Dr. Kathy Jordon, a national certified career counselor, joined us last week to discuss some secrets to success for us juniors and seniors to apply in the real world. She supplied us with magazines and handouts that are available in the Experiential Learning & Career Development Center to emphasize her presentation. She told us stories about herself and shared some experiences she has had with some Radford students. At the end of her college career she was confused at what to do with a degree in sociology which made me feel much better about how I am feeling about my major as of now. She gave us some tips on when and how to prepare to get into the workforce, and most importantly she discussed what the most important concept is; understanding ourselves.
To have an understanding of what we want and need and how we conduct ourselves in certain situations is very crucial in order to succeed. By knowing ourselves we are able to establish challenging, yet attainable goals for us to shoot for. Before one goes into the workforce we need to know if we desire working in a big city, or a small town and what kind of company we would be most happy in. This process of understanding ourselves is called self-assessment. This is what we value as a person, as well as skills, interests, accomplishments, and needs. Dr. Jordon told us that a quick and easy way to test this out is to try and describe ourselves by using two words. She also told us that there are a number of self-assessment tests that are available to students. They are free to take here at Radford University, but she said that if someone chose to wait to take a test until they get into the workforce then taking one of these tests can costs thousands of dollars! In addition to understanding ourselves we also need to practice a positive self-concept. Having a positive attitude about ourselves, others, and in the workplace can reduce our stress levels as well as our work mentality.
Dr. Jordon discussed with us many tips that we should keep in mind while heading into the workforce. One of them is to become “change ready”. Our generation is changing significantly and we need to be aware of this and be ready to adapt to these changes. Unlike the “baby boomers” of the late 40s and early 60s who value job security and only have a few jobs in their career, my generation is predicted to have 9 jobs and 3 major career shifts in our working lives. People not willing to change with the new technology will be left behind because eventually their skills will not be needed. Instead new machines and technology will take their place, working faster, and more efficiently. Along with this concept of being willing to change is the concept of participating in continuous learning. Dr. Jordon stated, “take advantage of the unexpected” and calculated in her experience that 10% of our first jobs out of college is luck. We should always expect and plan to take short term skill development courses and expect the unexpected. Not being able to learn or want to learn something new will not give us any kind of advantage.
Something that will also give us an advantage is an understanding of economic trends. Dr. Jordon recommends that we keep up with certain trends by reading the business sections in newspapers to avoid being in a position or occupation that is in decline. This tip is very crucial in that this is an “information exchange and technology driven revolution.”
Another useful tip that was shared with us is the importance of developing personal relationships. It is a very “small world” and we do not know when something might come up in the business world. Employers are looking for leadership as well, so it is crucial to build on this and managerial competence. We should be able to demonstrate that we know how to manage money and that we know how to work with a team and show that we can be leaders of a team. In building personal relationships it would be a good idea to find a mentor. Someone you trust and someone you feel comfortable with to discuss just about anything on your mind. These relationships can be life long, mutual, and reciprocal. We will form these throughout our lives and will give and take in these relationships along the way. An interesting fact that she told us was that women who have men for mentors instead of other women work better in their careers.
Before we even step into the workforce, we need to have the basis to market ourselves which is to create our resumes and portfolios. This also is what the interviewer uses to evaluate us as a potential candidate. Dr. Jordon tells us that she likes to work with freshmen in building their resumes so that they will have a head start of what its like. She suggests a summary section at the top of the resume discussing our skills and what makes us different from everybody else. Also the resume should focus on our accomplishments. Once we get an opportunity to be interviewed, it is time to focus on marketing ourselves. She told us to show passion and positive energy for the job. It is also very crucial to have done research on the company that is interviewing us. The best question she suggested to us to ask the interviewer, is at one point to ask who their ideal candidate is.
Dr. Jordon’s presentation was very insightful and useful. I am glad we had the opportunity to hear some tips that will help us be successful in the future. I learned that all of life is marketing and we are constantly trying to offer what we are bests at. In closing she told us that it is very important to balance work and life. We should not get too personal about work, and remember what our true goals in life are.
Contact me at mthong@radford.edu or melanie.thong@gmail.com