Blog 6- Job Report

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.