Welocme to your winter break!

                              Welcome to Your Winter Break: Networking!

Welcome to your first winter break, congratulations on finishing your first quarter. Although you may think that winter break is a time to not thin about school or social work, it is an important time to utilize volunteer and create networking opportunities. Winter break is a great time to create professional connections and networks. This could look like volunteering weekly or a few times over the break and establishing professional connections with that agency or you could reach out to different agencies and social workers to establish professional connections. I currently have multiple meetings with different social workers to establishing professional working connections for future career or volunteer opportunities.
 The winter break is a great time for these type of opportunities because you do not have course work that may be taking up most of your free time. Reaching out to agencies and social workers may be new for you, but it is a valuable networking tool.
   
Winter break is a great time to set up informational interviews, the goal of these interviews are not to ask or obtain a job but to gain information and to create a professional connection.

    Informational Interviews
    A skill you should have as a social worker is the ability to interview someone for information. Use this skill in your professional networking. Informational interviewing is one of your most important networking tools. An informational interview is a 30-minute meeting that you set up with an individual, preferably in-person, to gain career advice and information. It is not a time to inquire about specific employment opportunities. Again, networking is about building relationships, not burning bridges. Come prepared by researching the individual and the company where he or she works, and have questions ready to ask, but let him or her do most of the talking.

Volunteering is a great opportunity to engage in because it creates professional connections and can be a great way to build your experience for your resume.

    Volunteering
    Nothing shows organizations that you are committed to their mission more than volunteering for them. I have been a volunteer at three organizations that eventually hired me. Find volunteer opportunities that are in line with your professional passions and career goals. Even if the organization isn’t able to hire you, it will be able to provide a reference for you or help connect you to other organizations in the community. However, don’t jump ship as soon as you find another opportunity. Volunteer commitments should be taken seriously, and you should honor your obligation.

Other tools for successful networking over your winter break, and throughout the year can be found, here.

Almost finished with our first quarter!

As week 10 approaches, I believe that it it is very important to (if not already) practice or self-self care methods. These practices protect us from the negative impact of our many life stresses, whether it be from our classes, personal life, or internship. I have learned along the way that there are many situations, environments, and experiences that can lead to different types of stresses. The article below, outlines the solutions to caring for oneself and fighting the stigma of asking for help.  This article has one profound and lasting message: if we do not take care of ourselves we will be unable to care for others. The Article "Self-Care Solutions: Facing The challenge of Asking for Help" written by Liza Greville, for Social Work Today.

Click here for the article                                                       

                                                     

Another important topic of attention during this time of the quarter is making sure that your resume is up to date. If you have not already, add your current internship to your latest work experience section. Under your current internship on your resume you can add what you are already doing, and what you are going to be doing in the future, do not forget to use your action verbs. This is a good tome to edit and clean up your resume, before you begin the process of looking for a summer job or your next years internship placement. If you edit your paper now, you will be ahead of the game, and not rushing to edit last moment, where you are more likely to overlook mistakes. The article written by Valerie Arendt, outlines 10 tips for editing resumes that are important for many social workers.
She shares tips such as, write out acronyms, quantifying your accomplishments, and many more.
For the article, click here.

Comment below to share your toughts, feelings, and questions regarding the post or any other related topic. Let us know what you think.

REMEMBER: Any questions, comments, or concerns, regarding YOUR careers, internship, or resume contact Kristcha.Deguerre@du.edu OR Lisa.Ingarfield@du.edu.

The Social Work Intern, week 4.

Hello all,

We are now half way through our 4th week of the fall quarter, can you believe it?! With internships beginning, midterms coming up, and many papers to write, we may be beginning to feel overwhelmed. My advice is to take everything as they come, write one paper at a time, take a breath, and remind yourself to fit in self-care (somewhere, in your schedule).

So, when I was thinking about what to write, I was thinking about what may be most on everyone's mind. Whether you are an advanced standing, foundation year, or concentration year student most of us are experiencing being the new social work intern. Although, internships come in many different shapes and sizes, we are all in a position of being new and learning.

This is a vulnerable position to be in, we are owning the fact that we are new and may not know exactly what to do in all situations that come up.

First of all, congratulations on beginning this enriching learning experience.Whether your internship is clinical, community, with children, with the aging population, we may all be experiencing the same feelings regarding our new position. You may feel anxious, excited, and challenged by this new experience. I came across a great article from The New Social Worker on tips on beginning a new social work internship.

I have linked the article below, please leave your feedback about your feelings and thoughts on this article. I look forward to reading your feedback and comments.

8 Tips for New Social Work Interns 
 

The beginning of your journey.

Hello,

My name is Kristcha DeGuerre and I am a concentration year mental health student in the MSW program, at The University of Denver. I am the career services adviser for the foundation year students, I am here for any and all career and school related questions you may have. You can contact me at kristcha.deguerre@du.edu with any questions or concerns regarding your MSW education or career as a social worker.

In my mind I enjoy visualizing graduate school as a flight with a layover. The first year of graduate school is your flight to your layover, you layover is the summer in-between the first and second year, your second year is your last flight and your destination is your MSW degree. I will often refer to your education as your flight and your degree as your destination.

Congratulate yourself on finishing your first couple of weeks in your MSW graduate school career. No, really give yourself a pat on the back. This is an achievement. There are many new experiences and challenges you have been experiencing. You have started your courses and your internships, what a busy schedule you are getting used to. There are many rewarding challenges that come with beginning a new internship, as well as classes. I know, I have been there myself.

In graduate school time goes by very quickly, and in what feels like a short time you will be finishing up you first year. You will be faced will many rewarding challenges, and gain a valuable wealth of knowledge. You will see yourself growing in ways you may have never know you could.

This blog is for you and all your career and school related information. Get ready for your flight, we are about to take off!