by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jul 27, 2010 | Tuesday Time-Out, Who-Dos
As mentioned in earlier posts, toward the end of each month, we’ll take suggestions for people who are putting their purpose to work in higher education, by doing good things to help the field move forward in some way, to recognize as a “Who-Do.”
Who-Dos are knowledgeable, and highly regarded for their work, but they put that knowledge into action, and actively move conversations along, not just by talking about ideas (they certainly do that, as well) but by teaching others how to do what they know how to do. Unlike self-proclaimed “Gurus,” they are meeting us as equal partners in conversations about the future of higher education, the programs and services we provide, and how we prepare the next generation of professionals to meet the challenges that come with change.
All four of this month’s nominees are moving these conversations along through successful use of new media, especially blogs and Twitter. Please take a few moments to consider who has had an impact on you and the field this month, and cast an advisory vote for one of the nominees (or nominate someone else you think is deserving.) Add some thoughts in the comments section. And look out for a post after the poll closes.
- Ed Cabellon, Director of the Campus Center at Bridgewater State College, has compiled one of the most comprehensive Twitter Lists of Student Affairs Professionals, published tutorials on how to use Twitter, and hosted uStream conversations with some higher ed luminaries through his blog.
- Rey Junco, a professor at Lock Haven University, co-wrote Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know about Today’s Students and Using Emerging Technologies to Enhance Student Engagement. He was recently featured in a video interview with Ed Cabellon and on the BreakDrink.Com/Campus Tech Connection podcast (along with Cabellon).
- Eric Stoller is an academic advisor, technology consultant and social justice advocate. He recently joined the ranks of InsideHigherEd’s technology bloggers, with his new regular blog, Challenge and Tech Support.
- Women in Housing is a hashtag chat on Twitter (#wihsg) where women working in housing can share perspectives on issues, connect with other women who work in housing, and highlight the voices of women in the field.
All of these people are deserving of recognition, as are many more. I’ve chosen 4 nominees who have been mentioned to me several times this month for their recent accomplishments or interactions. Now I’d like your input. Please take a few moments to participate in the TWTPOLL and help decide who will be recognized this month. Please be sure to add your comments, as well.
At the end of the academic year, there will be a process for choosing someone to recognize as a “Who-Do” of the year.
by Bryan Koval | Jul 22, 2010 | Career Skills, Doctoral Study
Bryan Koval recently transitioned to a new position at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Transition is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. In the past 3 weeks, I have resigned from an old job, started a new job, moved from rural central Pennsylvania to the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and begun living apart from my partner (with whom I have been living for the past 7 years). It has been a very up-and-down few weeks. The excitement of new opportunities at Carnegie Mellon University and in Pittsburgh has been tempered with the anxiety that goes along with opening up a new chapter in my career and personal life.
In a roundabout way, thinking about my current transition has helped me to reflect on our students and the important transitions that they experience while living matriculating through higher education. In many ways the business of higher education is all about transition. Each semester sees new students arriving on campus while others depart. During their time with us students choose majors, study abroad, take on leadership opportunities and learn more about who it is that they are, and who they hope to become. We are constantly surrounded by transition.
As you think about your role in higher education, how do you see yourself being a resource to your residents as they experience the many transitions that are a part of the college experience? Schlossberg (1995) defines transition as “any event, or non-event, that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles.” By that definition, transitions are happening all of the time! Schlossberg identified four major sets of factors that influence how well a person can cope with transition (Evans, Forney, & Guido-DeBrito, 1998). Let’s identify those factors, and reflect on how we can help our students to manage transition effectively.
Situation: Important factors include the timing of the transition, the duration of the transition, and previous experiences with similar transitions. During a major change, individuals will also be dealing with concurrent stresses and questions about whether or not they feel in control during the transitions. Working closely with students on campus, we may have some real insight that our students would benefit from. We also function within the situation . . . but as someone on the periphery of the situation we may have some unique perspective on the situation.
Self: During transition, we think about who we are in terms of demographic characteristics (socioeconomic status, gender, etc.) and psychological resources. How has our background prepared us to manage this transition? As higher education professionals, we can play a role in helping students to know more about who they are through programming, conversation, and our relationships with each other.
