Valuable Skills to Have

• Patience
• Resilience
• Effective Communication
• Creativity
• Enthusiasm
• Dedication
• Adaptability

Student Organizations

• Anti-trafficking initiative
  • provide our community with tools to combat human trafficking by coordinating trainings and resources in collaboration with other human rights organizations.
• Backpack project
  • assist with tutoring both students who wish to pursue higher education and those who are at risk for not graduating. Alongside tutoring, they aid students with homework and preparations for the ACTs and SATs. For less strenuous work, the members get to play learning games with children from elementary classes.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters at Iowa
  • The purpose of Big Brothers Big Sisters at Iowa (BBBS at Iowa) is to connect the University of Iowa community with the mission and activities of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County
• Child life student association (UI)
  • The purpose of UICLSA is to provide further education, understanding and involvement in all areas of child life to Child Life students outside a class setting. This will be accomplished through involvement in monthly meetings, community service projects and involvement in state and national Child Life organizations.
• Dance Marathon
  • The University of Iowa Dance Marathon creates and sustains special projects to provide emotional and financial support and services for pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplant patients and their families treated at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.
• Hawks Fostering Futures
  • Helps young people transitioning out of foster care with the support and resources they need to reach and maintain stability as independent adults.
  • The program aims to develop an evidence-based model to improve secondary education outcomes for young adults aging out of the foster care system.
• Letters of Love
  • Loving community provides emotional support to children battling cancer and other serious illnesses through handmade cards.
• American Camp Association
  • The American Camp Association is a community of camp professionals who, for over 100 years, have joined together to share our knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs.
  • Opportunity to learn powerful lessons in community, character-building, skill development, and healthy living

Areas of Study

• Social justice
  • Students who major in social justice expand their knowledge by integrating theory and engagement with real-world field experiences. They approach social justice through the arts, history, literature, comparative religious studies, political science, philosophy, health education, and gender, women’s, and sexuality studies.
• Criminology, law, and justice
  • Criminology, Law, and Justice major examines issues related to race and ethnic diversity, gender, and poverty, heightening awareness of these important topics. Students learn about sociological explanations for crime and criminal justice; the operation of law and the criminal justice system, including their complex interplay with other institutions, such as the economy and politics; and important data sources on crime in the United States and internationally.
• Education
  • The College of Education produces scholars and leaders in teaching, counseling, psychology, higher education, assessment, and more.
• Ethics & Public Policy
  • Ethics and public policy is an interdisciplinary major that presents perspectives on intersecting issues that connect the study of philosophy, economics, law, political science, and sociology. All of these disciplines involve a focus on practical questions concerning how individuals ought to behave and how they ought to regulate the behavior of others.
• Psychology
  • Psychology is the study of human and animal behavior. There are many areas of specialization within psychology. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa has five areas of emphasis: behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, developmental science, cognition and perception, and social psychology.
  • Psychologists in academic settings teach and conduct research designed to increase our knowledge about behavior.
• Social Work
  • Social Work is a versatile degree delivering critical skills for leaders who want to make social justice work in their communities and the world.
  • The social work major also will prepare you for active engagement with issues of social justice, oppression, and social welfare at the local, state, regional, national, and global levels.

Courses

• SSW: 2222 Intro to Social Work
• SSW: 3797 Child Welfare Policy & Practice
• SSW: 4100 Social Work in the Criminal Justice System
• SSW: 5194 Social Work Practice in Health Care System
• CRIM: 3420 Juvenile Delinquency
• CRIM: 4450 Juvenile Justice: A Sociological Perspective
• CSED: 4176 Child Abuse: Assessment, Intervention, and Advocacy
• CSED: 5222 Counseling Children & Adolescents in Schools
• TR: 1077 Introduction to Child Life
• MUS: 4685 Music Therapy with Children
• NURS: 3631 Nursing Care of Children and Families
• PSY:3030 Social and Personality Development
• PSY:3420 Cognitive Development of Children
• PSY:3560 Psychology of Gender
• SOC:3650 Education, Schools, and Society

Certificates

• Human Rights
• Non-Profit
• Critical Cultural Competence
• Disability Studies
• Interscholastic Athletic/ Activities Administration
• Resilience & Trauma Informed Perspectives
• Public Health
• Counseling

How to Start Working With Children

• Volunteer with Children
• Intern with Children Organizations
• Update Resume Continuously
• Take Child Oriented Courses
• Hone your Childcare skills

Organizations to Intern or Volunteer With

• Iowa Child Advocacy Board –
  • provide citizen involvement in child welfare issues
• 180 Degrees Teen Center & Crisis Housing –
  • provides services for physical/emotional care for teens and families
• Four Oaks –
  • Family approach to better the children
• Ronald McDonald –
  •  aide families who experience a child with medical problems
• Salvation Army –
  • Christian company that helps families to have access to their everyday needs
• Iowa Youth Writing Program –
  • engages k-12 students to use their skills and better their writing
• Strive for Success Academic & Enrichment Youth Center –
  • after school programs to help at risk youth to achieve a feeling of success
• Iowa Children’s Museum –
  • encourage kids to play and encourage families to come together
• West Liberty Youth Dream Catchers –        [GD1] 
  • This program is for students selected for the Dream Catcher scholarships. An individual mentor meets with each Dream Catcher once a week.
  • Mentors have a desire to work with children and a commitment to make a difference.
• 4Cs –
  • All children have an equal learning opportunity and are able to reach their full potential in a school setting
• Big Brothers Big Sisters –
  • help children realize their potential and have a excitement for the future
• Girl Scouts -
  • Encourage young girls to make new friends and explore new interests
• Little Angles Learning Center -
  • Provide children with safe and loving care
  • Getting the children involved and strengthen family bonds
• Take a Kid Outdoors -
  • Provide outdoor activities and experiences for children
• Iowa Chapter of Children Advocacy Center
  • Provide guidance and support to Iowa Child Advocacy Centers
• Upward Bound -
  • Prepare those who are close to attending college
  • Focused on high school students in low-income families and first-generation students.
• United Action for Youth -
  • Work with youth and their families to provide necessary services to teens.
• Foundation 2 -
  • Suicide prevention and emergency youth shelters provided
  • Safer community for families
• Quakerdale Family Services -
  • Provides counseling and therapy services for families in need
• Tanager Place -
  • Programs that focus on preventions and treatment for teens and adults

