Welcome back everyone, one more week til spring break! This week we are talking about professional goals and much more. After reading through the articles I noticed some things that I need to change and I think it is important to share with everyone. The first one might be obvious make sure all social media accounts are cleaned and have nothing that will make you less likely to get a job. After that the next step is to brand yourself. Now you can take many different approaches to accomplish this. For example, I have a blog, a linked-in account, and a handshake account. These are important because employers can get a closer look at who you are. Remember networking, networking, networking! Jobs are not going to reach out to you it is up to you to reach out and find the career you want. Once you have created those accounts reach out to people in fields that interest you. You need to make yourself known. The next major thing I need to discuss is emails. Most people think they know how to write a professional email but there are simple things most do not do that make a big impact when talking to a professional. Some basic things not to include are exclamation points and humor. This is not a conversation with a friend it is a conversation with hopefully a new boss. Always reply to emails, even if it was not directly to you. Make sure you have a clear subject line so the person you are conversing with understands exactly what the message will be about. Another great tip is to proof read everything before you send it. This can be so beneficial because even a simple grammatical mistake could be the reason you do not get the job. That is all for this week, hope this information is useful to everyone and go get your dream job! “Give yourself a high five” -Phoebe

The time is flying by because it is already week five. You read the title, it is time to talk business. First step is the interview process, because you can not get a job unless you ace the interview. So I am here to help everyone go get their dream job. After reading the several articles on how to ace an interview I have summarized the main points. When going into the interview you want to make a great first impression. The first step is to dress professionally. Walk into the room with all the confidence you have and have a firm handshake. Always make eye contact and and sit with a good posture. Introduce yourself, smile, and try not to think about being nervous. I am a very outgoing person who does not get nervous to meet new people but I do get very nervous to speak in public. One tip I think is very beneficial is to act like the person who is interviewing you is someone you have talked to before so you are more comfortable. The other article went through the 50 most asked questions in an interview. This article was great because anyone can look it over to help prepare them for their interview. Before going into an interview, look up some questions and have someone ask you them so you will know how to respond. My roommates and I have actually done some fake interviews with me because I have an interview coming up soon. I think it will make me more confident and less nervous because I will be more prepared. I also attended the “Writing Your Resume and Cover Letter” event, which was very beneficial. I learned tips on how to clean up my resume and the main parts of both papers. I now need to improve my resume and start working on my cover letter. Tune in next week for another exciting topic! “You learn something everyday if you pay attention.” -Ray LeBlond

And we are back! This week we are getting professional so put on your business attire and lets get after it. Reading this weeks articles made me think about things differently. In the article “6 Things You Must Do To Get Your First Job After College”, Susan Adams discusses how students should start their job search in high school and how students are not doing that. Students are starting way too late and it is because they are unaware of what they should be doing. In high school the only thing a student is worried about is getting into college, not about what they will do after those 4 years. I did not start thinking about my career until I came to Kutztown University. Susan Adams then goes into detail about different steps students should take to start their journey. All the articles were similar to Susan Adams because they were filled with beneficial tips. Going through the different articles there were many points that I think are beneficial to everyone. I think the first important tip is to not listen to everything you hear, especially students in high school. A person must do research, you might think a career is interesting from hearing someone talk about it but a person must look it up on their own and see just how much the job entails. Another beneficial tip is to start a Linked In account. Once you do that then it is easier to start networking. Networking is very beneficial in today’s world especially with how technology has advanced in the last two decades. I do not have a Linked In account but I will be making one in the future. Getting an internship right away is also important for many reasons. It helps you get a foot in the door with that field and company. I hopefully will have an internship this upcoming summer. However, it also helps a person decide if that is what they want to do for the rest of their life or if they should get out of it and look for something else. I hope you guys enjoy this blog and remember “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky -Michael Scott”.

It is week 3! How is everyone feeling? I am feeling really good about this blog post because this is something that really interested me. Hope you guys are excited as I am about opportunities and careers! Kare Anderson’s Ted Talk was all about opportunity.  She states that you have to make opportunities for yourself not wait for them to come to you.  Go after the opportunities when you get a chance, it might not be available forever.  She talks about an ex con who spent 5 years in solitary confinement and got out and made a career in physical fitness.  Everyone has certain strengths and weakness and it is up to us to use them to our advantage.  We could make bigger things if we work together.  If we all bring our strengths together and work for a good cause, we could accomplish something really big. Figuring out your strengths is the hard part, once thats out of the way there are so many opportunities to put your skills to work.   The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook is very informational and beneficial.  I investigated the police and detective career page.  This handbook is very easy to navigate, and has everything a person needs to know about a career.  It has the pay, number of people in that field, how to become one, and many more. The article also tells a person what exactly the job entails and describes the work environment.  I will definitely be using this site in the near future. I hope you guys enjoyed this weeks blog. Can’t wait to talk to you all next week! Remember go after your dreams!

Welcome back! It is week 2 and we are going to dive right into trade publications so hold on tight! Trade publications are to help people learn more about specific careers. I selected the trade magazine called, Law Officer. They have many different articles about different topics in the criminal justice field. Criminal Justice is a huge field with hundreds of different tasks, so reading about different topics is very beneficial. There are articles ranging from tactics to use in certain situations to the best new gear that just came out. I read a couple articles that caught my eye, Firearms: Training for Close-Quarter Combat, Police Officers and the 1st Amendment, and Risky Business: Tips on surviving the so-called low-risk traffic stop. I thought these articles would benefit me the most. The first article discusses how to deal with citizens from a close range. For a police officer, not interacting with the public is inevitable, therefor it is important to know how to act. Learning how to interact with the public in close-quarters is beneficial because it decreases the chances something bad might happen. This article goes into depth about different combat techniques and how to perform them. Everyone who is interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement should read the second article. The first amendment is very important and recently there has been some controversy with it. Anyone in law enforcement has to know the amendments off the top of their head. This article discusses the importance, the public, and how to balance speech and the workplace. The third article is beneficial because it talks about the different kinds of traffic stops and different tactics that an officer can use. Trade publications are very useful and I will definitely be looking into more of them in the future. Well that is all for today, have a great week and see you next time!

I chose Criminal Justice as a major for multiple reasons. Being the youngest in my family with four older brothers taught me how to be tough and competitive. My family always had my back but also pushed me to always do my best. Sports were another huge part of my life that also helped me become the person I am today. I have been playing sports since I was five years old. Currently, I throw javelin on the track and field team at Kutztown University. It has taught me how to be a teammate, a leader, and much more. Although I am on a team my event is very individualized. I am the only javelin thrower on the women’s team. This means I do a lot of things by myself, and it has made me become a more motivated and determined person. It is up to me to get up every morning and lift by myself, some days it is hard to get out of bed, but I push myself because I want to be better. Staying active and being on a team here will help me with my career. I love being active and I love to help others. I think my family and sports have given me a lot of transferable skills that are needed to be in the criminal justice field. Since I was younger I always dreamed about becoming a police officer. Criminal Justice is a huge field with hundreds of different jobs. However, after taking the class Federal Law Enforcement at Kutztown last year I realized I wanted to become a Federal Marshal. The reason I want to be a US Marshal is because their job is always changing. Being in law enforcement is a dangerous and exciting field and you never know what is going to happen. I am hoping to do an internship with them this upcoming summer. I have always looked up to law enforcement officials and want to make this world a better and safer place.