Sometimes we get so caught up in our school work and our daily lives that we totally forget to think about the career we want after we graduate. So it’s really great to have resources that make it super easy and informative to learn more about the industry you’re preparing for. The Career Center at UMBC wants students to have a competitive advantage for having the resources to help them land their dream job, which is why the Career Center provides students with the very helpful, informative and exclusive database Vault.

Vault gives a ton of information about various industries, including an overview of what the industry entails, the background of how it became a profession, the industry outlook of the profession, and even contact information for different organizations in the industry! Their Q&A videos include professionals in various industries that provide very realistic and helpful answers, which can be very encouraging to watch. Usually I have to google several websites to get these details, so it’s super convenient to have it all here. If you already have a pretty good idea of everything your industry entails, Vault also has resources for everything you need to know about applying and interviewing for jobs. They have articles and videos that help you have a strong resume, research for the interview, nail the interview, and even follow-up after the interview. I don’t know about you, but I’m always finding myself to be stressed out about following up with employers after an interview, so I was very excited when I saw this.

The truth is, even if you think you know a lot about the professional world already, you can always benefit from learning more. And this website makes everything straight forward, easy, and even enjoyable to read/watch. Some of my supervisors encouraged me to make a Vault account to learn more about it, and I’m so glad I did. As a Public History graduate student, people are always asking me what Public History is and what I plan on doing with it after I graduate. I’m sure all of you deal with these questions all of the time, and they can be pretty difficult to answer. However, I checked out Vault, and they have so much information on the Museum and Cultural Centers Industry, which is exactly the industry I plan to enter! They even have contact information for museum associations that I didn’t even know about. It also helped a student who came into the Career Center today. He is very interested in getting into Health Care Management but wanted to know the types of positions he should take in his college career to make sure he was getting the experience he needed for this field. We checked the Health Care Management page on Vault and it was extremely helpful for him!

So to make your account:

First enter through this University of Maryland, Baltimore County Exclusive Vault Access Link, register for your own account, and then customize it! You have the ability to let your profile be seen by top employers and recruiters, so I’d keep updating your profile just as you would your resume or your LinkedIn profile! If you want to know more about how to set up your profile or get the most out of your vault account, you can check out their video tutorials here.

Name: Jessica Sprando

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Days End Farm Horse Rescue

Position Title: Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s): Pre-vet: Biology BS and Psychology BS

Expected Graduation Year: 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

My internship at Days End Farm Horse Rescue allowed me to improve my ground handling skills, practice administering veterinary medicine, and gain a better understanding of equine psychology. Because it is a rescue, day to day tasks are not only the usual barn chores (mucking, feeding, grooming, turnout), but also taking vitals, giving medications, cold-hosing injuries, and wrapping wounds. Interns were given the responsibility of doing these tasks correctly and in a timely manner. We were also able to shadow the vet performing surgery, assessing illnesses, floating teeth, etc.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I used to volunteer at the farm throughout high school, and was familiar with the internship program offered. I always knew that I wanted to apply to be an intern, but was reminded of this when I saw the listing of Days End Farm Internships on the Shriver Center website. The application process included a form to fill out, multiple short answer questions, and an interview. 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

My favorite part of the internship was the difference that you can physically see you are making in the lives of formerly abused animals. New horses are brought in with all types of ailments caused by neglect, poor weight scores, and extreme timidity, often a sign of physical abuse. Seeing these horses happy and healthy after months of treatment, they are often unrecognizable as the horses that were brought in. Not only is there a physical transformation, but a psychological one is also tangible. The relationships that you are able to form with these animals as you learn to trust each other is truly amazing.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Throughout this internship, I was able to make a difference in the lives of abused animals by helping them on the path to recovery. Treating illnesses, providing nutritious food to re-establish ideal weight, and teaching animals that humans can be trusted are all ways in which I feel I have made an impact through my work.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Advice I would give to a student hoping to gain a similar experience is to volunteer and get yourself out there in your field of interest. By meeting people with similar interests, I was able to learn about and obtain a great internship. Volunteering is a great way to network because you gain experience in your field, as well as form relationships with people who have the same goals.

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Northrop Grumman Information Systems is seeking UMBC students to apply for their Summer 2016 internships in Baltimore working in Health IT.

Students should be freshmen, sophomores, and juniors interested in interviewing for a summer internship within our team of qualified, diverse individuals at our highly competitive, on site Internship Interview Day.  The Interview Day will take place on December 1 at Northrop Grumman's Baltimore, Maryland location.

If you are interested in being considered for participation in this event please review the below minimum qualifications and apply directly. The best qualified applicants will receive a formal invitation to an upcoming Intern Hire Draft event to interview with Hiring Managers representing the different programs in our Health IT division. Individuals who meet immediate business needs will be given the chance to compete amongst their peers for an offer to join our team for the summer.

Basic Qualifications:
To be considered for this event, you must minimally meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below:
•    Enrolled as a full time student pursing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Information Technology or a related technical degree from an accredited institution.
•    Must be within a 60 mile radius of Baltimore, MD and/or be willing to commute to attend the event.
•    Must have a graduation date of December 2016 or beyond (those already graduated or graduating prior to that will not be considered for this event).
•    Interested in obtaining internship with Northrop Grumman for the summer of 2016 and attending the interview day in person at the Baltimore, MD NGC facility on December 1.
•    Willing to consider an internship opportunity in the Baltimore, MD area.
•    Must be able to obtain a security clearance (US Citizen or Permanent Resident)

Preferred Qualifications:
Candidates that meet these desired qualifications will be given preferential consideration:
•    Candidates with flexible work location preference
•    Candidates with 3.7 GPA or higher
•    Previous classroom or internship experience within discipline

To Apply:

Email your resume to Cheryl Batleman (cheryl.batleman@ngc.com) by November 20, 2015.  Subject Line: Health IT Intern Draft Application

Below are featured events and internship/employment opportunities that have recently been posted or have application deadline dates that are quickly approaching!  To see all that the UMBC Career Center has to offer YOU, please visit our myUMBC group page HERE or log into your UMBCworks account!

