PhD Program - Ahh!!

Hello Followers,


It has been about 2 years since I've last blogged! OMG time flies but ultimately I'm a blogging slacker.


I'm hoping to turn that around with my new adventure (but don't hold me to it) as a PhD student.


I am starting at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology this fall! I will be studying to obtain a PhD in Business Psychology with a focus on Consulting. Most people do not like this school and think it is a waste of time. But I have done a significant amount of research on the school and the program. I am also a pretty smart cookie, so if I feel like that as I begin the program, I will gladly reapply elsewhere.


As of now, I am SUPER excited to get started. The curriculum alone will have my on my toes. I will be learning business and consulting techniques as well as more I/O and HR. We also have a volunteer program that partners with one of the nonprofit organizations I have had my eyes on for the last few years. What better way to get some experience than to volunteer at the organization I'd one day like to work! The program is designed to be completed in 3 years with immediate work on your dissertation topic. The exciting news is that my goal is to continue working at the VA and possibly use some of the data here for my dissertation.


Ok, now back for the reason I am restarting this blog. I hope to have this blog serve several purposes. My main purpose is to have an electronic copy of my dissertation process. This will hopefully include articles I review as well as feedback I obtain along the way. I also hope that one of my post will help another graduate student on their journey. With that being said, as I find articles I believe will help me on my journey, I will repost them here as well.


I think that is it for now! Thanks for reading!


Warmest,
Char


OH: BTWs I go by Char now :)

Internship Review: RECSOLU

Charnetta Brown: Internship Summary

Location

RECSOLU

70 W Madison Ave,

Chicago, IL 60647

(312) 624-8294

Job Title: Research Analyst Intern

Job Summary: As a RECSOLU team member, you will conduct research and engage in analytic activities while contributing innovative ideas to management with an aim to improve relevant methods of inquiry. Among the responsibilities of this position (a) Collect and analyze data and convert it into an appropriate format  such as reports, graphs and charts, to clearly and concisely present the findings to internal and external clients. (b) Identify all existing data sources for a given project. (c) Develop and propose new data sources (i.e.,surveys, case study outlines). (d) Provide advice to sales, marketing and research staff regarding the development of marketing strategies and initiatives to carry out those strategies.

Job Content

Project 1: Develop Surveys for Marketing Events

I developed a pre and post survey used this summer for our annual conference. The pre conference survey was used to gauge what topics our attendees were most interested in learning more about so we could structure our conference to fit their needs. The post conference survey was a follow up to obtain overall satisfaction ratings of the sessions and meals provided. I was also able to obtain feedback on ways to improve the conference for next year. I compiled this data and presented it to the stakeholders of the company and presented recommendations for next year's conference   

Project 2: Development & Implementation of Cultural Fit Tool

I took on the cultural fit tool from another intern. Most of the questions were developed, however these questions needed to be revised to fit the new goals of the survey. I revised the current questions to the cultural fit survey and conducted a pilot study of the tool to understand if we were measuring what we were intending to measure. I launched the survey this fall and collected results from candidates. I have analyzed these results and am in the process of revising questions  and adding questions to get more accurate results for the dimensions we created.

Project 3: Development of Human Resource Functions

When I first arrived at RECSOLU, I noticed the company did not have any HR systems in place. After talking to a manager I developed the first company employee handbook. I also developed several job descriptions to assist with our recruiting and staffing needs. I also played an integral role in hiring for several positions by participating in the full cycle of the hiring process from development of job descriptions,posting positions, sourcing candidates and interviewing candidates. 

Evaluation of the internship experience/site

I really enjoyed interning at RECSOLU. The company culture is very relaxed and young. The company has atrue open door policy when it comes to asking questions and getting feedback.It was very easy to ask for help and volunteer to assist with other projects.The company is very team oriented, so I was able to work on several smallerprojects in different teams to meet client's needs.

Evaluation of RU's preparation for the internship

I believe Roosevelt University prepared me for each project I worked on at RECSOLU. Dr. Wygonik's questionnaire development course gave me the skills I needed to develop the surveys for the conference. The rigorous question development and piloting phase of the course helped me tremendously on the cultural fit project. I was able to apply several concepts from Dr. Sier's Personnel course during my development of several HR functions here at RECSOLU. Lastly, the data analysis and SPSS class taught by Dr. Helford was integral in the factor analysis I ran on the cultural fit tool to help understand the various dimensions the questions were loading on and the story being conveyed. Overall, I think Roosevelt did a fantastic job at preparing me to work on the projects I worked on and I look forward to applying the skills I've learned to future roles.

