Chapter 11

11/27/12

            Chapter eleven was very informative and interesting for me to read. It was interesting because a lot of what was expressed in this chapter is similar to what our group (higher education) has discussed in our research findings and literature review. I thought that the lists on pages 240 and 241 about “Counselors’ Perceptions of Most and Least Important Information Needed by Job Seekers” and “College Recruiters’ Rankings of the Most Important Considerations in the Employment Interview” had some especially interesting and relevant information. The three sample resumes were interesting to look through; as someone else noted, my personal resume didn’t match any of the samples exactly, but reading through the suggested information to include was very helpful. When combined with the information we received at tonight’s career development workshop, I’ve actually accumulated a fair amount of new information and tips that I didn’t have before; I’m actually probably going to tweak my own resume now as a result of reading this chapter and listening to tonight’s presentation.

When I first graduated from college, I knew that I should dress professionally, have a copy of my resume with me, and be sure to emphasize my credentials/experience…but that’s it. I didn’t take time to really establish career goals or anything, and I was definitely lacking in knowledge of what to expect and how to best market myself to potential employers.

            Since I’d stayed in college an extra semester longer than planned (and I had recently gotten married, so money was tighter), the idea was to simply get a job. I knew I couldn’t be too picky because, let’s face it, there’s not a whole lot you can do in the field with just a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, but I knew I didn’t want to get a job just for the sake of having a job. Luckily for me, I got hired within a month of graduation, but I know many, many other people who graduated with me who didn’t find anything for a while, or at all, in the field of Psychology.  

            I think that all of the information presented in this chapter was extremely beneficial and practical. I really appreciate reading chapters like this one because, like I said, it gives even “experienced” interview-goers like myself new information and tips to take away from it, but it’s also just really good to see that all this information is out there. I never had access to this sort of information when I graduated from high school (or college, really), and I really could have benefited from it I think.

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.