FEATURED EVENTS….

NEW! Inside Scoop: Entrepreneur PanelWednesday, November 18, 2015 Noon – 1pm

Information Sessions

NEW!Information Session: M&T Bank Tuesday, November 17, 2015, 5 pm – 7 pm

NEW! Information Session: Urban teachers Wednesday, November 18, 2015, 5 pm – 7 pm

NEW! Information Session: Tensley ConsultingThursday, November 19, 2015, 5 pm – 6:30 pm

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FEATURED FULL-TIME & PART-TIME JOBS, INTERNSHIPS, AND RESEARCH POSITIONS

The Bipartisan Policy Center Internship Program

R&D Internship in Biomaterials

Summer Internships for All Majors with the US Army

Keep an eye on the Career Center website (http://careers.umbc.edu/) for all upcoming events and programs!  Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors….this is an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about career paths…whether you are exploring possibilities or searching for an internship or full-time opportunity!

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Name: Robert Ford

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Coastal Resources Inc.

Position Title: Environmental Technician

Major(s)/Minor(s): Environmental Science

Expected Graduation Year: May 2016

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

At Coastal Resources, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects across many disciplines. From simple data entry to fish surveys, I am on my toes every single day, as there is something new to learn through each job/experience. As an intern, I assisted with tasks which included wetland delineation, field surveys, and the assessment of flora/fauna across the Mid-Atlantic Region. More specifically, these projects required me to become sufficient in a multitude of tasks including data entry, taking measurements of trees, and even being able to catch fish!

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I had been searching for an internship within the environmental field for quite sometime and had a few interviews along the way, and even a few offers for intern positions, until I came upon this opportunity. My mother told me that one of her patients at the Anne Arundel Medical Center worked for an ecological consulting company (Coastal Resources). It just so happened that they had an intern position that they wanted to fill. Through a few email exchanges and an interview, I was able to obtain the position! 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I have had the chance to work with some of the brightest and passionate people in the environmental field. That being said, being able to assimilate myself among these individuals has been an eye-opening experience. Although I was one of the youngest and most inexperienced people that is working at CRI, I proved to myself that a confident attitude and the desire to learn will get you anywhere, both mentally and socially.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I believe this has impacted me greatly, as I mentioned above. Most of all, I believe that the work that I am doing currently is going to help me pursue my love of the environment, and this has the potential to lead to other things. Within this job field, there are tons of ways to innovate and improve other's way of living, and through this, I think that we can start to tackle some of our environmental woes. 

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Stay social. I would have never found this opportunity or even be able to get through the interview process had I not developed my social skills. I believe that hard work and searching for that next job/internship are going to help, but you need to stay social to get that opportunity, succeed in the interview process, and excel in your interactions with co-workers. We live in a socially-driven world.

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We’re getting closer to the end of the semester, which also means that grad school application season is approaching. So you’ve picked a master’s program you want to pursue, you’ve found all of the right schools that would be perfect for your program, and you’ve anxiously thought about what your life will be like after graduate school. Now here comes the scariest part – writing down in 300-500 words on why you should be accepted into a school’s program. “How can I possibly write down all of my experiences and goals in less than a page?!” is a question I continuously asked while writing my personal statement and pulling my hair out at the same time.

This is a section that you definitely don’t want to wait until the last minute to write. It fills in all of the parts about your life that won’t be on the application or transcripts, as well as the things in your academic/work history that you really want to highlight. Before writing an essay you have probably prepared an outline to lay out what you’ll talk about, and you’ve probably considered who will be reading your essay and what they will be looking for. You need to do the same thing when writing an essay about yourself! Its purpose is for you to share your interests and enthusiasm for the specific work you want to do, and explaining how this college will help you get there. Try and think about how you can benefit from entering a school’s program, and how they will benefit from having you in their program. For example, for my personal statement I mentioned the specific professors in the history department that I wanted to directly work with and research with. This showed that I took their program seriously and took time to thoroughly research what they had to offer.

The big truth is: this personal statement doesn’t have to be so terrifying, it can actually be awesome. It can be incredibly beneficial for you to really think about the experiences you’ve had as well as what you really want to get out of graduate school. I personally think the hardest part is opening up a new word document and beginning the writing process, so before you start writing away, it’s so helpful to have resources that help you format your statement. Once you have a good idea of what a personal statement format should look like, it makes it much easier to tie in your outline of ideas. With that said, to start off, I highly recommend checking out the Career Center’s website for their personal statement page, which you can find here,and here. It gives a lot of great tips and guild lines on how to construct your personal statement. It includes everything from the format, to what to include in your statement, to the writing and mechanics of it. They also include a Do’s and Don’ts list so you have a much better idea of what to keep and take out of your statement. They even have a page to guide you through the entire application process here.

Once you have a draft done of your personal statement, come into the Career Center and get it looked at by a career advisor! You can find details on making an appointment here. An advisor can take time to thoroughly read your statement and give you helpful feedback. In addition, it might be a good idea to have a professor in your department look over your statement as well, but make sure you leave plenty of time for them to look over your statement and provide feedback.