Developing a Change Strategy

Photo credit to http://www.learning3pointzero.com/

This post is dedicated to change.  In life, things are constantly changing, advancing and evolving.  In the business world, this means that we have to be able to adapt quickly to this alterations.  We must be flexible, knowledgable and aware.  In one of my courses, this week’s topic was learning how to develop a change strategy.  Here are the following steps that we discussed:   

1. Establish what changes need to be made.
2. Figure out what you need to do to accomplish the changes.
3. Decide when to take action.
4. Determine what types of training workers should go through.
5. Chose how the message will be communicated.
6. Measure the results- these should be specific and short-term. 

You can also alter this process so that it caters to the change(s) that needs to be made.  For example, perhaps you need to change something about yourself and not in the workplace.  This of course does not require any type of training process for working to go through.  However, whatever it is that you want to modify or alter, you need to start out with a vision.  After you have done this, then you can continue with developing your strategy to change.  On another note, change strategies are not set in stone, so don’t be afraid if your plan needs to be altered at some point!

How to Prepare for the Interview

               As I enter my final weeks of college, the jobs I have applied for have started reaching out to me.  (Thankfully, that was a huge sigh of relief.)  Last week, I had an interview and am having another one later this afternoon.  Getting a call back for your application is terrific, so when it comes to the big day you really want to nail the interview process.  After all, this could build the pathway for your future and you want it to be a successful one.  So, how can you prepare for this meeting?  Here are a few tips I have learned on my own, through several courses at WVU and from a few articles.  

Photo credit to http://www.jobonomics.com/

1. Know the company-   Google them, research their website and find out what their repute is.  What’s their mission statement?  What is the organization recognized for?  What sets them apart from the competition?  Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to have an intelligent conversation with whoever is interviewing you.  Furthermore, it shows that you put some time into getting ready for this meeting and are actually interested in the company. 
2. Know about the job your applying to: Read the job description completely and until you know who and what the employer is looking for.  The best way to really sell yourself for a particular position is to match your skills with the tasks that it calls for.   
3. Sell Yourself:  Refer back to my post on creating an Elevator Pitch.  Remember you want this employer to hire you.  So, tell them about your greatest work-related attributes, professional experience, accomplishments, skills and why you are the perfect candidate for the job. 
4. Practice, practice and practice again:  Practice answering several questions that you think you might be asked at the interview.  This way, your thoughts will be clearer and better expressed when answering questions from the employer.  Sometimes, and I have been guilty of this too, we tend to ramble when we don’t know how to answer a question.  By preparing your responses ahead of time, you will sound more professional, focused and intellectual. 
5. Ask questions: Employers want to know that you are interested in their company.  Consider the following questions:

• What’s my opportunity to advance within your organization?
• What’s a typical career path for this position?
• What sets (company name) apart from the competition?

Hopefully, these tips will help you in your job search and better prepare you for interviews! 

Spring Cleaning: Stop Hoarding and Start Organizing

As much as I hate to admit it, but I’ve come to the realization that I definitely cannot bring all of the things I have accumulated and bought back to Massachusetts with me.  The 11 hour drive home from WVU with my parents is bad enough, and if I have too much stuff, well, that is a battle I do not want to encounter.  My father is someone who wants everything tightly packed, vacuum sealed and all boxes taped shut waiting outside of my apartment to be put in the U-Haul.  Yes, I said U-Haul.  That being said, I decided to start early with my cleaning.  Kudos for conquering procrastination!  Some great tips that I came across and found extremely useful were in an article  by Elizabeth Larkin.  The following list is a combination from the article and what I’ve learned so far in my spring cleaning extravaganza.   

1. Declutter, declutter, and declutter again: Is it just me, or is it a day or two after I declutter my room that it goes back to looking like everything exploded again?  Nonetheless, I have learned that the more I keep up with this task, the less there is to maintain.  It truly has helped me find things I need, which is great when you’re in a rush and don’t have time to play Harriet the Spy for hours.  Also, it simply makes your room look cleaner and who doesn’t want that?
   

   Photo credit to http://nineties-nickelodeon.tumblr.com/post/15479554822/i-just-watched-harriet-the-spy-and-it-was-such-a

2. Donate: Do you have clothes that you only look at, yet, you haven’t worn in two or more years?  I am guilty of this, but I try to donate clothes as much as possible.  It’s a great feeling knowing that someone who actually needs and will appreciate those items will be able to get them.
   • Where can you donate?

     Locate the nearest Goodwill.

