Identity Portfolio Part Two
Professional Self
Motivation, Purpose, Fulfillment, and NACE
What is your purpose to work?
I believe that everyone’s purpose is to help and uplift those around them, and that is exactly what I want to prioritize in the career that I choose. Although life is full of enduring struggles, individuals continue to persevere with the support of others, and I find this sense of community beautiful. I think that it is my purpose to use the difficulties I have experienced and overcome to help others. I was raised by two strong parents that both struggle with disability and mental health. Seeing their strength and perseverance has encouraged me to have the same, and I want to help others find theirs, too. This would be an incredibly fulfilling experience, as I would be able to help improve the quality of individuals’ lives and give back to those in need. Although my career path is still uncertain, I am considering becoming a rehabilitation psychologist that helps individuals who suffer from intellectual or physical disabilities. Really, though, as long as my work is fulfilling, helping others, and contributing to the community that I am a part of, then my purpose will be complete.
What motivates you?
Motivation is perhaps one of the most important components of work, as it is uniquely sourced depending on the individual and determines their willingness and ability to work. For as long as I can remember, learning has brought me a unique sense of fulfillment that nothing else can quite match. Working gives me the opportunity to continue learning and growing for the rest of my life with a clear reason in mind to do so. I also love to help others and believe that it is my purpose to do so. I want to help reduce suffering and improve the quality of life for people just as countless individuals have done for myself and those that I love. I am also driven to work because I simply cannot stand to be idle; having clear goals in mind and steps to achieve them gives me a sense of purpose and improves my mental health in countless ways. Learning, helping others, and having goals are all sources of motivation that I greatly value and use to work towards my education and career.
What jobs/experiences have made you feel fulfilled?
There is nothing quite like the feeling of fulfillment or when you know that you’ve used your skills to help improve the world around you. As I grow older, I aim to fill my time with work and volunteer experiences that bring me that sense of accomplishment and pride. The first payed experience that I ever had was a one day job helping a local bakery prepare for Valentine’s day. The feeling of contributing to a business that I loved made me feel so accomplished and excited for my own future career. The first long-term job that I held, however, was working at Bear Creek Lake State Park as a Ranger; although the work could be demanding at times, I absolutely loved connecting with the customers. Throughout my time at the park, I had many lengthy conversations with customers about their lives, experiences, and hardships, and it was talks like those that made me feel connected to the world. I was also fortunate enough to attend the Governor’s School of Southside Virginia for the last two years of my high school career, which helped me develop my skills as a student as well as my character in countless ways.
Reflect on the work/volunteer experiences you have had. What did you enjoy, and what did you not?
I have had the honor of being involved in a number of volunteer experiences that I loved. During my senior year of high school, I was in charge of the Outreach program hosted by my school for younger students from surrounding counties. I thoroughly enjoyed organizing the event, interacting with the kids that came, and seeing the program come to life. I also volunteered to help fundraise for my high school’s theater troupe by being an actor in their annual haunted house. Getting to utilize the acting skills I had been building for years to give back to a program that I loved so deeply was a wonderful experience that I have no doubt will be a memory I forever cherish. Last year, I also decided that I wanted to run a book drive for elementary and middle school students. Collecting, organizing, and distributing the books was a much bigger task than I had anticipated, but the joy on the children’s faces when they realized they got to pick out and keep books made it more than worth it.
Although I absolutely loved all of my volunteer experiences and activities, there were certainly difficulties that I encountered. The Outreach program I planned proved how frustrating it can be to work with peers, especially those that are not contributing the same amount of time and effort that you are. I had to make decisions that many of my peers did not agree with for the sake of the event, and had to learn to stand confidently by those decisions. The haunted house, although fun in the end, required a lot of time and dedication, and we simply did not have enough people to do it. This put stress on me and the other members to pull through and support the department. The book drive, too, was an ambitious endeavor, and one that I had taken on alone. All of these events were highly important to me and that is likely why I became so stressed when things became difficult. Although I certainly did not enjoy feeling stressed, I know that each of these experiences taught me valuable skills and lessons that I have and will continue to use.
