Megan
Anderson
Job
Report
Senior
Seminar
The type of job that I am looking for
after I graduate includes working with children. In some way, I want to make a
difference in the life of children. Part of me really wants to work for
DCP&P and another part of me really wants to work in an education setting
on a child study team. If I work with DCP&P, I will be able to work with at
risk youth and their families trying to create permanency and better family
ties. If I work in a school setting, I will be able to work with at risk
students and those who present mild to significant disabilities and behavioral
issues.
I decided these career paths through
schooling and taking classes and seeing society at the school in which I am
interning. There are so many children and families that need help and so many
children that have learning disabilities. It surprised me so much. My best
friend also works for DCP&P and tells me how much of a challenge is it but
how rewarding it is at the same time knowing your helping the families and
making a difference in their lives.
I feel that my personal and educational
accomplishments have lead me to this career path in the sense that I have
always had a love for children and I have always known I wanted to work with
them, therefore I made sure to get a wide range of experience during schooling
by working with children in different settings. All of my fieldwork was done in
a pediatric hospital setting and my internship is now being done in a school
setting. I feel that by gaining experience in two different fields and areas of
study, it makes me a more marketable person for a family service position. Having
a love and passion for something and knowing its really what you want to do
makes is simple to stay focused and set goals and accomplish them.
I applied for two different jobs. One of
the jobs I applied for was for DCP&P (formally known as DYFS now known as Division
of Child Protection and Permanency). The other job I applied for was CPC
Behavioral Healthcare Center. DCP&P is a job/career I am really striving
for. They have an excellent starting salary with so much room to grow. The
position I applied for was a Family Service Specialist Trainee. It’s a 12-month
training program where you gain experience in field and office work as a case
manager. It includes cases of child abuse and neglect and in home visits. After
the 12-month training period you can/will be promoted to a family service
specialist II.
When I applied to CPC Behavioral, I
applied for a position as a case manager for families of adoption and foster
home placements. I was unsure if that was something I really wanted to pursue,
as I do not have any experience in this area. But, I thought it was worth a
shot. The position included fieldwork and home visits and ensuring that the
foster families and children were getting all of the resources available to
them.
I learned about the DCP&P job through
my friend who is currently employed there. She advised me that it would be an
excellent opportunity and for this field, it’s a job with decent pay and has
room to grow and gain experience. I learned about the job at CPC Behavioral by
researching online using sites such as career builder.
To my surprise, I only needed my resume
and cover letter for both jobs. CPC Behavioral required a job application where
DCP&P did not. Unfortunately I have not heard back from either place so I have
not needed to provide proof of qualifications of educational attainment yet.
Hopefully, I will hear from DCP&P in the near future. It says that they
will keep your resume on file for 12 months.
After submitting my resume to DCP&P, I
have not yet followed up with them. I only submitted it over the weekend so I figured
I would give it about a week before I call them and follow up on them receiving
my resume and scheduling an interview.
For CPC Behavioral, I did not follow up
with them. After waiting about a week, I decided that I truly felt that that
job was not necessarily for me or what I was truly looking for. I did not think
that I had all of the qualifications they were looking for, as I do not have
any experience working with foster families or adoption. That was one of the
main experiences they were looking for in the applicant/candidate.
