Professional Opportunities & Job Skills

Congratulations Cornerstone students! You have reached the final blog posting! On behalf of the Capstone students, it has been a pleasure to have worked with all of you this semester. We appreciate and are proud of all of the hard work and information you have provided us about yourselves, including your academic, personal, and professional goals and achievements! However, before you pat yourselves on the back for a semester well done, we ask that you finish strong and contribute fully to this last blog posting.

The questions are as follows:

1. How have you used your interdisciplinarity in your professional life?
2. What has been your professional history?
3. What are your strongest and weakest job skills?
4. What can you do to develop and improve upon your weak skills?
5. Identify two professional clubs or organizations that are useful to your chosen career.
6. How have internship or externship helped your professional development?
7. Discuss your personal philosophy concerning your professional life.
8. How is or isn't this philosophy interdisciplinary?
9. How have your career goals altered?

Thank you again for your hard work and diligence this semester! We wish you the best throughout your academic career at UCF and into the future!

Personal Philosophy

Hey Group,

This week we are just going to answer 3 questions that involve your personal philosophy, interdisciplinary aspects and career goals. Interdisciplinary is every where you look, from a V8 Splash (veggies & fruit) to a remixed song (pop & techno). Taking parts of two different things and putting them together to make one great thing is exactly what we are doing with our Interdisciplinary Degree. You all have been doing such a great job with this blog! Keep it up.

This week's questions are:

1. Discuss your personal philosophy concerning your professional life.
2. How is or isn't this philosophy interdisciplinary?
3. How have your career goals altered?

e-Portfolio: Topic #8

For this week’s topic of conversation we will be discussing the meaning and purpose of the e-Portfolio and what each one of you want yours to become. The e-Portfolio is something that is a work-in-progress as you journey to your destination of graduation and beyond. This project is something that encompasses who each one of you are and also who you would like to be. It tells your story and you get to decide how that story will be presented, whether it be for potential graduate schools, current employers, future employers, or maybe eventually it will become a sort of personal portfolio of your accomplishments to look back on fondly as you go on to achieve even more. Even though most of you still have some time before you graduate, it is still wise to envision what you want your e-Portfolio to become and revise it along the way. The e-Portfolio is a terrific tool that will help you show-off your interdisciplinary skills of integrating multiple disciplines and ideas together effectively and most certainly aid you in reaching the goals you have set forth for yourself.

Now it’s your turn to answer a few questions about this week’s topic:

1. How will your e-Portfolio demonstrate your interdisciplinarity?

2. What is the audience/purpose you’re thinking of using?

3. How would you envision your e-Portfolio looking like? What would you like to stand out?

4. What things are you thinking could be used as evidence?

Have a great week! :)

Reflection

A reflection is not a description. First of all, a reflection requires that you completed something that has impacted you in some way. By reflecting on that moment you are nurturing that impact to have an everlasting affect on your life.

In order to have a successful reflection you have to have had a real experience. By this, I mean you had to do something more substantial than go to the mall... You need to have helped build a house for a family through habitat for humanity, completed a world history class and actually learn the cause and effects of different nation's actions or in our case graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

I plan on putting the finishing touches on my e-portfolio by using reflection. The result will be a page that can demonstrate how I transformed through college and what I am truly taking away from the experience and how prepared I feel for the new world I will be entering.

This week start considering all the classes you have taken in your post high school education. REFLECT on them. Then learn what you learned from them. That is, what did you really take away from each class and what will stick with you forever. How have you changed or not changed due to your academic career. (not everything you reflect on will be school oriented, look at extracurricular activities as well)

So in a simple summary for this discussion, focus on:

1. Share your understanding of "reflection". How is it different from description?
2. Share how you're planning to use reflection in developing your e-Portfolio content pages.

Interviewing

Once you have caught the eye of a future employer with a professional cover letter and resume, it is now time for the next step in securing the job of your dreams: the interview.

The interview is your opportunity to make a great first (face-to-face) impression. The interviewer will be able to see your personality, knowledge of the company and passion to work there. However, a successful interview will require thorough practice and preparation. This week’s blog will help you get started or help continue your preparation.

For this week’s assignment, please complete the Informational Interview Assignment at: http://www.perfectinterview.com/ucf/. Here are the steps to complete:

1. Complete one "short" interview where the selections are chosen for you. Complete one "short" interview where you make the selections. Choose at least three areas you'd like to work on the most. Note the options of the "Alternate Response" and the "Coach" that can be used.

2. You may choose to either use video capture or no video capture. If you choose no video capture you will be required to type your responses. Save both interviews.

3. Draft a reflection about your practice interview, commenting on the questions asked and your responses to the questions. You might comment on what questions were problematic. What were the strengths of your responses? What could you improve in your responses? How did you responses compare to the "Alternate Response"? What did you learn from the "Coach?"

4. Give one question about interviewing or a piece of advice that you've gained in your interviewing experiences.

5. Click on "Review Saved Interviews." Click on the "Share" button. E-mail yourself your interview and include the links in your posting.