Engines

• LinkedIn
  • Build your own brand
  • Research companies
  • Build connections
• Indeed
  • Easy to search
  • Variety of work places
  • Store your resume for easy application process
• Imagine PHD
  • Catered towards those with PhD
  • Take an assessment to find the best options for you
• Handshake
  • Help find jobs or internships
  • Include classes and previous experience
  • Easy to search
  • Consistently sends recommended jobs
• Careers.social workers.org
  • Able to search jobs or post jobs
  • Featured job section
  • Catered towards those wanting a social work field
• www.iachild.org
  • Career center link at the top of the first page
  • Easy way to find jobs catered towards those wanting to help children and their families

Informational Interviews

Informational Interviews are helpful to explore what a day in their typical day/week look in their field, industry and current position. Here are a couple of tips to get started with your next informational interview

Network

• Join groups on Facebook or LinkedIn that cater to your interests, you’ll be able to connect with other individuals with the same interests.
• Don’t be afraid to use online platforms to reach out to individuals in career fields of interests! Sending them an email or message introducing yourself and why you are interested is a good way to reach out to them,
• Pomerantz has a sample example that gives you a rough outline to use to email the person you are planning to interview!
  • Scroll towards the end, the University of Iowa’s Pomerantz Center has an example of a sample email to send to potential informational interviews.

https://careers.uiowa.edu/informational-interviews

What’s Next

• Research the individual you are planning to interview! It's important that you know a bit about them before you meet with them, that way you can ask informative questions.
• a couple question examples;
  • How did you get started in the field?
  • What kind of advice do you have for someone looking to get into this field?
  • What education or experience is required to get into the field/ Are there alternative ways to gain experience?
• Review your questions.
• Check out these websites that give more questions to ask at an informational interview!
  • National Association of Social Work “Informational interview Questions to ask"
  • The Best Questions To Ask in an Informational Interview

During the interview tips

• Greet the interviewer with a handshake and a smile.
• Know the interviewer's name, its spelling, and pronunciation.
• Keep questions short, so be mindful of your time. it’s important to be respectful of your interviewee’s time.
• Close on a positive, enthusiastic note.

5 Questions to Ask During an “Informational Interview”

Don’t forget to send a Thank You Note!

• Lastly, do not forget to follow up with the person you interviewed, send a thank you note to everyone you interviewed thanking and expressing our appreciation for their time and advice.
• Provide your contact information in case they want to reach out in the future.
• For more tips check out the following site below!

For more tips and advice, check out the following site: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/what-to-expect-in-informational-interview

Resumes

• Step 1: Before writing your resume, research some job listings and find similar characteristics they are looking for. Target your resume to what is important to employers.
• Step 2: Include your education, volunteer experience, work experience, and other important achievements. Be sure to include dates and possibly a reference. Use “power verbs” to describe your experiences.
• Step 3: Keep things relevant.  If certain skills or experiences do not relate to a particular job, then do not include it.
• Step 4: In addition to step 3, your resume should be visually pleasing and consistent throughout. Information should be concise while still showing your best qualities. Always limit your resume to one page, unless told otherwise.

Cover Letter Tips

• Tailor every cover letter for the role you are applying for, do not send the same letter for every job!
• Grab the reader's attention! Write an attention-grabbing introduction to stand out in your cover letter!
• Add evidence of your successes to show why you’d be a great fit for the role
• Highlight your hard skills and soft skills!
• Thank them for taking their time to read your cover letter at the end of the cover letter
• Don’t forget to review your cover letter before submitting!
  • For more tips, check out this link: https://careers.uiowa.edu/sites/careers.uiowa.edu/files/2022-02/EdCoverLetterTips_0.pdf

Interview Etiquette & Tips

Practice!

• Practice and prepare before the interview stories that showcase your experience in the field.

Prepare Questions!

• As you are preparing for the interview, bring pre-written questions for your interviewers (at least 2-3 questions), Don’t forget to ask those questions!

Be on Time

• Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early! Make sure you are ahead of your schedule to prevent unexpected delays!

Virtual Interview Tip

• If the interview is being held through zoom, eye contact is still important. Raise your camera to an eye level. If you have a laptop, prop it up on a couple of books. This keeps your gaze from pointing down.

Listen carefully to the interview questions!

• Ask for clarification or restate if needed, but make sure you fully understand the question that is being asked.

Close on a positive note!

• Thank the interviewers and end with a positive attitude. Don’t forget to send them a thank you letter for taking their time to interview you.

For more tips and information on how to prepare for an interview, check out these sites!

• https://careers.uiowa.edu/careerbuzz/201509/10-things-do-right-interview
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/job-interview-etiquette
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/job-interview-tips-how-to-make-a-great-impression

If you're interested in learning more about Child Welfare, get in contact with the University of Iowa’s School of Social Work through these links:

• School of Social Work Faculty - The University of Iowa
• School of Social Work Staff - The University of Iowa