Support: To manage a transition, individuals need to feel a sense of support. A supportive community is one of my favorite aspects of the work I do with students in residence halls and apartments. What can we do as higher education professionals to make sure that everyone in our community feels that they will receive affirmation, assistance, and honest feedback when they need it?
Strategies: To manage transition, you need a plan in order to proceed. When we talk to our students about their transitions (or when they come to use for mentoring and guidance), how can we help them to move forward in productive ways, while leaving it up to the student to decide how best to move forward?
As I come to the end of this blog post, it dawns on me that I have described Schlossberg’s theory meerly as advice for helping students. In reality, this would be a great theory to review if you supervise new staff members or are staying connected with individuals who are leaving your organization and moving on to new positions elsewhere. Best of luck as you transition for Fall 2010, with whichever events (or non-events) come along with that!
References:
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Schlossberg’s transition thoery. In Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 107-122). San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Schlossberg, N.K., Waters, E.B., & Goodman, J. (1995). Counseling adults in transition (2nd ed.). New York: Springer.
Interested in reading more? This title is available at Amazon.Com. Purchase through the affiliate link below to support this site.
by Mickey Fitch | Jul 21, 2010 | Career Skills, Job Search
It is the nature of our work to shift jobs a bit more often than some of our counterparts in other industries. As student affairs professionals, we are the Gumbys of the higher ed world—we flex to changing hours, additions/deletions to our job descriptions, and even locations of offices and workplaces on campus.
Similar to other industries, however, our field sees a lot of our turnover around fiscal year-end/start in July. In our online #sachat twitter community, several of us are starting new positions and decided to share thoughts about what its like to be in a new role. By answering a few basic questions about our new positions, we hope to provide some insight into role changing for our readers, and also get you interested in speaking with us more in the future on BlogTalkRadio.
First of all, what is your new position title and university? When do you start (or did you)?
Shannon: Residence Hall Director/Student Activities Coordinator at Lyndon State College in Vermont. I start July 19th, so just over a week from now.
Mickey: Assistant Director of Residence Life at University of Wisconsin-Superior. I started June 14th, so I’ve been in my role for about a month.
Becca: Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Leadership at the University of North Carolina – Pembroke. July 1st start date.
What is your professional preparation/background coming into this position? (other positions, fields, education, etc)?
Shannon: This is my first full-time position after graduating with my Master’s degree in College Student Affairs Leadership this past May. As a graduate student I had assistantships in Career Services and Residence Life, and did Internships in Summer Conferences and Service Learning.
Mickey: Previous to this I worked for a short time as Associate Director of Student Life at University of Maine at Machias, and prior to that was a full-time Hall Director at Iowa State University for four years. I did my graduate work (and was a grad hall director) at Minnesota State University, Mankato ’03-05 and did my internship teaching a life skills preparatory course. I did my undergrad ’99-03 at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where I got my start as a Community Advisor!
Becca: My education includes a M.Ed in Higher Education Administration from Kent State University and a B.A. in English, Journalism, and Applied Writing from Ashland University. During graduate school I worked at Baldwin-Wallace College as a GA in Greek Life and Leadership. I also completed internships in International Student and Scholar Services, New Student and Parent Orientation, and Student Conduct/Residence Life. As an undergraduate, I interned in Greek Life and orientation for two years as well.
What resources (networks/specific tactics/webpages/people/social media) were key in the search to find (and get) this position?
Shannon: Higher Ed Jobs became my best friend for searching by type of position or in the states I decided I wanted to live in. The #sachat network on Twitter was a great resource in learning how to read into a job description a bit more, decide what type of position was best for me, and general motivational support.
Mickey: Without a doubt my number one resource was my network through UMR-ACUHO. I’ve been part of that organization for 7yrs now and those folks are like family to me. I felt that a number of my colleagues were very interested in helping me get back into the region and back into a residence life role, and most of all, in Wisconsin! Second to that I would say HigherEdJobs.com was incredibly helpful. At the time of my search, I was still a newbie on Twitter, although that community was very helpful to me when it came time to do on campus interviews and ultimately accept and negotiate for my current position.
Becca: I visited the career services office at Baldwin-Wallace College to have my resume critiqued and gained feedback from my supervisor, @Kathy_Petras, and friends. Many members of the #SAChat community were integral to my job search, including @clconzen and @edcabellon, who helped review my resume and prepare for interviews. Social Media played an interesting piece in my job search as well. ( http://edcabellon.com/tech/twitters-impact-on-my-job-search/) I followed several potential supervisors, universities, and department accounts during my job search to gain insight into the positions I was pursuing. I interviewed for several positions at ACPA and subscribed to additional position postings from higheredjobs.com.