     Find a Salvation Army or schedule a pickup by phone at 1-800-SA-TRUCK   

3. Switching Seasons:  You can pack away all of your winter jackets, gloves, wool socks and pull out your more light weight clothing.  I love summer, so I already took out that wardrobe too.  Hey, a girl can dream. 
4. Vacuum Space Saving Storage Bags: I HIGHLY suggest purchasing these.  I started to my junior year of college and haven’t looked back.  It is amazing how much more room you save by using these bags instead of boxes, bins or suitcases.  My only warning; however, is to be gentle while handling the bags after you’ve filled and vacuumed them.  Some of mine I packed to the capacity line and were not handled carefully, which then led to my wardrobe littering the sidewalk.  Hopefully, you can avoid this embarrassment. 
   

   Photo credit to http://www.amazon.com/Vacuum-Space-Saving-Storage-3-Pack/dp/B002B08VG2

5. Stop hoarding and start tossing!: If you’re someone who holds onto stained, frayed or broken things start tossing them in the garbage!  Those items take up so much useful space, make your home look messy and most likely have no use.  Otherwise, you do not want to end up on Hoarders. 

Good luck on your spring cleaning endeavors!  If you have any other tips leave it in a comment! 

Preparing for the Final Stretch: Graduation Checklist

As I approach the final weeks of my college career, (yes, even typing that made me want to shriek) life is getting pretty chaotic.  My homework, deadlines, appointments and responsibilities seem to be increasing by the minute.  Is it possible to get an ulcer from too much work?  Just kidding…but really.

However, I have come to realize that this is my future that I am heading to.  That being said, I cannot let myself get off track now.  Besides my final projects and papers that my courses have assigned, I have a new to-do list.  It caters to the final checklist to prepare for graduation day, and I think many of you will find it helpful. 

1. Order your cap and gown:  No one wants to see your birthday suit on graduation day people, or be recognized as one of the few students who did not order their cap and gown.  Make sure that you order yours as soon as possible because sizes fly fast!  I know I wouldn’t want to be swimming in something two sizes too big when I walk across the WVU Creative Arts Center stage. 
2. Graduation regalia for honors societies: You’ve worked hard for the past four or five years, so you should be proud to show it!  If you are in any honors societies or fraternities that offer special apparel or chords to wear on graduation, I definitely suggest purchasing it! 
3. Graduation ceremony tickets:  I’m sure your family and friends that are coming to visit you on your graduation day would not be too happy to find out that they do not have seats to the ceremony.  That being said, avoid the epic family lecture and order those tickets ASAP.  Some schools have a limit on the number of tickets that one student can purchase, such as WVU, so find out if there is a later date that you can buy more.  I completely understand this predicament because I was not able to get enough commencement tickets for my family members that are traveling to Morgantown due to a limit.  Ergo, my fingers are crossed!
4. RSVP: To the actual graduation ceremony, or else you won’t be able to attend, and that definitely would not be a fun conversation to have with your parents.  Also, make sure you respond in a timely manner for any honors ceremonies, acknowledgments, or awards that you are being recognized for. 
5. Student Account Balance:  Make sure that you do not have any holds on your account balance, or outstanding notices.  This will save you a lot of anxiety if you just get it done rather than procrastinating. 

It’s the final lap in your college years, and you want to finish the race strong.  Getting all of these important deadlines and tasks out of the way will make your graduation day much more seamless.  If you have any other to-do-list duties that I did not include on my list, leave it in a comment! 

How to Get Your Resume in the Limelight

 

Want your resume to stand out to employers and not be tossed to the side?  One important factor that employers look for are specific keywords in your resume. 

Keywords, or action words, express your accomplishments, knowledge, skills and qualifications.  In other words, they clearly define to the employer what you can do, and also how efficient you are with your work.  These buzzwords are becoming even more important as the use of social media and the Internet continues to rapidly grow.  I say this because more and more employers are starting to automate their resume searches.  By doing so, companies can easily choose which candidates are fit for the job by merely skimming their online resumes for these desired keywords. 

 So, how can figure out what words to implement into your resume?  In an article by U.S. News  they listed a variety of avenues to use to seek out this vocab.  Here is the list:

1. Examine organizations’ websites
2. Review LinkedIn profiles that share your targeted job title
3. Study conference program descriptions and their speaker bios
4. Review job descriptions
5. Schedule informational meetings with prospective colleagues

Using keywords is a simple way to upgrade your resume and attract potential employers.  Not only have professionals told me this, but also my professors at West Virginia University.  Good luck with your search and I hope that you find this tip brings you new job opportunities!

