but never got the chance. It is very interesting, and helpful. I had a friend who did a semester in Italy and came back speaking fairly well! If you are able to do I would cheer that on!
And secondly I am the same way when it comes to experience, I want to work in an Acedemic Library but all I have until last month, is experience working as a waitress/cake decorator. Which is not exactly building me up for professional success in my field. However I am trying to volunteer at different libraries. As far as pharmacy goes, there is always doing a pharmacy tech position in a pharmacy. I don't know if I mentioned it before but my father is the supervisor for Publix pharmacies and I know they are looking for techs presently. That always looks good on a resume! Especially if you plan on working for the same company through college and once you get out!
Best of luck to you!
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you mentioned volunteering in libraries as that is an excellent way to get experience and most public libraries are anxious for any help that they can get during these lean budget times.
Since, though, you are interested in the academic library, don't overlook opportunities that might be available at UCF...I don't know if you are eligible for work-study or not, but I bet you could talk the library into taking on an unpaid internship, if you are fortunate enough to be able to work without pay. I have another on-line class, U.S. Health Systems, which requires a significant piece of research and thus, there is a UCF librarian attached to the course. She seems very student-centered and might be a good resource for you, as well. Her name is Mary Bozeman, but she goes by Dee. Her email address is dbozeman@mail.ucf.edu. I am sure that if you were to ask her, she could help direct you to a place for you to gain some real world experience.
Another source of volunteer activity are the local hospitals. Most have at least small libraries for the physicians and other medical staff to access current journals and other materials and, since they are not profit centers for the hospital, they often are staffed entirely by volunteers.
Gail Weinstein
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was not too surprised by the list of attributes held in highest regard by employers as, having spent several years in human resources, I was pretty sure what the list would look like before opening the link.
ReplyDeleteI was a little dismayed, though, that nothing really screamed "Interdisciplinarity"! Now, I know that our focus is a fairly new worker trait, but as late as 2007, "they" were not looking for problem solvers who could reach across defined lines to achieve amazing results??? Oh man, do we have a lot of PR to do!!
My favorite worker characteristic was also unrepresented: intuitiveness...it has been my saving grace in many situations when a pretty good GPA, sufficient communication skills and motivating team building abilities have not produced the answer. The ability to think (yep, critical-outside the box-set on the desk- hands propped behind my head-thinking) out an issue and determine that the presence of "A" and "C" must mean that "B" is in there somewhere, is my most prized skill and the one I look for in employees.
Another "no-show" was energy (physical and mental). One of my oft-used interview tests, particularly for managers in my hospitality environments, was to "let's go for a walk around the hotel". During the walk, I observed if the candidate matched my pace (for the record, we are not talking marathon running, here...I am just about 4'11'' and I passed pleasingly plump several pounds ago) and their interactions (i.e., eye contact, greetings) with others along the way. Now, there were some candidates for whom the "walk" was unnecessary or inappropriate, but I still would look for a certain level of energy in their conversation and mannerisms.
I try not to post such things on the internet, but I am a recovering messy deskkeeper (but an excellent hider of the evidence, as long as there is an available drawer or box under my desk!). My claim to fame is that I can find anything I need on my desk, even though others have tried and failed! I have learned, however, that keeping organized piles reduces the amount of stress and that is a good thing!!!
Gail Weinstein
(still learning that proofreading before posting is the right order!)
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ReplyDeleteGail-
ReplyDeleteI agree that intuition is important but it seems like something hard to look for in a job candidate. I wouldn't even begin to know to identify that trait. Energy is also important and I liked the way you got an idea of your candidates. That does seem like employers would put that higher on the list because the best employees are the energetic and enthusiastic ones, almost always.
Jaime Pazos
After looking at that website, really none of the attributes surprised me. They are all a necessity in the work force today to be an outstanding worker. Entrepreneurial skills/risk-taker and the bilingual area would have to be two of my weakest areas. In high school I took two years of Spanish but I remember very little from it. I would love to someday work on becoming bilingual in Spanish because this seems to be a big think employers look for even though it was ranked low on the chart.
ReplyDeleteAs for the internships, I feel that mine was very helpful for my career choice. I chose to intern at Florida Hospital and I gained the much needed experience in the medical field. I enjoyed every minute of it and it made me realize I truly want to work in the health field.
I know employers will ask me multiple questions about my strengths and weaknesses but I will try to turn every weakness into a positive and not focus on them.
