General

Category: General

Resume Suggestions for Careers in Healthcare

When you’re creating your resume, the most important part is customizing it to the job or internship description. However, there are always little things you can do when working on a generic or “grab-bag” resume to help your resume stand out from the rest.

What should I include on my resume if I don’t have a lot of work or internship experience?
It’s not only okay, but normal and common for undergraduate students to include work they’ve done for class on their resume. This can mean highlighting a bit of research you’ve completed or labs you’ve worked on here at Lawrence. Don’t be afraid to experiment with combination resumes if you don’t have a lot of formal work experience — this format can highlight the skills you’ve learned during your time as a student, with less emphasis on prior work/intern experience.

What kinds of skills are good to include?
All kinds, especially the skills listed in the job description! Be sure to include any trainings or certifications you may have received that might be relevant to the position you’re applying for. For example, if you’re applying to a research internship, include your familiarity with data analysis/data management software like Excel, R Studio, SPSS, etc.

How do I make my language look more professional?
Bearing in mind that you do want to reference the job description as much as possible for an application resume — including using the specific language they use as much as possible — there are many ways you can rework the items on your resume to fit a more professional style.
For example, avoid phrases like “Worked with…”, “Duties included…” or “Was responsible for…” All of these phrases sort of tell a hiring manager what you did — but they’re quite passive and not very specific! Using strong action verbs in your resume is key, especially if a recruiter is only spending a few seconds reviewing your resume. Here is a list of strong action verbs that you can utilize on your resume to add some specificity to your past experiences.

Remember, even if you’re not planning on applying to a new position, it’s always a good idea to update your “grab-bag” resume so that it’s ready for you to tweak for your next job application.

Gap Year Opportunities in Technology and Data Sciences

With graduation just around the corner for many of our seniors, it’s never too late to start thinking about next steps. Whether post-secondary education is on your radar for Fall 2021 or not, here are some program ideas that can help tide you over between graduation and your next great adventure. Or maybe you’re taking some time off during your time at LU and want to look at learning options. Read on for some ideas!

Gap Year Academy
Gap Year Academy matches students with mentors to help guide them through their interests in a variety of fields. All courses are online, although mentor-student relationship is emphasized over textbook and busywork learning. The Gap Year Academy has programs in software development, cyber security, data analysis, and more!
Learn more from their website here!

Harvard Extension School
The Harvard Extension School has various programs, two of which are exciting options for the #TD community! The Academic Gap Year program offers a variety of study paths, both for credit and noncredit, including one for math and computer science. This program is built for those who wish to take online classes during the typical academic year, perhaps during a break from your regular coursework at LU. Another option for those looking to continue their computer science education after graduation is the graduate-level programming certificate!
Interested in the Academic Gap Year program?
Click here for info about the programming certificate!

Coding Dojo
Coding Dojo offers an online, 14-week coding boot camp for burgeoning software developers. In addition to the 3-stack program where students work with industry professionals as instructional staff, students are additionally supported by integrated career services experience. Coding Dojo hosts 1:1 calls to answer potential admissions questions, as well as Open Houses where interested parties can meet the team and get a full breakdown of the boot camp!
Check out Coding Dojo here!

FAQs about Informational Interviewing

The phrase “informational interviews” might sound intimidating, but really they’re just conversations you arrange with people who work in the field you’re interested in. Informational interviews are a quick and easy way to explore potential career pathways and solicit advice from professionals in the field. In addition, when you set up informational interviews with people in your field of interest, you’re building a network that you can utilize later — for job opportunities, shadowing opportunities when COVID restrictions lessen, and more.

Some FAQs about Informational Interviewing

Q: When should I start conducting informational interviews?
A: It’s never too late or too early to start! You can coordinate informational interviews throughout your college career, and well into your career beyond college! Your questions will likely shift as your personal goals and interests change over time.

Q: How should I prepare for the interview?
A: The primary goal is to come ready to drive the interview with your questions. Make sure you have your questions ready, and try to focus your questions on gathering insights and advice; you don’t want them to feel like you’re expecting a job offer. It’s also helpful to do some internet research on the person you’re interviewing to help guide your question development. Be ready to talk about yourself if asked, too! Business casual is the typical attire for informational interviews.

Q: How and where should I expect the informational interview to happen?A: Over the phone or using video chat is often the easiest, especially during the pandemic. Reach out to your intended interviewee and plan on your conversation going for about 30 minutes. Make sure to be respectful of their time — they’re doing you a favor, so be careful not to go over the allotted time.

Q: Speaking of reaching out: Help! How do I do that?
A: Find the contact information of the person you’re interested in interviewing, and send them an email. In your message, you should introduce yourself and express your interest in their field. If you have a personal or Lawrence-related connection to them, or were recommended to seek them out by a mutual acquaintance, make sure to mention that. Then, indicate that you are reaching out to ask about their availability for a short informational interview to learn more about their professional journey. The Viking Connect website is a great way to find alumni Lawrentians who are eager to connect with current students!

Service Opportunities for Gap Year

Are you interested in attending graduate school, but not ready to jump right in after graduating from Lawrence? Curious to learn about gap year opportunities to gain experience and explore your interests? We’ve got you covered. There are a wide array of opportunities for recent graduates — here are just a few service programs that offer yearlong opportunities in healthcare.

AmeriCorps State and National
AmeriCorps may not seem like the place for health care opportunities, but there are actually a variety of service programs offered that focus on community wellness and health services. For example, take a look at the “Be Well Fox Valley AmeriCorps Program” right here in the Fox Valley area. Through this program, members have the opportunity to provide health education and promote physical, mental, and social health for community members.
Check out AmeriCorps here!