Grad School... Complete

Hey Everyone,

So I successfully completed grad school in 1 year and a half. Of course, I took summer classes and doubled up on spending time on my paper but hey I'm done :).

Me, Ju Thunya Ariyajarukul (Thunya), Sarah Jones and Jennifer Norman
C/O 2013 - RU IO Graduates :)

So What's next? Well considering it's December and not the "best" time to end school; I'll be finishing up my internship and looking for new employment! I'm sure I will attend SIOP this year so I hope that will open up new doors for opportunity as well! We shall see :)

Review of RU Program:

I really enjoyed Roosevelt's IO Program. Everything I heard in orientation was held to be true and I can't say that for other schools I've visited and from what I have heard from my friends. From Day 1, I felt like I was part of something great, my cohort was so welcoming and we truly had each other's back. I remember staying up countless nights studying together for various test and being able to hang out and drink/dance all the agony of a test away the next night. I've dealt with work challenges and even academic challenges and my cohort was always there by my side. I truly felt like I was a part of a family at Roosevelt, we all wanted to see each other succeed. To add to my experience with my cohort, my professors were truly the foundation for my success. Each professor I encountered, took me under their wing and helped me when I struggled and encouraged me in times of need. They each made sure the class grasp the material to the best of their abilities and was always available when any of us needed them. I was truly blessed to learn form an amazing group of people.

I hope to take all the course work and experiences I've had at RU and apply them to my next job (whatever that may be). I will most definitely recommend RU for a place of study.

My First Pub!

Hello Everyone,

It's official. The research I conducted at Kennesaw State University is published!

Here is the abstract. The link is also posted below if you'd like to read more :)


The Story of Taste: Using EEGs and Self-Reports to Understand Consumer Choice

Abstract
The authors investigate consumers’ willingness to switch from a preferred manufacturer brand to an unfamiliar private-label brand if taste is perceived as identical. Consumer decisions are examined through recordings of electrical brain activity in the form of electroencephalograms (EEGs) and self-reported data captured in surveys. Results reveal a willingness of consumers to switch to a less-expensive brand when the quality is perceived to be the same as the more expensive counterpart. Cost saving options for consumers and advertising considerations for managers are discussed.


Recommended Citation
Brown, Charnetta; Randolph, Adriane B.; and Burkhalter, Janée N. (2012) "The Story of Taste: Using EEGs and Self-Reports to Understand Consumer Choice," The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 5.


Available at: http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/kjur/vol2/iss1/5

Thanks everyone for your support and readership.

End of First Year

So.... The end of the first year has approached!!! So what has happened so far???!!! Welp read and see. 

New Internship

So my internship at DePaul University ended in the beginning of January. Knowing me, I started applying for new internships in December.... I got a few calls and a few interviews which lead to a few offers :) bowing (thank you, thank you). One was exactly what I was doing at DePaul (wanted something different), one was way more than I was ready to do (I didn't feel prepared), two were full time offers (ehh my thesis is more important) and then there is RECSOLU!!!


So RECSOLU is a recruiting solutions company (get it? RECSOLU?, it has a nice ring to it right?). It's a small start up offering RPO, an InternSuite and sourcing/recruiting efforts for Fortune 500 companies. I am the Data Research Intern and I must say I love my job. As the research intern, I am able to apply my statistically analysis and research skills I have learned throughout my undergraduate and graduate career. Wait there is more.... at no additional cost (Prof Helford joke), I am also the HR assistant! I have worked on several HR related projects such as creating the employee manual FROM SCRATCH, developed job descriptions for future interns (and hopefully for current employees), and I will be developing an employee performance review! I am hoping to work on some diversity sourcing and recruiting and the near future as well!

So again, why do I love this place? Well if you haven't figured it out from the previous paragraph, then I'll lay it out for ya. It's a small laid back start up company where I am able to apply to of my passions research and industrial organizational psychology! AWESOME!!!