How did you utilize your references and mentors in your search process?
Shannon: References were great because most were current or past supervisors, so if there was a job I was applying for where I didn’t have one of the desired experiences they worked to find a way to get me that experience to stay extra competitive. They also put up with me during the ups and downs of the whole process. My mentors were great because they WEREN’T with me every day. They offered a great outside perspective on things, and since they worked at schools across the country, they were able to give me great perspective on what life was like in other areas of the US. Stacy Oliver, in particular, became known for her “Parking Lot Pep Talks” that started in the parking lot on her campus after I drove down to visit, have lunch, and get some advice.
Mickey: I have always been in the practice of sending weekly “reference update” emails to me actual references, and informal (yet similar) updates to my mentors/other colleagues that might get a cold call (see my previous post on this). I sent (and received) a lot of email during my search, especially because I was struggling with being unemployed for a longer amount of time than expected. These folks were both a personal and professional support to me, and also offered me opportunities to continue to grow my skills through being keynote speakers at their winter trainings. This is also how I got connected with Sean and Higher Ed Career Coach and Life Coach and grew my professional skills to the online world.
Becca: My references helped me to reflect on and articulate my previous work experience as I prepared for interviews. I was able to process my interviews with supervisors and mentors after the fact to determine institutional fit and to prepare for second interviews. I was lucky to have a mentor with me at ACPA to debrief with between interviews and to re-energize during the process.
What are your initial goals in your new position?
Shannon: Since my job is in both Residence Life and Student Life I really need to learn the culture of each office when I arrive. For the residence life half my goals are to create a strong Community Council in my hall (always a bit difficult with an all-first-year building) and to create some quality programming, some that will hopefully become yearly traditions. For the student life half I’m working with overseeing all the student organizations so I’d like to create some Leadership development programs, and also resources/workshops for student organization advisors.
Mickey: I believe I am just about wrapping up my initial time frame for my immediate goals, which were to 1) network/form initial relationships with the campus life team and other colleagues on campus. 2) tons of reading on our shared drive (policies, previous documents on programs, etc) 3) start laying major groundwork on the training schedules and programs for the fall that are under my supervision (hall managers, assistant hall managers, academic resource coordinators, intern, etc). Now its on to Phase 2 of my goals!
Becca: 1) Get to know my new colleagues and students. 2) Find opportunities to share resources and to collaborate on evening and weekend programming. 3) Develop evening and weekend programming to match the learning outcomes set by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.
What things are you making sure NOT to do in your new job?
Shannon: Hopefully I will not get too overwhelmed! Again, having a dual position I’m hoping to not get too focused on one half of it, to the detriment of my other responsibilities.
Mickey: Work/check email constantly at home. In this position I am personally making it a goal to strive for as much balance as possible and I truly feel like I am really getting there (which is rare for our profession). I’m also trying to not make “this is how it is/should be” statements based on past experience, but rather ask questions of why certain things are done a certain way, if there is flexibility, etc.
Becca: I am not pretending to be the expert. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be the first person to fill the Assistant Director position and to contribute to the Leadership mission of the office– but I am not pretending to be an expert. Rather, I am excited to be a part of a team and to bring my perspective to the table.
What things are you making sure TO do in your new job?
Shannon: Definitely making sure to develop strong bonds with my coworkers, and with/between my student staff members.
Mickey: Spend time with my new team. Eating lunch with them everyday, and hopefully hanging outside of work soon. Building those trusting relationships so that they can count on me as a person and colleague and vice versa. Also making sure to ask a TON of questions and taking TONS of notes (I need an iPad or something). I’ve started keeping a few different files on Evernote as well (can sync between my iPhone/work computer/home computer) that are: 1) the idea file (future ideas), 2) observations, and 3) areas for development. Taking notes is key for me.
Becca: Ask questions and listen to the answers. Learn the culture of the institution, the students, and the community. Engage in professional development opportunities and apply the new knowledge to my work.
Any advice for SA folks still searching in mid-July?