What hard and soft skills do you possess?
Both hard and soft skills are incredibly valuable to personal, educational, and career growth. For the last four years, I have been developing my public speaking skills, which is considered a soft skill. I was a part of Speech and Debate, in which I competed in the category of Original Oratory. This meant that I wrote and performed a speech on a topic of my own choosing. I was able to secure three state championships and became very knowledgeable about presenting skills such as tone, body language, gestures, and more. I was then given a chance to develop my leadership skills when I was appointed team captain of Speech and Debate my senior year. I supported, encouraged, and guided my fellow teammates through their own public speaking journeys, which taught me multitudes about the importance and difficulties of leadership. I’ve also spent my entire life curating the work ethic that I hold today, a soft skill that I am very proud of. I use my purpose and motivation to drive me towards my goals. Without my work ethic, I would not have been able to accomplish all that I have so far in my life.
I look forward to expanding the set of hard skills I possess in the years to come. Technical writing, which involves knowing how to properly format a piece of writing according to a set of guidelines, is an important part of the career I plan to pursue. I began working on this skill when I started my senior research project in high school, which we had to format in APA (American Psychological Association). I have continued developing this skill in my undergraduate education, where research skills and writing are vital. I have also completed the CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) Research, Ethics, Compliance, and Safety Training online, which is required for conducting research. In addition, I am also QPR certified, which means that I have successfully completed a suicide prevention training program. All of these skills, both hard and soft, can be incredibly useful, and thus should be maintained and grown over time.
If someone were to describe what you were good at, what would they say?
One thing that I am very passionate about that many people compliment me on are my public speaking skills. People generally point out how I speak with ease and confidence, which is very kind. I’m only good at public speaking, though, because I have spent countless hours practicing and building such skills. When people tell me I’m doing a good job, it lets me know that my hard work is paying off. People have also said that I’m very good at time management, which in my eyes, can be both a blessing and a curse. Having time management skills is essential to success in school, but it can also make it difficult for me to maintain a healthy work-life balance. I have to remind myself to take time for myself as well as schoolwork, which is a struggle that most people don’t see. Others usually tell me that I’m kind, as well. Being kind and empathetic is one of my top priorities. I appreciate that others notice how hard I work to be kind and supportive, especially since it can sometimes be a feat. Overall, having a support system filled with encouraging and loving individuals pushes me to build and improve my skills even more.
How has something you have done show that you have NACE career competencies?
For the past four summers, I have worked at Bear Creek State Park as a ranger in various positions. Although considered by some people as simply a “high-school job”, my work required much thought and care. Throughout my time at the park, I had to learn and implement all of the NACE career competencies, which I will continue to use moving forward. Critical thinking, the first of the NACE career competencies, requires in-depth analysis, creativity, and focus, among other skills. At Bear Creek, critical thinking is a core concept that the rangers try to instill in the customers. As an employee, we were expected to be mindful of the park and its inhabitants and to encourage customers to do the same. Some rangers specialized in teaching customers the importance of thinking critically about wildlife conservation and preservation, which is an important part of parks across the nation.
The second career competency, professionalism, was also of high importance. It was vital that I respected the job as well as my co-workers. I always arrived promptly for my shifts, wore my uniform in full, and followed state guidelines. Working in customer service proved to be challenging, but I learned the importance of maintaining my composure and representing the park well. Throughout my time, I had several unfortunate interactions with customers, some of which I had to call in higher authority. These were the times where professionalism was most difficult but also when it was needed the most. Professionalism also involves being a hard-working and trustworthy individual that supports their co-workers in times of need, which I always tried to do to the best of my ability. In short, I would argue that professionalism is much more than just what you wear—it’s a state of mind.
Another NACE competency that I had to demonstrate throughout my job was communication. While communication may sound simple, in practice it can actually be quite difficult to execute. At first, it was very hard for me to be open and honest with my co-workers when I needed help, especially because they were older and more experienced than I was. Over time, however, as I gained experience and confidence, I became a more skilled communicator. I formed close professional relationships with my bosses and colleagues, and it has helped me in numerous ways; in fact, one of my bosses wrote a recommendation letter for the application I sent to Longwood! Communication was also important because we worked in teams during shifts, and teamwork simply cannot be effective without proper communication.
