The UMBC Career Center is excited to spotlight Baltimore County Government as one of our featured employers.  Baltimore County has multiple summer 2020 internship and temporary/seasonal positions posted in UMBCworks.  Most of these postings will close on April 30, 2020.

Eric Stewart-Craig, Human Resources Analyst for Baltimore County Government shares his experiences and thoughts about working within the Baltimore County Government.

What positions are Baltimore County Government currently hiring for?

Baltimore County is always hiring for a wide variety of positions with different experience, education, and skill levels. Our positions are posted on our website, and updated weekly. We are currently hiring for Computer Forensics Examiner I, Engineering Associate II (Highway Design), and Social Work Associate.  We are also hiring for our summer internship program.   In addition to the civilian positions we offer, we also hire for public safety positions such as Police Officer, Deputy Sheriff, Emergency Communications Technician Trainee, Correctional Officer, and Probationary Firefighter.

If you had to describe Baltimore County Government in three words, what would they be?

Inclusive, Excellence, and Empowerment (Employee)

What is the number one thing you look for in a new team member?

We want individuals that are engaged and have a passion for what they do.  This includes having a desire to continue in their professional development, take on leadership roles, and help us build a better Baltimore County.   

What qualities do your coworkers possess that make them enjoyable to work with?

We have a diverse group of employees throughout the County that bring a variety of perspectives on both work and life.  My coworkers have a wide variety of experiences in different positions that can help provide unique solutions to work questions.  My coworkers are also able to offer advice and assistance to any non-work related questions I may have.  This type of balance makes Baltimore County an enjoyable place that makes you want to come to work.

What do you want people interested in working within Baltimore County to know about them?

Baltimore County is a leading jurisdiction that is continuing to grow.  We are undergoing an exciting transformation that will lead us to be able to continue to be proactive and innovative when addressing the community’s evolving needs.

How do you describe the Baltimore County Government culture?  What makes you excited to work there?

Baltimore County’s culture is focused on delivering the highest standards of service to its residents, business, and visitors.  We are also focused on using the county’s resources in a way that is effective, efficient, and ethical.  As employees, we understand we are here to serve our community, and being part of something bigger than ourselves is a part of what makes it exciting to work here.  I enjoy coming to work every day because of the impact I can make, as well as the people I work with, both inside the organization and outside the organization.

Can you tell us about the career development options available within Baltimore County Government?  Specifically for entry level employees?

Baltimore County has a wide variety of positions, and therefore has a wide variety of career development options.  If you are a recent graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree looking for an organization with room for professional growth, Baltimore County has a career for you.  We have 40 agencies and 520 class specifications (types of jobs).  With a Bachelor’s Degree, you are eligible for positions such as Human Resources Analyst I, Management Analyst I, and Statistical Analyst.  With a Master’s Degree, you are eligible for the positions previously mentioned, as well as other positions including Human Resources Analyst II, Investment Analyst I, and Management Analyst II.  These aren’t the only positions you are eligible for, we just have too many to list them all.  Most positions in Baltimore County are on a grade.  This means that as you gain experience in your current position, over time you become eligible for higher positions in your classification.  For example, if you’re a recent graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, you are eligible to be hired as an Engineer I.  Once you have two years’ experience as an Engineer I, you are then eligible to be hired as an Engineer II.  Positions in Baltimore County typically end at IV.  You can then become eligible for senior leadership positions such as Deputy Director of a department.  This same career path can be applied to most positions in Baltimore County.  Baltimore County is investing in its employees by implementing a succession plan. We are currently in the beginning stages of the succession plan, but this will lead to more opportunities for employees that are eager to move up and become future leaders.  The succession plan will include even more employee training than we already offer, stretch job assignments where employees can work part-time in another division to increase their skills in a real work environment, and a mentorship program where employees can learn from senior leaders about their career path and how they developed into their current role.  

Why did you originally choose to work for Baltimore County?

I chose to work for Baltimore County because I always wanted to work in Human Resources and work for the government.  When the opportunity came and I was able to work for Baltimore County’s Office of Human Resources, I knew it was the perfect combination I was looking for in my career.  Before I started with Baltimore County, I worked in operations for a transportation company for four years.  It took some time to transition from working for a nationwide Fortune 500Company, to working for the local government.  What made the transition easier was the people I work with both in my department and throughout the county.  The benefits were also a major upgrade when I left the private sector for the public sector, and one of the reasons I always wanted to work for the government.  Baltimore County offers a pension plan, deferred compensation, affordable health insurance, dental, vision, employee assistance program, and educational assistance.  As an employee you also receive vacation days, sick days, personal days, and paid holidays.   

Do you have any examples or remember a specific time that you loved working with your team?

I can honestly say I enjoy coming to work every day, and a major part of that is the people I work with.  In our department specifically, we are always interacting with the public.  As a team, we get to present at job fairs, community events, and administer tests for public safety positions.  This requires some late nights and weekends where you get to spend more time with your team members.  You build a camaraderie with everyone that makes work enjoyable. 

If you remember anything specific, can you talk about your interviewing/hiring process when you started at Baltimore County?