National Health Corps
This program is specifically dedicated to connecting young adults interested in becoming health professionals to people in need. There are a variety of positions available for many different organizations (called “host sites”) nationwide. For example, you could spend a year as a “Patient Navigator” where your responsibilities include linking patients to health care services, enrolling patients in health insurance, and providing health screenings.
See more about the National Health Corps here!

Hackathons

You may have heard the term tossed around a few times, but do you know what a hackathon is? What are some of the pros and cons of hackathon? These are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about registering for a hackathon!

What is a hackathon?
An event focused on collaboratively creating software, usually in effort to solve one or a variety of problems utilizing computer programming. Hackathons tend to have a specific focus (be it programming language, OS, or any other number of specifications), and usually involve team competition and collaboration. They typically last for a weekend and occur year round!

What are some pros of participating in a Hackathon?
Networking. One nice thing about attending a hackathon is you can be sure that you share something in common with everyone else there — a love for computer programming. In addition to the rigorous hackathon event itself, there’s often opportunities to get to know other programmers and spend leisure time together.
Camaraderie. In line with just making connections, the intensive nature of a hackathon will foster community between attending members. Either for the weekend or for years to follow, you will find a community at a hackathon.
Creation. The focus of the hackathon, of course, is on problem solving and software development. So at the end of the weekend, no matter what the problem was, you’ll have created something incredible — be it an original application or altering the purpose of an appliance. Over the course of the hackathon, you might work with people from vastly different programming backgrounds than yours and on projects that are vastly different than ones you’re familiar with. Hackathons provide opportunity to branch out and test some less-used programming muscles.

What are some cons of participating in a Hackathon?
Tiring. As can be expected from spending a weekend developing new code and software, hackathons can take a toll on your sleep habits.
Frustrating. As with any high-pressure, low-time event, there are bound to be frustrations along the road. From bad or unusable code, to bugs that simply cannot be fixed in the time constraint, unfortunate things can happen unexpectedly. Like any competition, the prospect of spending hours and hours working on something, only to come up short in the end should be considered.
Loss of focus and drive. Burnout is real, and it’s unfortunately not uncommon at hackathons. Between sleep loss, frustration buildup, or simply brain fatigue and procrastination (which occur at hackathons just like they occur before your big paper is due!), it can be difficult to focus on completing hacking tasks.

How to become a Music Teacher (Elementary, Middle School)

Interested in becoming a music teacher for elementary or middle school students? Read on for some important information on how to get your dream teaching job! 

Job duties:

Here are some specific job duties required for becoming a music teacher. First you must have knowledge of the instrument/instruments in the ensemble. Knowing your instrument(s) inside and out will make teaching your class that much easier. Next you need the ability to manage a classroom. Classroom management is important because sometimes children can get rowdy and not retain the information you are teaching. Finally, you’ll need experience writing curricula, and in this case concert programs with appropriate repertoire. Music teachers not only have to create classroom plans, but they also have to plan exactly what music their ensembles and students are expected to play. 

Where they work:

Oftentimes, any type of music teacher is hired by a school district to teach band, orchestra, or private lessons. Sometimes if hired by a school district you are expected to travel between several schools within the district per week to teach students. You can also be hired by private schools, however, this process can be lengthy and sometimes requires degrees from very specific universities. Many areas are looking for music teachers, especially during the pandemic. Be sure to choose the right area for you by taking into consideration the cost of living + your salary of that particular area to make sure that is where you want to be.

Working conditions:

As a music teacher, you can expect to be working at least 40 hours a week. This is often the minimum for music teachers since they also have to do after-school music programs, concerts, musical rehearsals, etc. The best thing about being a teacher though is that you have a good portion of the summer off of work! Unless you seek out summer music camps to help out with. 

People:

Often times you are working with children in a classroom setting. Your colleagues will most likely range in age, and sometimes you may have to collaborate with a music teacher of another ensemble or even have a teacher’s assistant. 

Education and Training:

The minimum degree for this profession is often a bachelor’s degree in a music-related field. After earning this degree, you are then expected to complete practicum before applying to work within a school district. State licensure is required for teaching in any state within the U.S. Requirements for these do differ by state so it is important to do your research before applying for different school districts. Here at Lawrence, if you are a Music Education major you will be guided to get your certification over the course of the 5-year degree program (4 years of school, 1 year of student teaching).

How to gain experience while in undergrad:

The best way for aspiring music teachers to gain experience while in undergrad is by applying for and attending internships. There are many summer programs that offer teacher internships such as The People’s Music School, Merit School of Music, Wisconsin Conservatory, and much more! You don’t need your teachers certification to apply for these internships, and they are a great way to gain experience in the field.

Pay and Benefits: 

Your pay depends on the school district your working in and its geographical location. Often times your pay is based on price of living for geographic area. On the lower end of the price of living, but you can get by. Substitutes are going to be under a full teaching salary, making around $12-$15. Public school teachers generally have benefits (dental, vision, health) however, private school teachers often times do not.

Job Outlook:

Right now, music teachers are needed EVERYWHERE. There is a shortage of teachers in general, however, music teachers are especially needed. Sadly, music is one of the first classes to get cut out of curricula in elementary and grade schools. Job market is thankfully expected to grow by 12% in the next few years, and many school districts will hire you right out of your student teaching experience. 

Global Considerations:

Teaching jobs that are abroad (outside of the U.S) often offer 2 year contracts. Teachers coming into the U.S are asked to apply for a VISA upon hire; which means you can go through the application process without needing a VISA, however, if you are hired by the school you are required to apply for one. As far as I know, all types of US teaching certificates can be obtained by international students and they can secure a teaching job in the U.S upon graduation. There could be extra steps depending on where certification is obtained (NYC you need fingerprint scans), so it is important to do you research on the district you are applying for.