Health and Human Services Professional Development

The Art of Self-Disclosure by   Jill Bowers   on   June 30, 2013   How much information will  you  disclose in an interview or professional setting? It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” This does not mean you should have to feel insecure that everything you say might be stupid or offend someone. What it does mean, however, is that you should think before you speak. In doing this, you can avoid disclosing  too much  information about yourself. In fact,  what  or  how much  you disclose can influence how others’ perceive you and how much they trust you as a potential employee or colleague. For example, “too much disclosure” may cause an interviewer to think you have “issues” or cause them to question your ability to keep information about their company or clients confidential. Not enough disclosure, on the other hand, can make you appear “c...

Successfully Using Online Networking by   Jill Bowers   on   July 6, 2013   Online networks, such as   Linked In   may be great resources for connecting with potential employers or mentors. You can use online networking as a means of making yourself visible, highlighting your accomplishments and skills. You could also use online networks to do your own research on companies you are interested in working for (e.g., what they are about, what their employers do or say). At the same time, many employers use these online profiles to do their research on you. Thus, you should make sure your profile or information about you is updated, free of typos or grammatical errors, and accurately depicts your interests, goals, and strengths. You should make sure the information on your resume and social networking profile are consistent; if it is not, potential employers may assume you are lying or stretching the truth on your resume. Further, you may want to edit you...

What’s YOUR Plan? by   Jill Bowers   on   August 22, 2013   Are you planning for tomorrow? Next week? Next semester? Next Year? All are vital to your career. No plan = no productivity = no job. Begin by thinking about your long-term goals and then, the shorter-term goals. Then, plan out the weekly, daily, and monthly activities that help you to reach your goals. Below is a sample plan for someone who wants to become an administrator in a domestic violence agency (as an example).    Long-term goal: Become an administrator at a domestic violence agency within 8 years. Intermediate goals: Finish bachelor’s degree in human services program administration , human development and family studies, or program that trains you in family services (4 years on average). Receive a Master’s degree in human services program administration, HDFS, business administration, or other field that will train you for an administrator role (1.5 – 3 years, depen...

Employer-Proofing Your Social Media Profiles by   Jill Bowers   on   November 23, 2013   The number of online articles about personal social media accounts and the research your potential employers are likely doing continues to grow. It seems inevitable that a potential employer is going to attempt to gather information about what you are NOT telling them, so what kind of impression are you making with your online profiles or tweets? True or false? You are generally safe with venting via Twitter because less than half of your followers actually read your tweets, and the chances that your hashtags will go viral are slim.   FALSE  – at least the first part. If you doubt this, ask the high school senior who attended a campus information day in Brunswick, Maine and proceeded to post negative or derogatory comments about others while she was there (see  They Loved Your G.P.A. Then They saw Your Tweets. – NY Times ). Remember that employers can...

Expectations vs Reality of Social Media Experiences By   Jill Bowers   on   March 23, 2014   I saw this YouTube video last year, and I thought it was brilliantly done and wanted to share. The video depicts the expectations and realities of meeting, or rather, reconnecting with a romantic interest via Facebook. Social networking use has been associated with lower levels of social well-being; for example, more social media and smart phone usage has been linked to higher levels of loneliness, social anxiety, and other areas of social-emotional wellness (see examples of research in this area below).Perhaps, having realistic expectations about your social media experiences could prevent feelings of loneliness or s ocial anxiety?! https://youtu.be/UYI1_gPGu7w?list=PL3A3DB46FC00337E6 A few examples of research findings surrounding social media, psychology, and human behavior include: Appelbaum, P., & Kopelman, A. (2014). Social media’s challenges for ...

Expectations vs Reality of Social Media Experiences by   Jill Bowers   on   March 23, 2014   I saw this YouTube video last year, and I thought it was brilliantly done and wanted to share. The video depicts the expectations and realities of meeting, or rather, reconnecting with a romantic interest via Facebook. Social networking use has been associated with lower levels of social well-being; for example, more social media and smart phone usage has been linked to higher levels of loneliness, social anxiety, and other areas of social-emotional wellness (see examples of research in this area below).Perhaps, having realistic expectations about your social media experiences could prevent feelings of loneliness or social anxiety?! https://youtu.be/UYI1_gPGu7w?list=PL3A3DB46FC00337E6 A few examples of research findings surrounding social media, psychology, and human behavior include: Appelbaum, P., & Kopelman, A. (2014). Social media’s challenges for ps...