I conducted an informational interview with a Civil and Criminal defense lawyer in New York City. He has been associated with this profession since twenty five years. He spends most of his time dealing cases in Kings County.   ·                      What types of criminal defense matters do you handle? The first case that I dealt in court was an arson case. On average, I handle about 2 homicide cases per year. Most common cases are drug cases and white collar crime . I have also handled thousands of DUIs (Driving under the Influence) and a handful of sex crimes over the years. I handle both misdemeanors and felonies. ·                      Can you tell me about a typical day on the job? There is no such thing as an average day for an attorney, you might spend whole day...

Since taking SD 11, what have you learned about yourself and your career? Before taking SD 11 class I just had a vague idea about the career I wanted to pursue which was management in Criminal Justice. I was not sure about the procedure to land in a professional field or how to access resources which can be very useful to get the job I am interested in. It’s only after taking this class I had an opportunity to explore resources such as self inventory exercise and other websites that give a profound knowledge and specific statistics about the job I want to achieve. Peer discussion and review was another great idea practiced in the class to augment confidence and explore other professions. This class has helped me to be more honest about my weakness and strengths academically and professionally . This class is a great fun way to improve your professional skill and be more realistic about job market. During this class I came across the poss...

An Informational Interview with an Entrepreneur                                       By Seva Soloviev                              My experience interviewing my friend Samet was a rewarding one. I had worked for him in Woodbridge Mall a few winters ago managing a seasonal Christmas store. His attitude and work ethic led me to respect him far greater than most people that I have ever met in my life so far. He is a young man in his late 20’s that is ambitiously working towards achieving financial freedom in his life. He has owned and many businesses and held many jobs and today he is an owner of many small stores in mall all over the east coast and now is working towar...

1. Research the company/ organization you are trying to work for. 2. Write down a series of questions you might be asked in an interview. Practice answering them. Have a friend help you out. 3. Try to travel to the interview site before the interview to have an idea of how long it takes to get there and not run the chance of getting lost. 4. Confirm the date of the interview, the time, place, and your interviewer’s name. 5. Dress in Professional attire. For example a black suit and tie with a white button up shirt underneath and a pair of dress shoes for men. For woman, a suit or black dress pants and a button up shirt. Keep makeup and jewelry simple or have none at all. Make sure you are neatly groomed. If you are not sure research proper interview attire. 6. Arrive at least 15 minutes early to the interview. 7. Make sure to make eye contact, smile, give a firm handshake, and be friendly and professional to everyone. 8. Be positive and give positive ans...

There are some resources/services I wish I would have taken advantage of earlier while attending Kingsborough. It would have made my life a bit easier. One of the services is the Academic Advisement Center. Go to that office to make sure you know which courses are needed to meet your degree requirements. Otherwise you’ll be like me with a whole bunch of credits that aren’t needed. The office is located in room M 201. It will help you find out what you need and/or direct you to other resources and services which may be helpful to you. Another office that’s helpful is Human Resources located in room A 201. If you are interested in finding employment within the school, then come there. If you are eligible to do Federal Work Study, it is in here too. Not only is it possible to gain employment, it’ll give you work experience if you have none. It can also look nice on a resume. I wish I found out 3 semesters ago. It could have saved me the hardship of trying to magically find ...

KCC Student Top 10 Tips to Prepare for a Job Interview 1)       Find a job. Research a company. 2)       Apply for the job. Submit the job application online. 3)       Looking over potential interview questions. 4)       Prepare for the interview. Wear a professional suit. 5)       Go to the interviewer’s office. Make sure that you go at least 15 minutes early. 6)       The Interview. Introduce yourself to the interviewer and shake their hand. 7)       Pay attention and listen carefully. Understand what is said; think about your answer before you speak. 8)       Answer the questions. Answer with confidence. 9)       Ask the interviewer questions. Asking questions shows you are interested. 10)   Follow up. Send the interviewer an email ...

Since taking SD 11, how have your thoughts about your career goals changed and what have you learned?                   I must say SD11 is one of the best and most relevant classes I have taking while attending Kingsborough Community College. SD11 really puts you in a good position to find out what you want to do as a profession. The semester began with the Strong Interest Inventory, an online assessment that helped you find careers based on your personal interests. The students also were given access to other websites that allowed us to learn specific aspects of a specific career. For example, we learned about income, responsibilities, work environment, how to start in a profession, and also sources to indulge deeper into the career.                 We learned about resume and cover letter development. Our teacher taught ...