Stephanie Hart
Jamie,
ReplyDeleteThat is very admirable that you have so many characteristics on the list that are your strong points. I sort of feel the same when it comes to that because like you, one of my weakest areas if being bilingual. Like you said although being unorganized and messy works for you, many jobs will frown upon that and possible cost you the job. That is an easy task to fix though, just focus on it and make a conscious effort. Before you know it you will be organized in no time and feel better about your working environment. You may also know it will carry over into your personal life with the organization. You also are right that an internship will look good on a resume. Even though one may not be required, it may help you in your career path and open many doors for you along the way. Today it is all about who you know, not what you know.
Stephanie Hart
Gail,
ReplyDeleteYou always have wonderful examples and life experiences that help everyone in the blog. I believe the way that managers were interviewed in your hospitality field was very interesting. I believe it is good to have energy and stamina if you are going into this field. It is a go go go environment and if you can't pass a simple walk around and greet test, that is a red flag right there. You must be able to take care of people 24/7 and with that have energy at the same time.
As for you being a messy desk keeper, some things work for people and some things don't. It seems as keeping a messy desk has got you this far! Even though you have done it for this long, maybe changing old habits won't be such a bad thing, you never know what you could find!! And you might just like being organized if you try it :)
Stephanie Hart
Stephanie Hart
Jamie,
ReplyDeleteIt may be difficult to assess intuitiveness in the interview, though many interviewers are adding tests and tasks to be completed as part of the interview process. Suppose an interviewer asked you to create a number of back to back meetings in Outlook. Would you remember to add sufficient time to get to the meeting? (particularly important if actual travel time is required) Would you add reminders of items to bring or questions to ask at the meeting?
What would you do if you were asked to solve a written problem and there was an obvious piece of required information missing? Your behavior...how long it takes you to bring that fact to the attention of the interviewer may be the real problem that they want you to solve.
Even if not part of the interview, certainly during the probationary period there are multiple opportunities to see if a candidate can "think on their feet", a terrific job skill.
Gail Weinstein
After looking at the website, the information did not surprise me. Many of the classes I have taken thus far in college have told me that these skills are important. On a personal note, the ones that I would say that I excel in are Friendly/outgoing personality, Honesty/integrity, Leadership skills, and Strong work ethic. Those are just a few that stood out to me. I noticed some that I could develop more such as, Bilingual skills and Computer skills. These I can develop more during my studies here at UCF. Overall though, I am aware of these skills and how they are important to an employer.
ReplyDeleteI believe interdisciplinarity can be used in and out of the workplace. It is important to be able to take what you have learned and make it flow together. If you are a teacher, you don't just need to know the material of the subject, you also need to know about your atmosphere. While you could be really knowledgeable about history, if you don't know how to present it and connect with your pupils, your mission as a teacher fails. As for me, I really don't have any "professional" experience yet. The jobs that I do have though are going to be beneficial when I do go looking for professional employment. As a camp counselor and a math tutor, I have started to develop many of the listed skills from the link.
As a LEAD Scholar, I have been required to participate in community service and complete a certain number of hours each semester. I have completed them through various groups and organizations around campus, but nothing that would really create a professional lead. Right now, in my program as a LEAD Scholar, I am a peer mentor for a class of 27 freshmen. This has taught me to develop my professional skills and has also worked on those skills that employers are seeking. After this semester, I think I am going to look into volunteering more with volunteer UCF and service opportunities with Catholic Campus Ministries. In the end, I'm going to stay involved with my community because that's where I'll truly develop.
Joanna Goldonowicz
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ReplyDeleteI use interdisciplinary skills for school and also when I do work from time to time. When working, I use them because I have to know different aspects of the hospitality environment while at the same time; I have to be cautious of my people skills. I think dealing with people is probably my weakest job skill because I can be impatient and might not always think that the “customer” is right. On the other hand, I believe my strongest job skills are being organized and staying on top of what I’m given to do.
ReplyDeleteTwo clubs/organizations that would be useful to my chosen career, the Sports Club Council and Hospitality Association (HA). The Sports Club Council is an organization that is looked after by the staff of the Rec and Wellness Center, and its main focus is to promote any of the sports that are Registered Student Organizations. The Hospitality Association would be helpful to my career because it would give me the opportunity to expand my knowledge in the hospitality industry and help me in finding an internship if choose to do so in the future.
I have not done an internship or an externship but I know that they provide great opportunities for students to get their foot in the door and start learning. Hands on and being actively involved with something is a great way to learn. A lot of times, an internship can lead to a job because internships start a whole new networking group for many people.
Lauren Larson
After looking at the list, I wasnt really suprised by it...I feel as though after being in college 3 years thus far, you kind of get to know what employers are looking for because we are soon to be embarking on our journey to starting our career.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say my weak points would probably be computer skills and being a risk taker. I like to stick to the rules a lot and not take chances.
