![\"Kristin](\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/psychology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/Kristin-Chase-03-Award-e1583508293460.jpg\")
Q: Could you\u00a0describe\u00a0your role with Universal?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nI am the Director of the Organizational Development (OD) department for Universal Orlando. I\u2019ve contributed to Universal since 2003 through consulting and leading employee feedback surveys, performance and talent management, leadership development, mentoring, selection and assessment tool and competency model development, employee research, facilitation, and team effectiveness.\u00a0 I am a 2003 graduate of the UCF Masters’ program in Industrial\/Organizational Psychology, became PHR certified in December 2011, and SHRM-CP certified in February 2015.<\/p>\n
Q: What sparked your interest in OD?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In high school I took a Psychology class and loved it, but realized I didn\u2019t want to go the traditional clinical or counseling route.\u00a0 I took an independent study course in I\/O Psychology at Stetson University, and realized it focused on figuring out why people do what they do and motivating them \u2013 at work!\u00a0 As I networked with friends during grad school who were already employed, I learned that the Organizational Development was the most closely matched field that had several large employers with dedicated departments.\u00a0 By doing an internship with Orange County Government in their Personnel Testing area focused on selection and assessment, I was able to experience the \u201cI-side\u201d of I\/O, and wanted to expand to be in more of what I would call an \u201cOD Generalist\u201d role.<\/p>\n Q: How would you sell OD to current I\/O Masters students who might be interested in the field?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Organizational Development is one of the most common department functions that exist with a direct connection to I\/O Psychology.\u00a0 This function tends to be fairly broad in scope and enable a wide variety of learning experiences that span the scope of both \u201cI\u201d and \u201cO\u201d.\u00a0 When you are an OD practitioner, there is often a focus on consulting within the organization, thus allowing you to directly translate your skills and knowledge from school and learn how to apply them and meet the needs of leaders and employees.\u00a0 There is significant potential for visibility and impact at both the individual, team, and organization level.<\/p>\n Q: How do you think the I\/O Masters\u00a0program helped prepare you for this role and\u00a0work in general post-graduation?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Some of the classes I took such as Statistics and Organizational Psychology built the roots of my knowledge \u201ctree\u201d that I continue to grow each day I\u2019m on the job.\u00a0 Some of the textbooks remain on my shelf as a reference for when those tougher calls have to be made \u201cby the book\u201d.\u00a0 Overall, the discipline and focus of being a researcher that is instilled in almost every course, combined with the practical application of theories that is evident in classes such as Assessment Centers, helped me to build a solid foundation of analytical depth and pragmatism.<\/p>\n Another important skill that I developed in school is presenting findings and engaging audiences.\u00a0 I hone my presentation and facilitation skills almost every week as part of my current job working with everyone from hourly Team Members to senior Executives at Universal Orlando.<\/p>\n Q: What advice would you give current I\/O Masters students looking for internships and full-time positions post-graduation?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAnalytical skills\u201d are a really hot hiring and resume buzz phrase right now.\u00a0 To help assess this when I\u2019m interviewing, I want to hear about specific experiences that demonstrate \u00a0what you can do to mine data, identify trends and patterns, and help those not in I\/O understand what it all means.\u00a0 When interviewing, be ready with detailed examples and come prepared with questions about the company and the position to help \u201cself-assess\u201d if it\u2019s right for you.\u00a0 Seek a broad experience that will both allow you to dabble in different areas of OD, as well as dive deep into one or two specific areas.\u00a0 This will help you more quickly assess if you want to go down the path of \u201cgeneralist\u201d in I\/O, OD, Talent Management, HR or similar areas, or hone in on one particular area of our field.<\/p>\n For those of you without \u201cformal\u201d work experience, highlight your volunteer work and extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership as well as analytical potential.\u00a0 Determine how important it is to you to be part of a larger company versus work on your own in a more independent setting.\u00a0 And last but not least, remember to have fun and build lasting relationships with your co-workers so you have a network to call upon in the future!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March 30, 2015 In February, Kristin Chase ’03 was presented\u00a0an Outstanding AlumKnights Award by the College of Sciences at their annual awards reception. The honor was based on her dedication to the UCF community and accomplishments in the field of psychology. Kristin serves as the Director of Organizational Development for Universal Orlando. We recently interviewed […]","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":309,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-2994","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n