How to Develop an Improvement Strategy

Progression is a learning process, and success does not just come overnight.  Therefore, we must work toward a goal, and create an improvement strategy that we can easily follow.  After all, no matter how long the journey, each one begins with one step.

Credit to iStockphoto.com

That being said, this post discusses the necessary steps involved in creating an improvement strategy.  I was recently introduced to this concept by one of my professors and have since developed my own.  Although I have only just begun using this strategy, I learned that if you actually follow through with your listed actions, then your goals are achievable.  Furthermore, once your aspiration becomes a reality, then you can create new objectives for yourself.  Here are the steps to create your own improvement strategy:

1. Identify the specific behavior(s) that you need to change.
2. Goal-setting: Create precise, measurable goals that you seek to accomplish.
3. Develop actions to attain your goals: Actions must be performed regularly and able to be monitored.
4. Develop an evaluation system:This will be used to assess your progress.  It also must be easy to use and visible to you every day.
   1. I.e. graph, chart, calendar, point/ranking system, etc.
5. Create a reward system:  This will keep you maintaining progress with your goals, but is only granted once you have reached significant improvement points during the process.  Think of something that you love, but cannot have/do on a regular basis.
   1. I.e. going out to your favorite restaurant or buying a new outfit.

Credit to referenceforbusiness.com

The greatest difficulty that I had with this plan was getting in the loop of using an evaluation system.  Because of this, I set reminders in my phone and posted a colorful sticky note above my desk in my room.  This way I can easily see the note, and eventually, I hope that the habit to evaluate my progress will become natural.  What struggles, if any, have you had with achieving your goals?  What other methods have you found useful?

While we might excel in certain areas such as leadership, organizational ability or salesmanship, each of us has our own attributes that could use some work.  As a solution to what you may lack, you can use this system.  Not only will this help you in your current situation, but it will also help you in your future career and professional life.

Becoming a Young Professional Starts at the Core: Assessing Your Current Situation

Just recently, I enrolled in two online classes for my final spring semester at West Virginia University.  Although seven classes is quite the challenge, I chose to add these two in particular to be more career ready after college graduation.  The courses discuss a wide range of topics such as the job search and tools to prepare you for your future.  However, there was one lesson that I found tremendously enlightening and wanted to share it with you, my readers.  

The assignment asked me to evaluate myself using a list of attributes, so that I could see which areas are my strengths and weaknesses.  I ranked myself on a scale from 1 (lowest)- 10 (highest) for my current situation and also my ultimate goal.  Once I established both of these scores, I had to record the difference between the two. 

Here is the table that I used.  You can use whatever scale you prefer, I just found the 1-10 range extremely easy to use.  Record your scores and discover what your current and goal situations are! 

Attribute Assessment

Scale:

Attribute	Attribute Score	Attribute Goal	Development Need?
Adaptability Creativity Dependability Goal-setting Initiative Leadership Maturity Organizational ability Perseverance Personal direction Salesmanship Self-confidence Tolerance of ambiguity Well-rounded Working with others

Although the evaluation is simple, don’t let that fool you.  This is an excellent method to use for finding your key attributes that you should promote and which ones need improvement.  After completing this task, I realized that developing the young professional in yourself means assessing the skills that you already possess.  We just have to dig a little deeper to find our individual strengths and weaknesses. 

6 Reasons to Look Forward to Your Post-Grad Life

Since I turned 22 last week, it seems that all of my family members and friends keep reminding of how fleeting the next two months will be.  Their favorite words of wisdom; however, are how I will never live in an environment this fun or have experiences like those in college for the rest of my life. Woah.  Now I’m definitely pumped to walk across the stage and accept my diploma.  Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not naïve enough to think that the endless parties, free beer and dancing all night with my best friends will be socially acceptable in my post-grad life.  I realize that college is an atmosphere like no other.  Every day is a chance to meet new people, and after your classes are over with and homework is complete for the day, you can do whatever you want.  It is astonishing how four years have passed right by my eyes.  But before I get the Kleenex out and have a pow-wow sesh via blogging, I decided to rescue myself from reminiscing and think of the positives about my future and life after college.  And I didn’t have to look far.  I came across the article “10 Reasons To Get Pumped For Post-Graduation Life“ by Her Campus, which is #1 online magazine for college women.  In the article the author, Taylor Trudon, discusses a list of reasons to look forward to post-graduation life.  After I read the piece I felt much better about graduating college, and decided to put my own spin on it.

1. You will never have to buy college textbooks again.

Textbooks are definitely one of the biggest financial aspects of attending college.  Four years later and it still amazes me how much you pay for a book, and how little you get in return for it at the end of the semester!  Personally, I cannot wait to use this money to invest in items that I actually want to purchase.  Hello shopping and starting a savings account!  How I have miss you both terribly.