I actually started out as a non-merit (part-time) employee.  I made a career change and left my past profession where I was moving up the ladder, for a position I was hoping would be a better fit for me.  My career change has been everything I was hoping it would be.  The reason I like to mention I started as a non-merit employee is that sometimes that can scare some applicants and keep them from applying.  I was a non-merit employee, but I worked 34 hours per week, compared to my merit (full-time) co-workers that worked 35 hours per week.  The only major difference between a non-merit employee and a merit employee is that merit employees receive six personal days per year, while non-merit employees do not receive any personal days.  However, non-merit employees still receive vacation days, sick days, and paid holidays. I applied for the position and within a few weeks I received a phone call from the hiring manager to schedule an interview.  My interview was in person with the division chief and another senior employee at their office.  They asked me questions that specifically related to what I had done previously in both work and school, and how I would translate that knowledge to the specific position for which I was applying.  I received a phone call a couple of weeks after the interview and was offered the position, which I accepted immediately.  I have since been promoted and am now a merit employee.  It is not uncommon for employees to start out as non-merit and then promote to a merit position.  

Why do you hire UMBC students?

We hire UMBC students because we know they graduate with the knowledge and skills that enable them to contribute immediately.  It’s a great advantage that we have a nationally recognized University in our own backyard.  We believe that the values students learn through their time at UMBC will translate to what we our building at Baltimore County

Dear U.S. Academic Writing,

          I pen this open letter to you knowing full well that in certain cases, you do have your uses.  You know how to get your point across effectively. You are succinct. You are, indeed, an acceptable purveyor of argument and actuality.  However, I object to your incessant insistence on inserting yourself into every single aspect of writing in American school systems, especially when your presence is less a consequence of necessity than  an outdated habit spanning decades.

          Take, for instance, the essay.  To me, essays are like stories, and who wants to read a story where the ending is revealed to you in the very first chapter?  I certainly wouldn’t. Yet what is a thesis statement if not a blatant spoiler for an ending? Therein lies my greatest qualm with you, U.S. Academic Writing.

          You, my esteemed enemy, are a sledgehammer when you should have been a scalpel.  To be quite frank, you lack finesse. Your linear structure, characterized by a set path of point-evidence-explanation, is the equivalent of trying to pound a nail into a hole created for the sole purpose of housing a screw.  Instead of guiding a reader on a personal journey of discovery and revelation, you immediately tell them exactly what conclusion they are supposed to draw from an essay. Personally, I believe that the true beauty (the very art!) of a good essay lies in its ability to foster genuine interest about novel subjects in readers and to usher them subtly onto a path that will eventually lead them, of their own volition, to reach the same conclusion as the author.

          In my opinion, there is a reason why many students dread writing essays, and that reason is that they struggle with your unforgiving rigidity.  Indeed, even the most practiced of scholarly authors can grapple with academic papers when their thought processes conflict with the mode of their assignments.

          And it is only at this point in my letter, the final paragraph (as far from the introduction as one could possibly hope to be), that I arrive at my thesis statement: let students choose their own structure for the essays they write.  Do not force them to format every single composition in the same exact manner as the hundred or so they’ve struggled through in the past. Release the academic community from your grasp and allow the ineffable power of language possessed by each and every author to reach its full potential by expressing itself in whatever form it pleases.  U.S. Academic Writing, take a step back and let us all remember that the key purpose of an essay is to communicate and propagate ideas, not to judge how well a student can follow some contrived blueprint. If an argument is solid and an author thorough, the structure of an essay should, in all honesty, take a backseat to the quality of its content.

Respectfully Yours,
            Giuliana Weiss
            Writing Center Intern

The first essay we all wrote as a child was most likely, “What I did during summer vacation.”  Every sentence included the words ‘I’ or ‘me’. The word ‘I’ was even in the title. Then, at some point, we were informed that writing in the first person was henceforth forbidden in all academic writing, relegated to the beatnik world of poetry.  In academia, an author using their own voice was deemed unprofessional. Though there is certain value in this precedent, the use of first person pronouns is, in fact, not off-limits in all academic writing.  

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab, more commonly known by college students as ‘Purdue OWL’, addresses the topic on its page Style, Genre, and Writing: 

The use of first person point-of-view is usually avoided in academic writing. But, sometimes you are allowed to use it; for example, when you explain your own data or primary resources.

As university students progress through their studies they will be expected to conduct their own research more and more.  Hence, the use of first person pronouns becomes an increasingly appropriate choice for their work.  

Author L. Finlay emphasizes that first person pronouns are not just acceptable but actually essential for “closing the distance between author and reader,” (qtd. In Zhou and Hall 348).  Likewise, authors Zhou and Hall point out that writing in the first person is fitting for qualitative research. They explain that quantitative research does not need a first-person perspective since the numbers speak for themselves, whereas in qualitative research the words of the author and participants are part of the evidence (Zhou and Hall 349).  

So take a deep breath the next time your eyes come across ‘I’ and ‘me’ in academic writing.  Consider the context and intent of the author. The taboo might be unwarranted.  

Works Cited

Purdue Writing Lab. “OWL // Purdue Writing Lab.” Purdue Writing Lab, owl.purdue.edu/.

Zhou, Xiaodi, and Jori N. Hall. “Mixed Methods Papers in First-Person and Third-Person: Writing Voices in Dialogue.” Journal of Mixed Methods Research, vol. 12, 357. 3, July 2018, pp. 344–357. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType= ip,url,uid&db=eric&AN=EJ1183557&site=eds-live& scope =site.

Contributed by: Anessa Hughes, Writing Center intern

Reinforcing Evidence-Based Argumentative Writing In The Social Studies Classroom

The use of credible evidence when writing arguments is central to the Social Studies discipline. It is a stepping-stone toward connecting our divided world with its ability to foster constructive discourse. This project supported and examined 24 ninth and tenth grade American Government students at Catonsville High School and their ability to write strong responses to open-ended questions. The students were graded on their ability to develop a claim and cite evidence from more than one source that would support the validity of their claim. 

Read the complete abstract here.

Hear presentation on Voice Thread.

Mentor: Timothy Johnson, Education