Shannon: Get excited about the possibility of jobs outside Residence Life. I noticed that as I got to the end of the semester/into summer a lot more Student Life/Student Activities jobs opened up. I’ve noticed now that even more Academic or Career Advising and Admissions jobs are opening. There’s still hope, and still lots of time before fall semesters start.
Mickey: Be more broad/less picky in what you are looking for, because in student affairs you get to do a little bit of everything anyway, so you might as well start broadly (if you are entry level). It really concerns me when I see folks straight out of school (whether undergrad or grad) that are focused only on one or two areas when they just need to jump in to a position and get experience. Make it known that you have many interests so that you can do your main role and other small projects once you are hired. For mid-level folks who are still searching, I would say….save as much money in all areas of your life as possible. As someone who was unemployed (by choice) I had to make a lot of tough financial decisions and ask for a lot of help/support from those around me because I knew it was going to be a harder/longer process to find that right mid-level fit. Be ok with that, and be humble with your process.
Becca: Ask for help. The professionals in our community are eager to see each other succeed and are willing advise you through the process if you ask for help. In addition to your mentors, utilize your resources as much as possible: stay current in the field by reading The Chronicle, blogs, participating in weekly #sachat conversations (http://thesabloggers.org), and publications from your functional areas of interest.
Other tips/tidbits you want to add?
Shannon: Even if you don’t fit every qualification on a job application, apply anyway. Don’t tell yourself no, let them decide that. Moreover, be yourself. Lots of policy and qualifications can be taught. Personality can’t.
Mickey: If you don’t have a well-established network (references, mentors, friends, supportive family, etc) then focus your efforts ALWAYS on growing and nurturing that network. Research (and personal experience) supports that these people are the ones that more and more are helping us find and secure jobs, and are also the ones that support us the best in our first few weeks and months on the job. Grow your network! Also, ask lots of questions, and don’t ever think that they are dumb or unworthy. Sometimes forcing someone to answer your question helps them realize that their methodology or program has never been questioned, or it can also help display your interest in what they have going on!
Becca: Be open-minded. A position description and university website give you a partial picture of a job, just like your resume and cover letters do. Dig deeper and look for opportunities.
While being a new employee and new to a university can look different for everyone, we hope that we’ve given insight into what it can be like for three folks at different places in their careers to approach a new position. Join us this Friday at 11 a.m. EDT on the Higher Ed Life & Careers Blog Talk Radio show with Sean Cook to hear more about our new roles and being new employees!
Have thoughts, questions, or comments? Please leave them below, or feel free to follow us on Twitter @slhealy, @mickeyfitch, & @beccafick!
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jul 20, 2010 | Career Skills, Coaching, Job Search, Monday Morning Quarterback, Podcast, Who-Dos
A year has somehow passed since I first registered HigherEdCareerCoach.Com and HigherEdLifeCoach.Com, so today’s Tuesday Time-Out is a recap of important events in our first year. Thanks to all our readers and guest posters, and to all the other people who have supported and sustained the sites through this critical first year.
Some milestone events during year 1:
2009:
- July 11th, 2009. I registered higheredlifecoach.com with GoDaddy. Less than a week later, I decided that I wanted to host my site at Fatcow (aff. link), because they are geared toward small business, and host their servers with wind energy. I registered higheredcareercoach.com as well (this time through Fatcow).
- August 4, 2009: Published 1st post on HigherEdCareerCoach.Com. First month: 35 readers total.
- At the end of September and beginning of October, I attended the coach certification program, and posted a couple of video diary posts.
2010:
- In the new year, I started blogging more regularly on both sites, and recruiting guest writers, to broaden the perspectives offered beyond my own.
- As Placement season revved up, Higher Ed Career Coach began to feature articles on placement. In one, at the end of January, we began a ongoing Twitter hashtag conversation around the placement experience (#saplacement) to allow employers and prospective employees to share comments, questions, and tips related to job searching and the national and regional placement exchanges.
- In February:
- Bryan Koval became the first guest blogger, with the first installation of his “Doctoral Student from a Distance” series.
- Shannon Healy began chronicling her job search in what would become an 11-part series on her student affairs job hunt.
- Shonda Goward from FirstGenerationUniversity and I traded guest posts on each other’s sites. This would be the first guest post exchange for either site.