Please post your interview reflections, questions, concerns, and/or comments to this blog.

Additional Information/Resources:

Want to know what a career is really like? Ask someone with first-hand experience. Check out this informative article on “informational interviews”:

http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2002/summer/art03.pdf

Also check out UCF Career Services’ Online Workship “Plan for the Interview”:

http://www.career.ucf.edu/UserFiles/File/Plan%20for%20the%20Interview/player.html

Cover Letters and Resumes

Hey Everyone,

This week we are going to talk about cover letters and resumes. To be completely honest with you all I had never even heard of a cover letter until about 2 years ago. It is important to have a cover letter written up for a job that you want; you can send it in with your resume when you apply and take it with you to your interview. Interviewers see that you took the time and effort to make a cover letter specific to them and the company they work for.

I am going to include a cover letter I wrote up about a year ago when I was trying to get a job with as a supervisor at a Residence Inn in Seattle. The heading of my cover letter matches my resume as you will be able to see. You can read over my cover letter if you haven’t written one yet and want to get a basic overview of what one should look like.

So, since we are talking about cover letters and resumes… please answer the following questions:

What are some ways your resume can highlight your interdisciplinarity?
What are some questions about cover letters you’ve had?
What are some questions about resumes that you’ve had or do you have any advice to share?
Share a cover letter you have created, and share any resources you’ve found about resumes or cover letters.

Dear David Baisch,

Marriott is a great company to work for, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my entire time here. I have worked at three Marriott properties, two full service and one select service, and it has always been a goal of mine to move from the full service property back to a select service hotel in a supervisor position.

I am always looking for opportunities to learn more about front desk operations. I switched my schedule around so that I would be able to work overnights. I wanted to learn more about what happens at night and the behind-the scenes work that happens to set up the day shifts for success. By being on overnights, I was also given the opportunity to get more exposure to different roles and situations.

I’ve had the opportunity to work through numerous challenges in my career in hospitality. From my experience at two Marriott properties and my educational background, I feel that I am prepared to handle the opportunity and challenge of a supervisor role.

I have stayed in a few Residence Inn properties and they are quite clearly one of the best select service Marriott brands. I would love to learn and grow in a supervisor position at the Residence Inn because I am ready to take on that responsibility and it would be fantastic to continue to grow my career with Marriott. No hospitality company has a better service culture and I have always appreciated what I've learned from them.

My ability isn’t limited to the front of the house either. I’ve been able to make and improve processes for each overnight shifts much more efficient, and for that, I was awarded the “Midnight Star” award for “Associate of the Quarter” by hotel management. During my time at both properties, I have made it my goal to make current processes and procedures run more efficiently and effectively.

Thank you for your time,

Ashley Glass

Research Skills & Interdisciplinary Problem Solving-Topic #4

The ability to research is not only useful in school but also in our daily lives, whether it be personal or professional. Research, as defined in our text, “Involves identifying problems, discovering source material, generating data, organizing and analyzing that information, and drawing conclusions substantiated by it.” It may not seem like it, but we all use this method of research to solve various types of problems that plague us, big or small. It could be something as small as deciding where you are going to go for spring break or as big as searching for your potential career. Research is what gives us the information we need to make a well thought out and accurate decision or judgement, that may very well affect that rest of our lives or just our lives for the time being. How does interdisciplinary tie in? Very well, actually. Whilst researching, we pull in information from many disciplines that relate to our problem or topic and integrate them to create our solution. When solving a problem, it takes the knowledge of several different areas of study harmoniously mixed together to create the “big picture.” For example, spring break. Most people when deciding on where they want to spend their vacation, along with their money, research to find a location that best fits their needs. They look up costs of flights, cost of hotels, how they want to get there (plane, car, boat, etc.), what they want to do once they get there, and so much more. There are so many aspects working together simultaneously and so much research done when a person is deciding on where and how they want to travel. Research gives us the information and the push to make our decisions wisely and confidently. That being said, now it’s your turn....

Here are your conversation topics for this week:

-How do we use research in our everyday lives? in school? at work?

-Which specific skills are used when completing a research project?

-How might these skills be translated towards future employment?

-How might your ability to solve problems from an interdisciplinary perspective be valuable to a future employer? current employer?

-Create a potential (fictitious but believable) work scenario where your research and problem solving skills as an interdisciplinary thinker might come into play.

Critical Thinking - Topic #3

Critical thinking may be the most important quality to possess when trying to integrate different disciplines. At times it may seem as though two different disciplines can only relate to each other in a multidisciplinary way (think fruit salad more than smoothie). But if you can truly think critically then eventually a reason and way to integrate will emerge. Sometimes you need to only examine a small aspect of a discipline and use that to tie in throughout all of another discipline. For this week look at your own minor and areas and how you may be able to integrate them and how critical thinking will be a valuable tool for you to use.

Here are all of your talking points for this week:



-How does your critical thinking relate to being interdisciplinary?
-Comment on how the Virtual Philosopher scored your response. From the comments you received about your responses, what insight have you gained about your own critical thinking and reasoning?
-How does the outline of your critical thinking disposition match with the application of it in doing the Virtual Philosopher?