2. You can say goodbye to shower shoes forever!

I have to say, this is one of the GREATEST perks about graduating.  Although I have my own bathroom in my apartment, I know that some of my peers cannot say the same.  When I lived in freshmen dorms I was skeeved out at the thought of public bathrooms.  If it weren’t for shower shoes I think that the health freak in me would have left school running.  Now, that I have my own, individual, bathroom my fears have been squashed, and for those of you who are just approaching this revelation, I’m excited for you!

3. Your waistline will love you!

Although the parties are always a blast, working off the beverages you consumed the night before is never fun.  Despite the fact that you will still have your nights out on the town after you graduate, the amount of alcohol you consume will go down.  In other words, no more beer gut people!  Amen to that.

4. New scenery will bring a new social life!

Personally, I get tired of the same routines every week.  Sure the locations of parties change and the best club for the night various week to week, but I need more!  After witnessing both of my sisters’ lives and social scenes change drastically after they graduated from college, I finally found hope.  Each of them has expanded and created new friend groups.  They go to different, exciting events and I have even had the opportunity of attending some of them.  The fashion, food, venue, drink and atmosphere were all so diverse.  I loved every bit of it, and cannot wait until my future job and residence bring out these amazing experiences.

5. You will finally have your independence.

Although college is supposed the time where you are finally independent, I do not believe that is entirely true.  You are still relying on your parents’ funds and teachers to keep you on track with your duties and assignments.  However, after college graduation, anything that you do is exclusively up to you.  I realize that this does seem somewhat horrifying, but I think that the concept of achieving something and the fact that all of that success’s credit points to you, is the most rewarding thing ever.  You are in control of your achievements and prevails.

6. Your life is now a blank slate.

With your newly founded degree, your life has truly begun.  Now, you can start on a new blank canvas and create whatever blueprint, dream, or future that you want for yourself.  The details, directions and decisions are solely up to, and that is completely liberating.  The picture may take a while to complete, but remember it is whatever you make of it.  Every long journey begins with one single step, so starting thinking of what you want yours to lead to.

To see the perks of life after college from someone already living the post-grad life, read “7 Reasons I like Life Better After College”.

Wait You Mean Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees? The Reality of Post-Grad Finances

 As I enter the final two months of my senior year I cannot help but think of how my finances are about to drastically change.  Besides the loans that I have taken out to attend West Virginia University, the little things that my parents have always covered will soon become a part of my personal expenses.  So, instead of completing freaking out, or pushing these realities off into some dream world where money does grow on trees, I have decided to make a plan and share it with whoever reads my blog.

The first task that I have to do is figure out what items I will need to be prepared to pay for after I graduate.

1. Groceries
2. Toiletries
3. Loans
4. Rent
5. Transportation

Groceries and Toiletries.  If you’re like me, groceries have always been added to the monthly tab for my parents to pay.  Although I have learned to live within a budget, I must now realize that that limit is going to seem like a splurge once I’m the one who’s footing the bill.  Therefore, I plan to look for items on sale, and this goes for my toiletry items also.  I have already begun to purchase items on sale and have noticed a huge difference in my spending total, especially when I have some extra cash to put aside at the end of the week!  Another tip is eating in far more than ordering delivery or eating out.  Sometimes I could not get a ride to the grocery store from one of my friends, so I just dialed up whatever restaurant I was craving that day and used my allowance to cover it.  Let’s just say I learned a harsh lesson from this, and so did the huge dent in my wallet.  One tip to avoid this is to buy in bulk.  You will save more money and your resources will last longer.  This way, you don’t always have to worry about getting a ride to your local grocery store because you won’t have to go as often.

Loans.  Personally, I have taken out a large sum of loans to help finance my way through college.  Some loans do give you a grace period of six months after you graduate until you have to start making payments.  However, whenever you do start having to pay these bills you must be prepared to do so.  Obviously, landing a job is the simplest solution that I can think of, and to start putting money aside, but that is easier said than done.  However, I advise you to check out Student Aid on the Web.  This site can help you calculate your payment plans, provide information on repayment, and it also has numerous advice articles, such as, how to postpone your repayments.

