Topic ID #6808 - posted 1/27/2010 10:08 PM
Massey914
Be all I can be....
Massey914
No, I'm not talking about the military. I'm talking about doing everything I can to assure getting hired or to be appealing to potential employers after I graduate. Aside from the obvious(field schools, and volunteer work), what else will look good on a resume? If I have certification in first aid or cpr, will this be a plus? How about scuba certification? Also, as far as volunteering goes, does volunteering at museums or historical sites(ex: historical forts) look good on a resume alongside your excavation volunteering? Any help would be grateful.
Post ID#17190 - replied 1/28/2010 12:46 PM
McBain05
Well, you are going to have to be a little more specific about what you career path is.
Assuming you are looking at the US CRM field tech market, your best bet is to get plenty of experience (field schools, volunteer, etc) in the region you plan to work in. I had 6 years of experience (3 as a PI) and an MA, but when I switched regions I had to drop back down to being a field tech again.
Scuba training is useful, but not a must have(unless your career path is geared toward underwater resources). First aid helps a lot, but I don't think a lot of employers look for it since their permanent staff is likely to have already been certified. Again, like scuba, it doesn't hurt to have those things.
Volunteering. Employers (again, I am assuming that you are gearing towards the CRM field tech) aren't going to look down on museum or historical site work. But, the more field experience you have the better off you will be. Of course, a lot of volunteer digs are at the Phase III level (Test Units and what have you). Any experience you can gain on the survey level is probably very beneficial, though I have no clue how a volunteer goes about that.
Folks can provide a lot more advice (or point you in the right direction) if you provide some specifics:
Region (or country, if overseas)
Work type (historic preservation, CRM, Fed Agency, Academic, Museum)
Education Level
Experience level (listing what you already have can let folks find the holes in your experience)
For me (and I don't do any hiring), as a Field Director, I don't care what your experience is. Unless it is a Phase III site that happens to be complex, I can teach everything you need to know on the job -- And I don't mind doing that. But, I can't teach you to follow directions, have passion for what you are doing, and a good work ethic. To me, those things are really all that matters. --- But that won't get you hired, will it? :)
Good luck out there.
Assuming you are looking at the US CRM field tech market, your best bet is to get plenty of experience (field schools, volunteer, etc) in the region you plan to work in. I had 6 years of experience (3 as a PI) and an MA, but when I switched regions I had to drop back down to being a field tech again.
Scuba training is useful, but not a must have(unless your career path is geared toward underwater resources). First aid helps a lot, but I don't think a lot of employers look for it since their permanent staff is likely to have already been certified. Again, like scuba, it doesn't hurt to have those things.
Volunteering. Employers (again, I am assuming that you are gearing towards the CRM field tech) aren't going to look down on museum or historical site work. But, the more field experience you have the better off you will be. Of course, a lot of volunteer digs are at the Phase III level (Test Units and what have you). Any experience you can gain on the survey level is probably very beneficial, though I have no clue how a volunteer goes about that.
Folks can provide a lot more advice (or point you in the right direction) if you provide some specifics:
Region (or country, if overseas)
Work type (historic preservation, CRM, Fed Agency, Academic, Museum)
Education Level
Experience level (listing what you already have can let folks find the holes in your experience)
For me (and I don't do any hiring), as a Field Director, I don't care what your experience is. Unless it is a Phase III site that happens to be complex, I can teach everything you need to know on the job -- And I don't mind doing that. But, I can't teach you to follow directions, have passion for what you are doing, and a good work ethic. To me, those things are really all that matters. --- But that won't get you hired, will it? :)
Good luck out there.
Post ID#17193 - replied 1/28/2010 12:58 PM
Massey914
Currently I am still an undergraduate, living in the South, Oklahoma to be specific. I already have a field school, but no volunteer experience at this point(I'm a sophomore). I was hoping to use the next two summers and school years to load up on field schools and various volunteering.
I have not given a huge amount of thought to what work type I specifically want to be in yet, since it seems like people take what they can get now days. I can say that I don't have any reservations about leaving this area(no pun intended). Ideally I would like my work type to be academic, but I think I'm going to take 1-2 years off after grad school to work as a CRM. I would really like to work overseas, but I'm not sure how to go about it at this point.
I guess I just want to vary my volunteering and field schools enough now, that later on I would look appealing to employers in any of these types.
I have not given a huge amount of thought to what work type I specifically want to be in yet, since it seems like people take what they can get now days. I can say that I don't have any reservations about leaving this area(no pun intended). Ideally I would like my work type to be academic, but I think I'm going to take 1-2 years off after grad school to work as a CRM. I would really like to work overseas, but I'm not sure how to go about it at this point.
I guess I just want to vary my volunteering and field schools enough now, that later on I would look appealing to employers in any of these types.
|
Next topic: "What looks good on a resume? " |
|
Previous topic: "USCIS Genealogy Program " |
|
Looking for something else? Show recent posts in Discussion |