- Broadcast the first episode of the Higher Ed Life and Career Show on BlogTalkRadio
- The first episode had 10 live listeners and Bryan Koval guest hosted.
- The highest number of live audience members was 34, for “The Value of Twitter in Your Job Search,” with guests Mike Severy, Becca Fick, and Mallory Bower.
- So far, episodes of the show have been listened to 1,042 times.
- In March, Mickey Fitch began writing periodic posts for both sites, followed in April by Mallory Bower. Regular contributors and guest posters are now a regular part of both sites.
- In April and May:
- We ran articles and did radio shows on dealing with disappointment in your job search, staying motivated, and starting over.
- We also celebrated the graduation of many members of our reader and contributor community.
- I introduced my first hybrid coaching program (“8 Weeks to August”) for job seekers starting over with their search, featuring online activities, 1-on-1 coaching, mock interviews, and the opportunity to be featured on a page of the HigherEdCareerCoach site, and to be interviewed on BlogTalkRadio. The first of these client pages will be posted soon.
- Introduced the concept of differentiating “who-dos” from “gurus,” after a serendipitous exchange over Twitter with friends and an homage to the Australian band the Hoodoo Gurus.
- June and July:
- Began a comprehensive overhaul of all my sites, front end and back, including running a design contest on 99Designs.com
(aff. link) for new logos that would be academic and fun, and imply coaching, and to bring in sports metaphors; a re-design of all websites related to my business, Cook Coaching and Consulting, and back-end stuff, related to Search Engine Optimization, site security and other stuff that is probably not all that interesting to readers.
- Named Breakdrink.Com and their site creator, Jeff Jackson, as the first “Who-Do of the Month,” as part of an effort to identify a “Who-Do” of the Year in Higher Education. This person or organization will receive a new award, the “Who-Do” Highsman, plus bragging rights and some sort of other actual reward (probably money, but we’ll be taking suggestions and figuring that out over the next few months, based on community response.)
- Introduced some new regular features to bring more voices into the conversation, starting with the “Monday Morning Quarterback” series. Scott Helfrich (of StudentLifeGuru) took the first turn in what will be a regular rotation. Each month, we’ll introduce a topic related to higher education and/or careers, and have guest columnists respond with their take on the issues put forth.
- Discovered accidentally that, for at least one day, the blog ranked among the top 100 small business blogs on Technorati. Apparently, these rankings fluctuate pretty wildly, but seeing this blog listed just a few spaces away from Zen Habits (which is one of the most awesome blogs on the planet) was pretty freaking awesome. Maybe someday soon, we’ll do it again.
The development of these sites, (and my coaching practice) would not have been possible without the support of an awesome community of readers, contributors, friends and colleagues. You’ve helped the blogs “find their voice,” attract new readers, and explore new territory in our efforts to play a contributing role in discussions about the emerging directions in higher education, career development, and professional development and training for higher ed professionals.
In the next few weeks, you’ll see even more changes, including:
- A new tab where you can find more information on upcoming live webinar classes for job searchers and professionals starting their new positions, short courses, teleseminars, and the next editions of our hybrid coaching programs. (Another for students hoping to attend placement next Spring, and one on getting your act together to apply for graduate programs.)
- A new provider (aWeber) for our mailing list, and free e-mail “short courses” for new subscribers
- E-books, videos, and audio content, including interviews with higher ed professionals about their career development.)
- A membership area for premium content, career discussion forums, and online coaching.
- New sites in our web portfolio, including HigherEdCoach, a site for coaches and consultants working in higher ed to share their tips for getting into coaching and consulting, and to learn from each other. The site will also have a directory for coaches and consultants, that will hopefully assist those in need of coaching and consulting in finding someone appropriate to their needs.
Help celebrate our blog birthday! Your support and encouragement keep us going. Here are some great ways you can help us kick off Year 2:
- Tell a friend or colleague to check out the sites.
- Even better, send out links to your favorite articles from the last year to your Twitter List, or “like” them on Facebook (you can use the Wibiya toolbar)
- Go back and comment on your favorite post.
- Add our sites to your blogroll if you have a blog.
- Write a guest post.
- Sign up for an upcoming webinar class or coaching program.
- Give the gift of coaching to a friend, colleague or family member who needs a motivational kick-start in their job search.
- And most importantly, keep reading!
Thanks for everything! We’re looking forward to Year 2!
