What were some Career Center services you used or events you attended?

I visited Megan Hollis during her office hours in the Psychology Building regularly, and she referred me to SeminoleLink to try to find a career in the field of psychology.

How did these help you in landing a full-time position?

Prior to meeting with Megan, I had no clue what I was going to do after graduation and didn’t know how to find jobs in the field that I wanted to study. By meeting with her, I was able to learn how to use SeminoleLink and apply for jobs. She advised me to utilize keywords to help focus my job search on careers that follow along with my area of study.

Have you participated in any experiential learning opportunities?

I am currently a part of two directed-individual studies (DIS) labs, where I have learned many research skills in the field of psychology. Participating in these labs allowed me to gain an experience with running experiments, which helped to make my resume competitive in the field of psychology.

Also, throughout my years at FSU, I have worked as a Resident Assistant (RA) for University Housing in old and new Dorman Hall. The RA job is the only job that is a 24-hour job and has also helped to enhance my portfolio. Additionally, I have remained active on campus through joining the brotherhood of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed community service fraternity, along with being a member of the Marching Chiefs Color Guard Team for two years.

How have these prepared you for moving into a full-time role?

Being very involved on campus has allowed me to develop my time management skills, handle multiple tasks at once, and complete each task promptly. With my recent employment at Cayer, I am expected to handle different clients and keep track of what they need and when they need it. Without the experiences I had in my DIS labs and organizations, a task like that could have been very overwhelming, but thanks to my experience so far, it has been a smooth transition.

Describe your job search process. What were some challenges you faced or things you learned from the experience?

In the beginning, I had been applying just for random jobs that I could find on sites like Craigslist or other job searching sites. One problem that I frequently came across was I did not have the “experience” they required for the job. With finding careers in psychology, many places want you to have had a number of years of experience prior to being hired, but coming straight out of college, I did not qualify to apply. When I met with Megan, I told her that my main issue was finding a job that I am interested in and that I qualify for. She helped by first setting me up with SeminoleLink, and then advising me to use key words like “entry-level” when doing searches. This allowed me to find the job at Cayer because their job listing was titled entry-level behavior therapist, meaning no outside-of-college experience was required.

What excites you about your role?

Being able to work with children excites me the most about my role. I absolutely love kids, and I am very excited about being able to help children and hopefully make a positive difference in a child’s life.

What advice do you have for current students?

My advice would be to never give up and to use your resources. If things are looking down and you can’t seem to be able to figure out things on your own, don’t be afraid to ask for help! As students, we may not know everything about finding careers or opportunities available to us, but there are people staffed at FSU just for that purpose, so take advantage of your resources while you can!