Classes


So this semester I took Advanced Statistics, Data Analysis & SPSS, and Questionnaire Development. All of the classes were pretty freaking awesome. I had the opportunity to finally get a grasp on several types of regression (don't judge me - regression is a bit much!) as well as some more cool stuff such as Discriminate Functions, Factor Analysis and Canonical Correlations (sounds fancy right?). Of course brushed up on some items I know and love such as Chi Square & Correlation.  Data Analysis & SPSS was by far the coolest class. I had the opportunity to relearn SPSS from a programing/syntax point of view. Lastly, questionnaire development was actually pretty decent. We developed a survey for a company, conducted some pilots, administered the full survey and finally did some analysis and recommendations! Felt like a true consultant!!

SIOP - Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology Conference - San Diego

So, SIOP we meet again! I attended SIOP for the first time as an undergraduate and had a blast. This year was no different! I was able to network from the plane ride in to the plane ride out! I met a few students working on several interesting projects and of course some "famous" authors such as Mike Campion (OMG!!) & Paul Muchinsky!!!

I went to a few sessions on employment law, EEOC, and OFCCP (awesome I know right). As well as some sessions on diversity, selection/staffing, social networking and of course faking!!! Oh and for the research feens and nerds like myself, check out Bookends!! Its a desktop reference tool that collects information from google, galileo and other databases as well as pdf files for each reference in the database. Your able to tag each article multiple times if necessary to include them in your own organization folders as well as produce chronological tracking on articles. This software is awesome!!!! I highly recommend it. I found out about it on the train on the way to SIOP and purchased a students version today!!!

SIOP has always been a fun learning experience for me. I'd recommend it to any I/O Psych interest. Next year it will be in Houston, Texas and SIOP 2014 will be in Hawaii (what?!)!!!!.

I can't forget the fun in San Diego. I had the best tour guides ever!!!! I went down to La Jolla and Coronado Island. Definitely spent time on the beach, played in the water and a really cool cave! Oh and not to mention, I saw some seals!!!  Pacific Beach & Gaslamp District was pretty cool, I got a chance to enjoy San Diego's night life in two different ways! Lastly, I visited Old Town, a historic district. Toured a super scary and very real haunted house!!!!

 

Whats next?? Just in case I get busy this summer.

Thesis Work

I am half way done with my literature review!!!! Once that is complete I'll work on my methods and hope to propose this summer!!! We shall see what happens. 

Travel!

Well I am hoping to do some vacation in GA and NY this summer! I hope I can squeeze a lot of travel in between taking summer courses, working at RECSOLU and working on my thesis! I miss my GA friends and family soo much. Of course, I have heard it through the grape vine that quite a few people miss me too :). So I may pay some people a visit! 

Welp I think that is it for now! :* <3

Consulting.....

There are many fields I/O Psych majors have an opportunity to get into. There is Academia, Corporate, Consulting, HRM, Research, etc. The different fields then have specialized subsets. During orientation, many of the faculty members made a comment saying "MOST grad students come in thinking they are more "I" or more "O" or thinking they want to do Academia or Corporate or Consulting." but as they grow within the program and learn more about themselves and interest these preferences change around a bit. They also suggest that as a graduate student you are in training, so take this opportunity to learn as much as you can, gain as much experience with the field your going into as much as you can, make mistakes and grow from them, because once your done with school and out in the "real world" its a different ball game!

Again, that statement says MOST when it comes to career choices. I'm pretty sure I'm an exception to that statement. I knew going into to grad school that I am definitely "I" and that I wanted to do Corporate or HRM (my research ideas are still everywhere, but thats neither here nor there). This still holds true for me and I also see changing preferences in my colleagues so that statement holds true for other people as well. I was recently given the opportunity to explore the consulting world in an academic/learning setting. The I/O organization, RIOPA, made an announcement to first year students about a Consulting Challenge that we all should get involved in, especially if we'd like to get a field of the consulting world.

So, not knowing much about consulting or if I still didn't want to be in that area, I decided to give it a shot. Our client, National Goliath Bank (I'm pretty sure its a made up company) sent my group a Request for Proposal (RFP) outlining any issues there company was facing. The main things we pulled out of the project were adverse impact issues (resulting from test measure) and the use of an unstructured interviews. While working on this section and thinking of ways to improve these things, we received more information that revealed issues with their performance appraisal system. We spent a few weeks gathering information, deciding on which routes to take to solve the problems presented to us and then had an opportunity to present our results to the company. I've never been through something so mind draining and complicated that wasn't for a grade!

If consulting is ambiguous as this project and as draining as this project, rest assure I am definitely not leaning toward consulting! Now granted, it was definitely a learning experience. I had the opportunity to receive a problem, consult with colleagues about a solution, present solutions to the company, here a rebuttal from the company, address their issues and concerns and overall learn more about the consulting world and know I DO NOT WANT TO BE IN IT!

