Month 2 On The Job: Finding My Role(s)

I’m smack in the middle of my 2nd month at my new job and thought it was time to take a look at the roles in the office I find myself in. I have the distinct pleasure of having a position in the office that it brand new. It’s so nice during introductions to not have to listen to: “This is Ellen, she’s the new so-and-so.” Instead, I get: “This is Ellen, she’s our new counselor.” So much better. Since I am not following someone in a position, I didn’t automatically have roles in the office that I needed to fit into. While some roles were clearly stated in the position description, such as taking counseling appointments, other roles were either vaguely implied through the PD or I have just naturally found myself in them. Does that make any sense? By finding my roles, I’ve begun to settle into the normal hum of the office.

One of the main roles I have found myself in has to do with technology. I’m not talking about the “maintain our website” type of technology. I’m in more of the “social media; web research to find, analyze, & synthesize new resources; help put cool buttons in the email signature” type of technology. I love it! Coming into this job I had a decent set of tech skills and I’m excited to hone and expand those skills. In fact, my new director said that my social media skills (among other facets of my background and interview) were what set me apart from the other candidates for the position. Yay!

The other main role I have found myself in is knowledge of using resources to research working/interning abroad. We subscribe to a program called “Going Global” that is a huge database that students can use to research different countries, look for jobs or internships, research companies, etc. They can also do all of those things for major metro areas of the United States. There’s information ranging from cost of living, to employment trends to lists of nonprofits and volunteer opportunities in the area. Long story short, I have extensive experience with using the program because of my internship at UW-Madison. The UMD office purchased the program within the past year and have been so busy that they really haven’t had time to get  to know the program. I’ve been tasked with training the rest of the staff on the program and my knowledge of Going Global has mushroomed into other responsibilities.

So where have these roles taken me so far? Presentation land! When we were scheduling all of our presentations for the fall semester, I was asked what I could do. We ended up adding two new presentations to the roster. I’ll be presenting on Social Media in the Job Search and Working/Interning Abroad & using Going Global. I’m on the docket to present about social media four times and the Going Global piece twice this semester. I can’t wait to start diving into the research and putting together the presentations. I hope that I can relay my enthusiasm for the topics to the students in attendance. One of my goals is to incorporate more daily reading about both topics so that the knowledge becomes second nature to me.

How have you found the roles in a new job? Was it difficult to settle into someone else’s spot? What are your favorite roles at work?

Resolutions for 2011

Since my last post was a recap of my 2010 highlights, I thought I’d share some of my resolutions for 2011. They are not all fully formed at the moment, and they will be soon. I hope to share with you my progress on these resolutions. I appreciate any comments, feedback, or tips for success you may have to offer.

Resolution #1: Set standards for job searching for each week (and stick to them). Since I will be graduating in May with my Master’s degree, I need to spend some of my time this spring semester looking for a job. What’s nice, is that technically I have already met part of this resolution. Now I just need to follow my schedule. As I am progressing through my job search, I probably won’t be sharing all of the nitty gritty details. The most information I’ll be sharing possibly is the type of position I’m applying for, and not the institution. Here’s what I’ve come up with for my schedule (keep in mind that these are my minimums):

• January: research schools (10/week); scope out job listing sites (just to see what is currently being posted); finalize resume and cover letter; work on my philosophy statements about career counseling, academic advising, and student affairs in general
• February: continue school research; apply to at least 1 job per week
• March: apply to at least 3-5 jobs per week

Resolution #2: Write at least 1 personal blog post per week. So far, I’m doing good on this resolution. I picked to do at least 1 per week mostly because I am a contributor on other sites and this semester is going to be crazy busy as I approach graduation. I hope that once I’m out in the “real world” that I’ll be able to blog more and to give this space the attention it deserves.

Resolution #3: Read at least 2 fun books a month. I define a “fun” book as something that is not for: class, work, or professional development. I have met this goal for January already (thank you winter break vacation!). This gives me room to tackle possibly a more challenging book for the rest of month. While the books I’ve read for this month were not challenging in any way, shape, or form, they were by authors I’ve enjoyed previously. I’m excited to tackle reading all of the books I’ve been accumulating during grad school and haven’t had time to read as of yet.

• January Books Read: Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella and Sugar & Spice by Lauren Conrad

Resolution #4: Live Healthier (greener, eating better, and increasing exercise). This is one of the resolutions that doesn’t have an exact outline just yet. I’m working on it though. Plus, it’s 3 resolutions that support a larger resolution. I need to take time to think out how I’m going to accomplish these goals.

Resolution #5: Travel more, photograph more, and hike more. If you remember in my last post, traveling, photography, and hiking were all in my top 10 items of 2010. My goal right now is to do more of each of these activities throughout 2011.

Resolution #6: Complete my graduate assistantship and program internship positions with strong commitment, professionalism, and thirsting for more. Both of these positions are preambles to my first professional position in student affairs. I want to leave them knowing I’ve done my best and also thirsting for more experience in the profession.

While I think each of these resolutions are completely attainable, I need to make a concentrated effort to do my best in each area.

How are you attaining your New Year’s Resolutions? Do you have a way of keeping yourself accountable while you are working to achieve them?