Rent. This will be a huge expense that us college students will have to save for after graduation.  One option we can do is live with our parents until we get some savings underneath our feet and find a steady job.  Of course, we would all prefer the lives of certain reality stars who somehow seem to afford anything they want, even on the smallest budgets.  One important lesson that I’ve learned to date is that all of those cobble stone walkways and endless walk-in closets on Sex and the City are not something that will just appear with the attaining of my diploma.  Therefore, what I can do is look for cities with the greatest deals on rent that won’t make me compromise for living in a dump.  I will refer back to my post “Rebuilding and Relocating Our Foundations” in which I provided an extremely helpful list created by Apartments.com and CareerRookie.com.  The list “The Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates” pertains to cities within the United States which have the highest concentration of jobs that look for less than one year of experience from candidates and also adults raging from the ages of 20-24 years.  Furthermore, and more importantly, the survey includes the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in each of these cities.  I definitely recommend this resource to recent college graduates and those of us who are about to enter post-grad life.

Transportation. For those of us without cars, transportation is a huge factor in relocation, choosing which jobs we will take and even how to go about our day-to-day duties.  From personal experience, I have learned that certain bus lines, such as Peter Pan, give you discounts with your student i.d. card.  Other companies that provide deals are Megabus and Amtrak, which even has a Student Advantage Card that allows students 16 years of age and older to save 15% on most Amtrak trains all year long.  In terms of saving money on gas, the greatest solution is carpooling.  Find a friend, peer, coworker or family member that is heading to the same destination and ride together.  By splitting the cost of fuel, each passenger can save money.

One last resource that I have just recently came across, and thought it would be great to share with you readers, is J.D. Roth’s blog Get Rich Slowly.  Roth is a man who found himself in $35,000 worth of debt that he accumulated over a period of 20 years, and managed to get himself out of it.  He did not use any get-rich-quick schemes because he knew that was not going to fix his problems.  Instead, he did research, planned and calculated out his finances, and now, he shares his successful insight with the public .  Get Rich Slowly explores various realms of personal finance including how to eliminate debt, successfully save money and make wise investment decisions.   The site allows readers to comment, post questions, exchange ideas on the personal finance forum and, looking at the bigger picture, learn how to become good at saving money!

If you have any other tips or questions on how to save money and prepare for handling your personal finances after college graduation, leave it in a comment!

Cheers to a Birthday of Self-Discovery

Because today is the 1st anniversary of my 21st birthday, I decided to incorporate it into today’s blog post.

Okay, I know I’m turning 22, but I’m not quite ready to shout that out loud. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE birthdays, especially other people’s birthdays. Give me confetti, balloons, cupcake mix, streamers and arts and crafts, and I’m set.

I suppose I love other people’s birthdays it’s because it’s the one day they allow themselves to truly be themselves. They take the time to do what they want to do. If any one of my friends doesn’t seem enthusiastic on their birthday because it hasn’t sparked much happiness in the past, I make sure to make it the day that they always wanted it to be. I think that is why I chose public relations as my major. It is about relating, responding and really connecting with people.

Turning 22 feels a bit different, however. I know that it is not old, but it is definitely a turning point in my life. Perhaps it is the realization that I have 70 days left of my college career. Maybe it’s that turning 22 doesn’t mean that I am finally allowed to do something new, but why need something so monumental just to mark an age. Why need to add a label to a number?

Instead, I am choosing to dedicate this birthday to self-discovery. College is a vast world that has many avenues, turns and crossroads, and as students, we are always trying to follow the “right” route and direction. We choose certain plans, courses and criteria to complete our degree requirements and be handed a diploma at the end of our four year journey. It is a race that we constantly keep sprinting in, but we never really know what we’re heading toward.

Our college years are fleeting, and once we get caught in the hype we don’t realize it until we are close to reaching its finish line. So what can we do?

We can pause and reevaluate what it is exactly that we want to with our lives. We can let ourselves indulge in our wants, likes, desires and particular skills that we feel need to be developed. By doing so, we can set a goal, and we can have a purpose to this chaotic college race. In other words, and more importantly, we create a destination for ourselves that we are trying to reach.

Although we should be grateful for whatever job opportunity that we are presented with, we don’t want to graduate and land a job that we don’t even like, or are excited to attend every day. Because, unfortunately, so many professionals do dislike their jobs. According to CBS, only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their careers, which means that the majority aren’t.

That being said, we need to take the time and discover what our destination is. I’m not saying that we have to figure this out now. However, I am saying that we should not make decisions and u-turns based on the fact that we are merely told to do so. The race is long, but staying true to yourself and enjoying what you’re striving for is what keeps us going. It is what makes our dreams come true. After all, why should we make wishes only on our birthdays? Call me trite, but every day is a chance to make that dream come true.

So, tonight I’ll light a candle, breathe in the sweet cupcake scent and make a wish in silence. And tomorrow, I will work that much harder to make that wish come true.