Graduate school is full of learning opportunities, in and outside of the classroom. It takes an eager student who wants to gain more than classroom knowledge to seek out these opportunities. I write this blog to say, if a learning experience is introduced to you in graduate school, no matter how time consuming and complicated it can be, take the opportunity! You will learn more about yourself and address any thoughts or reservations you may feel about the opportunity and future goals. It can't hurt!! Overall, I really enjoyed the opportunity and I can't wait for more to arise!



"CLASP Consulting - holding companies together since 1996" - My company logo and mission

Grad school so far

So it has been roughly a month into the semester and so much has been going on. I'll start with my academics, tips I've learned so far and then the fun!!!

Academics

I have ADVANCED Research Methods on Monday, Intermediate Statistics on Tuesday and Personnel Psychology on Thursday. I'm sure your wondering why I capitalized Advanced and nothing else. Well let me start by saying this class or better yet the prof and individuals in the class is a joke. I probably shouldn't be speaking my mind like this but I really feel as though my teacher has no idea what he is teaching, I'm in a class of SOME Clincial Psych students and MOST I/O students and my professor has the nerve to call us "Clinicians" you idiot!, oh and the clinical psych students in the class clearly should not be in grad school! Again, that probably isn't right and I could make this whole post dedicated to my professor but i'd rather not get started. Just know that is only the beginning of a long semester! I pray my brain cells aren't dwindling from this class because I have much more to focus on!

Next, we have intermediate stats. Which is pretty good! My prof is my research advisor so that is a bit intimidating. The class is cross listed for undergraduates and graduates and I hope they can hang in there! I remember being in a graduate stats class as an undergraduate and how intimidating it could be! Anywho, I have had one test so far and I think I did horrible considering I was a stats minor but my colleagues seem to think otherwise. But hey it was the first test so now I know how he test, I should do better next time.

Lastly, personnel!!! By far the most interesting class ever! I'm probably being a bit bias because I consider myself an "I" person and this class is all about the "I" side of I/O Psych. So far we have learned about Job Analysis and conducted a Job Analysis!!! Which was tough at first because it requires a lot of time but the end result is sooo worth it! Just to be able to apply what we learn in this class is so amazing!!! We are starting selection this week, which will be the longest and hardest section of the class and the most interesting because I would love to go into selection of course :). The last section will be Job Performance which should be interesting. So lets see, lets see.... Oh I had my first test! I did pretty well, so I'm pleased!

Tips 

1. If your taking a class that you feel you won't learn much in and there is another professor teaching that course, I suggest switching out!!! If I had the time, I would have! 
2. Definitely study in groups! This way you can bounce your ideas and notes off of each other and if you have any questions then you have someone there to answer them or help you figure them out. i think some students are learning this the hard way.
3. If applicable: If you have a lot of reading to do in a short amount of time, divide the readings up amongst a few people and take detailed notes of whichever readings you have. Doing this will give you less to read and as long as you meet your group and discuss in detail the what you read, you should be ok. 
4. Start projects ahead of time, you never know how long a project will take until you start! 

Fun!!

So my schaumburg cohort and my chicago cohort decided it would be a fantastic idea to go out for dinner and drinks/wind down after each test or terribly draining class. Me being the social person I am, jumped on the occasion. I must say I have had the best times with my cohort hanging out after class. Just talking about the most random things over dinner and sharing good laughs definitely helps reduce the stress of graduate school.

Schaumburg is pretty freaking nice! There is a huge mall and various shopping centers across the street from the school and restaurants everywhere, which is awesome for study breaks! There is also movie theatre about 10 mins away. Some students from my cohort went to see the Help after a long stats class and out to dinner after a test. Oh I can't forget to mention this AMAZING place called westwood tavern,  my friend Alex discovered. Its like a high class sports bar! Big screen TVs everywhere, draft fountains at the tables, couches, fireplaces and awesome drink specials!!!!! 

I had the opportunity to explore downtown and the neighborhoods surrounding downtown, as well as try new food and new atmospheres with an amazing group of people. I'm pretty sure I've found my "click". My click is comprised of a diverse group. The main click is 1 black girl (me), 1 white girl (Chandra) 1 indian girl (Mini) and 2 white guys (Nic & Brendan), and whoever else decides to tag along that night.