The last career competency, teamwork, is simply unavoidable in any career. Because Bear Creek Lake is such a small park, we also had a relatively small work force. This allowed us to get to know each other–and our strengths and weaknesses–very well. Teamwork is about being able to collaborate efficiently, even when you do not get along with those you work with. I had several co-workers that I wasn’t especially fond of or close with, but, for the sake of professionalism, I continued to work and communicate with them. At the park, I worked with others to help make and deliver food at the snack bar, prep boats at the boathouse, and help keep the park a clean and safe place. Delegating duties to each person required clear and direct communication, which I learned how to do with time. All of these NACE career competencies, although discussed separately, all overlap and intersect with one another, and all of them are highly important.
Resume and Cover Letter
**Please note that the cover letter above is not legitimate and contains fabricated information. This cover letter was created solely for the purpose of this assignment and will therefore not be used for any other purpose.
Presentation of the Self, Impression Management, & Models of Stress
Presentation of the Self & Impression Management
Resumes and cover letters are incredibly important parts of an individual’s career as they serve as their first impression to potential employers. When writing my resume and cover letter, I found myself following many of Erving Goffman’s steps to impression management which he described using the Dramaturgical approach. First, I had to identify the situation at hand by researching the job’s specific qualifications and values. I then used my understanding of the situation to determine what the potential employer would likely expect from me and tailored my resume and cover letter accordingly. The job I selected, a clinical psychologist that works with adolescents, was seeking empathetic, hard-working employees that had completed a doctoral degree in a related field of study. It was difficult to create the resume and cover letter because I have not yet obtained many of the skills and qualifications that the job required, but this of course will be solved with time.
Once I had defined the situation, I then had to persuade the potential employer of my understanding, which was that I would be a great candidate for the position they were offering. I did so by using sign vehicles, as Goffman calls them. Because I was not meeting in person with the potential employer, I could only use language as a form of expression, and so I did my best to describe skills, experiences, and values that I had that would make me a great fit for the job. While writing, I was constantly feeling as if there was a “right” way to create these professional documents and just kept trying to meet them as best I could. This entire process was my attempt at impression management, or in other words, trying to orchestrate my presentation of the self. Of course, it must be noted that although I did my best to convey the self I wanted, there will ultimately be a discrepancy between the expression I wanted to give and the expression I actually gave off. It is my hope that with more time and experience, I will become better at professional impression management so that I can one day obtain a job that I love.
Models of Stress
Stress is an inevitable part of life, and it’s no secret that it has a place in careers, too. I “applied” for a job as a clinical psychologist, which can be known as an emotionally draining and challenging career to pursue. A clinical psychologist is tasked with helping their patients work through and overcome mental illness and struggles, but it can be quite difficult to see others in such emotional distress, especially over long amounts of time. Psychologists who work with adolescents have an extra layer of stress as they must also work with the patient’s parents and families, who are also likely worried and panicked. Lastly, it can be difficult for psychologists to maintain a healthy work-life balance and ensure that they do not attempt to help those in their daily lives who do not need or want help.
There are different coping mechanisms that could explain how an aspiring clinical psychologist such as myself would be affected by and deal with stressors. The differential exposure model, which states that status determines the stressors one experiences, might say that as a woman and young adult I would worry about my financial status and my health. Although clinical psychologists make a good salary, they usually have to pay off school debts that they have acquired. Psychologists are also tasked with taking care of other’s mental health and thus should be mindful of how it affects their own. The differential vulnerability model, on the other hand, would explore how my status influences the coping resources I have access to. I currently live in a rural county which limits the access I have to physical and mental health resources, but by the time I am a psychologist, I will likely be in a suburban or city area. I can also use the salary that I’m making to invest in coping methods, such as therapy, that could help me. My education in psychology and clinical methods will also provide me with the unique ability to teach myself coping mechanisms that I can implement in my daily life.