What have you learned about yourself and career goals in the SD11 class? The Career Planning SD11 course is a great course that helped me in my pursuit to learn more about myself and the options I have available to me. I learned about what line of work my personality and values would suit more comfortably. I discovered that I must pursue a career in administration which is a logical match for my current major of business administration.                 A major help in the class was the revision of my resume and the collaboration with the Office of Career Development in Room C-102 to help me prepare for a job interview by scheduling and coming in for a mock interview. I learned how to create and use a blog. In addition, I enjoyed learning how to properly create a cover letter as well as a thank you letter, which I can send to an employer after a job interview. My experience in this class made me realize how...

             I spoke to a Police Officer named Dave today. He definitely gave me the 411 on being an officer and everything it entails. Officer Dave works in the Transit Division, which mainly deals with being on the field at MTA Locations. He’s been on the job for twenty two years, and will soon retire. He works a midnight shift and shared that this shift is very hard work because of the non-natural hours that have to be worked. When he comes into the precinct he has to undergo Roll Call, receive his assignment of the day, be briefed on crimes that happened prior to his shift, and file reports. Officer Dave noted that as a Police Officer in the Transit Division you get more robberies than anything else.             I asked Officer Dave “Why a police officer and not a sanitation worker?” Just like many officers, Officer Dave, has always wanted to be a cop when he was a kid. He took the Police...

Most people write resumes because everyone knows you have to have one to get a job. And so they write their resumes reluctantly, to fulfill the requirement. It’s a mistake to think your resume as a history of your past job experiences, or some sort of self-expression. Sure, you have to provide some sort of job history but keep in mind resume is a type of advertisement. It represents you on the paper and it’s a first step towards your dream job. You have to keep it interesting. Imagine, you apply for a job that seems absolutely perfect for you. You send your resume with a cover letter to the employer and several hundred to thousands of people send their resume to the same employer. Now you are facing a great deal of competition. The prospective employer is going through the stack of resume grudgingly, he is bored and sleepy going through different resume with the same templates, objectives, and even skills. Now imagine he is going through your resume and his eyes get wide-aw...

Yeah!   Its, that time when you come out of your high school bubble and think about what you want to do in life. You start to feel the pressure and everybody’s been asking you what you want to do?   What college you going to? What’s your major and what you plan to do with that degree? And you just wish to go in the future to see what you would end up doing. Worry not, in a normal world people changes their career from between “three and seven times over the course of their working lives.” We all know people change and their needs changes too. So overtime what you might think is the only option and your life depends on it, there is good news for you it’s not always life or death. It’s okay if you didn’t make it into the nursing program or something else there are a lots of options out there you just need the resources that can lead you there. Find out what you naturally good at, some of the questions to ask your self are: Are you a people’s person or a loner? ...

1- Academic Advisement - receive information and guidance on their choice of major, selected courses and academic progress throughout the year 2-The Department - An organizational unit that offers courses in a specific subject area or a specific group of subjects 3- Career Development Center - offers various resources to assist you in your job search and career exploration 4- Financial aid Office - Where you can go to be given scholar, loans, grants, stipends ships, and part- time jobs that make it financially possible for a student to attend college or find out your finical aid status 5-Registrar's Office - Maintains academic records for all students and is responsible for the registration of students into classes after they have been admitted to the college. Located in A101 I believe the five things I’ve listed are things you should know when you first arrive to Kingsborough so you can be familiar with the school. All of these things are beneficial in guiding you...

1. Create a Resume. 2. Do your research of the company you are applying to. 3. Prepare a cover letter. 4. Do practice interviews . (Doing a mock interview can help you feel relax- because you can anticipate what to expect) 5. Look professional. 6 . Arrive 15 minutes early. (Better to be early, in that way you can have time to settle down and not be in a rush) 7. Smell nice. Not strong. (Don't apply heavy perfume or smoke right before the interview. A breath mint is good but no chewing gum. But if you only have gum at least get rid of it before you walk into the office) 8. Have everything you need. (Direction to the place, a printed copy of your application or resume and phone numbers of references. It's better to have them and don't need them, then to need them and don't have them.) 9. Think of your own questions. (Because at the end interviewers always ask, “What questions do you have for me?" Saying nothing looks bad and the e...