After nearly a month of contacting people and getting no response and running in to schedule conflicts, I finally found someone to interview! The good news is that I have found several people that I can now use for future reference to my questions about the career path. Even though I have already finished my interview with one person, I have another one scheduled for next week. I am excited about this. I expected to receive the answers I did from this interview. I wish I would have asked questions that were a little more foreign to me. Most likely questions regarding specific education paths, internship advice, advancement, regrets, and so forth. Overall, it was worth the wait, because I have now established a closer relationship with Kim Bright, who will be very helpful to me in the years to come.
Informational Interview Questions
Name: Kim Bright, IDAHO
Job title: PhD Psychology, CHt, OM
Education: College Graduate
1.What do you like most about your job and why?
No two days are ever the same and you never get bored because you never know what will happen next
2.What do you like least?
I am not sure you ever get used to the emotional side of things. Some days it is really hard to separate yourself from what your clients are going through...especially when it is a child.
3.What suggestions do you have for an individual wishing to enter this field of employment?
It's great to learn about the styles used by the masters in this field, but allow yourself to develop your own style and use what works best for your teaching and your clients learning styles.
As far as your specializing, that usually comes after you have gotten your Bachelors in Psych. Or, you could always get your Bachelors and then go to work for a drug and alcohol counseling facility. What I did was when I did my practicum, I chose to work at a girls home in Emmett. I only needed 120 hours and ended up staying for 4 years until they closed the facility due to lack of federal funding. It gave me great experience and made me realize that I wanted to work with teens. How far into your education are you? I am sure that whatever you do you will be great at!
4.What are the tasks you perform in a typical workday?
Lots of listening and mirroring back to client what they have said, so that they can better understand their own feelings and many times come to great conclusions about their own behaviors. Lots of note keeping and of course the learning never stops just because you are out of school.
5.What types of stress do you experience on the job?
Mental fatigue mostly.
6.What does it take to survive and do well in this field?
Taking time for yourself and your family and learning not to bring your work home with you.
7.Is there flexibility related to work hours, dress, vacation time, place of residence, etc?
Yes, I have flexibility in all of these areas, however you never know when an emergency situation will arise and one of your clients may desperately need you so there has to also be flexibility within oneself as well.
8. What did you have to do to get where you are today? Education path? How long did it take you?
Education is key and long hard hours of study and research pay off. I earned my degree through Liberty University in 6 years. I did many intensive courses which enabled me to earn my degrees faster than I would have if I had done the traditional college semesters. Intensive courses are 8 weeks long and every three weeks a new semester begins.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Mock Interview
a) Who did you interview with and what is their job title?
Lorrie Percifield, Assistant Branch Manager, Bank of America
b) What was most useful to you about this experience?
It was out of my comfort zone, which was good for me. Also, it was nice to get feedback which normally doesn't happen at real interviews. Either you are hired or not.
c) What was the most difficult question you were asked and why?
Tell me a time when you made a mistake and how did you handle it.
Why do you want to work here?
What makes you stand out?
d) What advice would you give to others preparing for an interview?
Practice in the mirror, and with people who make you sort of nervous. Be aware of the body language you exhibit. Eye Contact. Have answers ready to all sorts of questions. Practice them, know them. Try to eliminate odd filler words "Um, uh, like".
e) Name at least (3) things you learned.
1. I do not sound very confident in myself. My resume makes me sound more confident then I actually sound in person.
2. Eye contact is huge.
3. I need to practice more to avoid moments of silence after questions.
f) Name at least (3) things that can be improved for your next interview.
1. Sound more enthusiastic in my voice. Employers want to hear that you are excited to work for them.
2. Demonstrate confidence with body language, eye-contact and tone of voice.
3. Give specifics. Be ready with answers and examples to tough questions.
Lorrie Percifield, Assistant Branch Manager, Bank of America
b) What was most useful to you about this experience?
It was out of my comfort zone, which was good for me. Also, it was nice to get feedback which normally doesn't happen at real interviews. Either you are hired or not.
c) What was the most difficult question you were asked and why?
Tell me a time when you made a mistake and how did you handle it.
Why do you want to work here?
What makes you stand out?
d) What advice would you give to others preparing for an interview?
Practice in the mirror, and with people who make you sort of nervous. Be aware of the body language you exhibit. Eye Contact. Have answers ready to all sorts of questions. Practice them, know them. Try to eliminate odd filler words "Um, uh, like".
e) Name at least (3) things you learned.
1. I do not sound very confident in myself. My resume makes me sound more confident then I actually sound in person.
2. Eye contact is huge.
3. I need to practice more to avoid moments of silence after questions.
f) Name at least (3) things that can be improved for your next interview.
1. Sound more enthusiastic in my voice. Employers want to hear that you are excited to work for them.
2. Demonstrate confidence with body language, eye-contact and tone of voice.
3. Give specifics. Be ready with answers and examples to tough questions.
"Tell Me About Yourself"
Outline
Name
Education/Education Goals
Career Goals
Personal Values/Strengths/Weaknesses
Summary
Who Am I?
My name is Erin Robinson. I am a wife, mother, and a part-time student at Utah Valley University. I am anticipating to receive my Associates of Science in the Spring of 2011. After which, I will be working towards earning my Bachelor's Degree in Substance Abuse Counseling. I am passionate about raising awareness and the prevention of substance abuse and other behavioral disorders in my community. Eventually, after gaining several years of experience working with a respected company, I would like to open up my own practice. I love observing the world around me and learning about and from the people I interact with. I love to read about new concepts, and work hard to apply my experience and education to my daily life. I would say I have a strength of accepting others and trying to view things from various perspectives before reacting to situations. My weakness is that I am shy, but I remind myself that stepping out of my comfort zone won't hurt me! Overall, I'm a kind, open-minded, passionate individual who loves learning and giving my best to the world around me.
Things I have learned about interviews:
1. Your past behaviors are observed by interviewers to help them determine what your future behaviors will likely be. So, show your best self.
2. Dressing up is never a bad idea, even if it feels awkward for some jobs.
3. Write a thank you email or note.
4. If you cannot come up with an experience they have asked about, you can ask to return to the question. Or...be prepared to come up with something that is relative in some way and of value to the interviewer.
Name
Education/Education Goals
Career Goals
Personal Values/Strengths/Weaknesses
Summary
Who Am I?
My name is Erin Robinson. I am a wife, mother, and a part-time student at Utah Valley University. I am anticipating to receive my Associates of Science in the Spring of 2011. After which, I will be working towards earning my Bachelor's Degree in Substance Abuse Counseling. I am passionate about raising awareness and the prevention of substance abuse and other behavioral disorders in my community. Eventually, after gaining several years of experience working with a respected company, I would like to open up my own practice. I love observing the world around me and learning about and from the people I interact with. I love to read about new concepts, and work hard to apply my experience and education to my daily life. I would say I have a strength of accepting others and trying to view things from various perspectives before reacting to situations. My weakness is that I am shy, but I remind myself that stepping out of my comfort zone won't hurt me! Overall, I'm a kind, open-minded, passionate individual who loves learning and giving my best to the world around me.
Things I have learned about interviews:
1. Your past behaviors are observed by interviewers to help them determine what your future behaviors will likely be. So, show your best self.
2. Dressing up is never a bad idea, even if it feels awkward for some jobs.
3. Write a thank you email or note.
4. If you cannot come up with an experience they have asked about, you can ask to return to the question. Or...be prepared to come up with something that is relative in some way and of value to the interviewer.
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