Integration - Topic #2

Integration, to me, is combining and blending multiple elements or parts into a new whole. Moti Nissani provides an excellent example of integration and interdisciplinary studies by comparing them to a “smoothie”. The smoothie is “finely blended so that the distinctive flavors of each [fruit] is no longer recognizable, yielding instead the delectable experience of the smoothie” (Repko, 2008). After reading this metaphor, I realized that I make figurative “smoothies” every day. I constantly integrate various ideas, pieces of knowledge and methods to solve complex personal, professional and academic problems.

For example, when I worked as a spa front desk agent, I continuously tackled the problem of filling “white space”, or openings in our schedule due to un-booked spa appointments. I had to thoroughly integrate my areas of focus and minor to solve this persistent problem. I used customer service skills from hospitality management, behavioral analysis from the behavioral sciences and teaching skills from education to convince guests that their wants and needs would be fulfilled by booking a spa service. The result of this integration was booked appointments, spa revenue and satisfied guests. My areas of focus and minor integrate quite well with one another and have been helpful in my job at the Ritz-Carlton as well as many other aspects of my life.

Now it’s your turn. Please reply to the following questions. Feel free to comment on my post as well. I look forward to conversing with you throughout the week. Happy blogging! -Jennifer Hickel

What is integration? What are examples?

How have or haven't you integrated your areas and minor?

Why is integration of areas/minor important in terms of professional, academic, and/or personal developing?

How can your areas/minor be better integrated?

Welcome Introductions

My name is Ashley Glass, I live in Seattle and work for Marriott. This is my final semester at UCF as an IDS major. My minor is in Hospitality Management and my focuses are Behavioral and Social Sciences and Public Affairs. I typically describe IDS as “create your own degree,” I have come to realize it is a lot more than that. It is combining different disciplines to make a better-rounded major. My original plan was to solely be a Hospitality Major, but when I decided to move to Seattle I had to change to a degree major that would allow me to take classes online. To my surprise I have become very fond of the Interdisciplinary Studies Major and I am very glad that I did change. I am very excited to get to know all of you and work with you this semester! Best of Luck!

**********************************************************

Hey guys my name is Leo Holtzman and I live in Orlando. I am in my final semester here at UCF. I work two jobs: one as a bartender at the MOAT and another as a magician (I mostly do private and corporate parties). One of those is the reason I chose IDS as my major, take a guess... As a result I explain IDS through my potential career as a magician. I say that it is the only degree that allows you to tailor which classes you want to and think you need to take. I have a minor in hospitality event management which helps and will help me with the business side of magic. My two areas of study help with my magic more directly. Psychology has allowed me to learn how to trick the human mind and Theatre has taught me how to present my magic. Anyway I look forward to mentoring you all this semester. Let me know if you have any questions.

**********************************************************

Hello everyone!

My name is Jennifer Hickel and I am excited to be in the last semester of my senior year here at UCF! It has been quite an academic journey for me. In very general terms, I have changed majors, universities, career paths and even cities. However, I will graduate proudly in May with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. My areas of focus are Behavioral Sciences and Education with a minor in Hospitality Management. I loved the option of creating a degree that allowed me to combine multiple disciplines and areas of interests. My original intention with this major was to become a Child Life Specialist. Now, I am using my degree as a stepping stone to further my education. I plan to complete my doctorate degree in Natural Medicine and become a Naturopathic Physician. I currently work as a Resident Assistant on the Rosen campus in Orlando and own my own mobile massage business called In Good Hands Mobile Massage. I am thrilled to be a mentor and look forward to learning about all of you this semester!

**********************************************************

Hi, everyone! My name is Cassandra Perez (but most just call me Cassie) and this will be my final semester here at UCF (yay!). I have been on the six year college plan but that's okay because I will be walking away with a lot more knowledge and a great degree. My degree is comprised of Humanities and Behavioral/Social Sciences with a minor in Hospitality Management. To be honest, I still am not 100% sure on what EXACTLY I want to do with my life but having a bachelor's degree in IDS is a good place to start, I think. I know I want to help people and use all of my concentrations together to do so. I really feel that being an IDS major gives me (and you) the upper-hand when measured up to those who only have a degree in one area of study. IDS is a major that lets you study three different subjects at once and let's you walk away with endless options for what your future may hold. Having knowledge in more areas than one will give you the chance to be able to access so many other opportunities and let your mind wander. The only disadvantage I can think of in having an IDS degree is having to defend it when people question what exactly it entails and if it really is as solid as any other degrees offered. Besides that I can't see anything else that would discourage me from completing my bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies. I look forward to a great semester as one of your mentors and good luck! :)

**********************************************************

Now it’s your turn to tell us a little about yourself. Who are you and what year are you? What are your focuses and minors and what do you hope to do with it? How do you explain IDS to others and what advantages/disadvantages do you see in your IDS education?