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Young Forensic Scientists Forum Newsletter - July 2000 Write
a Resume, Find an Internship, Get a Job |
| Eventually, a student must leave the classroom and get a job. This giant leap from student to young worker is composed of many small steps. Three of the main steps are writing a resume, finding an internship, and applying for a job. The YFSF will soon be opening a Web page devoted to helping students with these tasks. In this article, graduate students in the Forensic Science program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have pooled their experiences with taking these steps in order to provide some advice for young forensic scientists. Write a Resume A resume is a summary of your past. Typically, a cover letter will accompany your resume. The cover letter is written specifically for the job and should be different for each resume. Since preparing these items is something every young professional has to do, there are numerous books and Web pages devoted to helping people with this task. These can be very helpful; however, there is so much advice out there, it can be difficult to decide which is the best to take. Although the advice for writing and sending resumes varies, they all agree on following some basic rules. 1. Include a Cover Letter 2. Resumes should contain, in some form, the following sections: • Name and Address • Job Objective • Education and Work Experience 3. Do not list references unless they are specifically asked for. Instead, write "References available upon request" 4. Be brief The best way to begin writing a resume is to first choose a format. There are many different formats, so choosing the right one can be difficult. There are many books on the subject that not only provide examples to follow, but also give advice on which format to use depending on your situation. These books can be found in any book store and typically range from $8 to $15. The Internet is another favorite source for resume information. However, if you search for resumes you will get over 200,000 sites, with less than 10% of them proving to be useful. The following are helpful if you are about to write your first resume: • http://www.jmbcommunications.com/rsz.html • http://www.jobstar.org/tools/resume/index.htm Resume formats can also be found in word processing software or software designed specifically for writing resumes. Elder forensic scientists are another source for suggestions. They may be able to provide you with a copy of their resume so that you can see the format they used. If possible, speak to someone who is involved in hiring new scientists and see what format they prefer. Graduate students at UAB also suggest that if you are a young student looking for your first job in the field, use a resume format emphasizing educational background rather than work experience. Another suggestion is to attend the YFSF workshop at the AAFS annual meeting in February. This seminar gives advice on writing resumes and cover letters specifically for forensic science positions. Find an Internship An internship can provide real experience that can not be achieved through classroom or laboratory work. Internships provide a feel for working in a crime laboratory and can help the student determine the type of work they like or dislike. All UAB students who have taken an internship have had positive experiences. Because some internship positions are not paid, location can be a limitation. The easiest internship to get would be one located nearby the college or university you are attending. It may be possible to intern while taking classes; however, your program may allow students to leave for internships during the summer or during the school year. At UAB, many graduate students return to their hometowns, begrudgingly move back in with their parents, and take an internship at a nearby crime lab. Therefore, most internship positions are obtained by simply contacting the nearby lab where you wish to intern, and asking if internship positions available. Get a Job At the present time, finding job opportunities in forensic science is not very difficult. Overwhelmingly, the best source of job opportunities seems to be the AAFS Web site (www.aafs.org/employ/list.htm). The YFSF Web site has links to other Web sites containing job opportunities (www.aafs.org/yfsf/EducationalResources.html). Also, several UAB students were contacted for interviews after posting their resumes at the AAFS annual meeting. After finding opportunities and sending out resumes, the next step in obtaining a job is performing well at the job interview. Typically, there is only one interview at the lab and it is completed in several hours. As far as travel goes, you will most likely have to pay for your trip to and from the interview. The job interview process at most forensic laboratories will start with an oral interview by either an individual or a panel of administrators and forensic scientists. The oral interview will most likely begin with some general questions, such as, "Tell us about yourself" or "What are your strengths and weaknesses?". The questions will become more specific, asking for descriptions of equipment and procedures. They may also ask you to explain the science behind these methods as though you were talking to a jury. The other sections of the job interview can vary. There may be a written exam covering areas of forensic and general science. In some instances, there may be a brief mock trial, which allows the applicant to demonstrate communication skills. In all forensic laboratories, you will most likely have to endure a background check. These take place after the interview and can last anywhere from several days to several months, depending on where you are applying and the nature of your background. Therefore, you may not begin the job until months after the interview. These three tasks can be stressful for anyone going through them for the first time. Fortunately, everyone has to complete these steps, so the best advice may be to rely on your peers for moral and mental support. |
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© 1999 Young Forensic Scientists Forum / American Academy of Forensic Sciences |