My stongest points are outgoing personality, honesty, trustworthy, and organized. These put together make a great employee ;)
I would say that my two areas of study (chem and bio) go hand in hand with eachother so its not so hard to integrate them. However my minor in judaic studies is a little harder to integrate. Although its easy to integrate it into my life (being Jewish), it doesnt really go well with my two areas of study...
I would just like to respond to everyone's response by saying that it takes a strong person to identify their strong points but an even stronger person to indentify their weaknesses. Many of us dont want to come to terms with our weak points because we may feel it brings us down, but speaking from experience, embracing your weak points and turning them into a positive really helps change our outlook in life.
ReplyDeleteFelicia.
ReplyDeleteBeing s pre-pharm myself, I too worry about how I will communicate with my costumers. I speak both hebrew and english fluently but the language majority of the people speak is Spanish. It will be a challenge in the future but its not an impossible one! Good luck with everything!
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ReplyDeleteStephanie-
ReplyDeleteThank you for the advice on cleaning up my disorganized life. I will make a conscious effort to get better at it. Just a little at a time. I agree that it would have a beneficial affect on my personal as well as professional life. Thanks again.
Jaime Pazos
Leeron-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about it being difficult to identify our own strengths and weaknesses. I think that being able to identify them yourself is important because at least you know what they are and you don’t have to worry about getting your feelings hurt by someone else pointing them out to you. I think it can not only help you build your confidence but give you the capability to see your own flaws and work on them.
Leeron,
ReplyDeleteI still think that you are underestimating the power of what your Judaic Studies program will bring to your Bio and Chem-filled life!
As I have stated in an earlier post, I think that your religious studies can broaden and enhance your other programs. Remember, too, the whole point of interdisciplinarity is to branch out into other lines of reasoning to support, define and achieve your answers. That third study area is required to be dissimilar from your major areas for that very reason.
You chose the Judaic Studies minor (I'm willing to bet) to enhance you...the you that will be in bio-chem! You will embrace the ethical, law-abiding, purposeful life-leading you that will make you a very valuable member of the bio-chem, and human, population.
I am looking forward to your contributions!!!
Gail Weinstein
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteIt is good that you are able to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Working with people can be difficult at times, I know this through my jobs as well. It's hard to keep a smile on and be pleasant when you know that you are right. Working with the Sports Club Council and Hospitality Association sounds like great building blocks for you. Hopefully working with the Hospitality Association will get your foot in the door and provide you with an internship. As long as you stay aware of your tendencies, you will succeed in your future career.
Joanna Goldonowicz
Leeron,
ReplyDeleteI can relate well to your strengths and weaknesses. Like you said, we learn about these characteristics throughout college, but the hard part is owning up to our weaknesses. I am also weak in computer skills and risk taking. I like things to get done and sometimes I feel like risk taking is a waste of time if something already works. On the other hand, I am also an outgoing, a trustworthy, and a honest person. I think our skills will keep on developing as time goes on. Good luck with your studies!
Joanna Goldonowicz
Jaime,
ReplyDeleteYour posts are always interesting to read. The posting that you wrote about energy not being on the list, and you taking a potential employee for a walk made me think. It piques my interest to hear about the different ways employers test certain skills. I would have never though that if a potential employer were to take me for a walk that they would be testing some of my skills. Thank you Jaime, From now on I will look for little things that could potentially be a "test".
Felicia Banks
My last post was meant to be directed to Gail.
ReplyDeleteFelicia Banks
Leeron,
ReplyDeleteThanks for wishing me luck, good luck to you too, hopefully one day I'll be speaking Spanish.
Everyone and Capstone Mentors,
This blog, along with this class, has helped me a lot I believe. With all the different activities and assignments I feel as if I have discovered a lot about myself. This blog probably helped some people discover what their weaknesses are and hopefully motivated them to possibly strengthen them. Also identifying what our strengths are and where it is on the list could also motivate us to stress those. THANKS CAPSTONE MENTORS AND IDS!
Felicia Banks
Unfortunately I was unable to access the link, however I can say that from just the cornerstone assignments in the first month on career assessments have confirmed information I already new about myself. My 1st weak point has always been confidence to some extent and am always working to improve in this area. The 2nd area that I feel is always at the top of my list to work on is communication, their always seems to be situations that arise from time to time when misunderstandings arise or lines of communication lost or crossed.
ReplyDeleteThis brings me to my IDS minor Interpersonnal/Organizational Communication. This program is very helpful to me both professionally and personally as I hope to learn skills that can help me overcome these challenges when they arrive. Also the problem solving methods that Interdisciplinarity is classic for will be so valuable for any career.
I have volunteered once years ago and would love to have the time for it again in the future once I narrow down my exact career focus.
April Dilio