A Senior's Perspective: Emotional Intelligence

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For the last four years, I’ve been drilled with exams, quizzes and writing assignments all of which are necessary for my learning. However, now that I’m on my way out and into the working world, I’m being told my emotional intelligence is more important. Emotional intelligence refers not to your IQ or book knowledge, but to the ability to manage emotions.

The one thing that really stuck out to me when evaluating my emotional intelligence is how I handle stress. You don’t have to have a full-time job to occasionally fall under the curse of being stressed out. With finals coming up, I’m imagining roughly 90 percent of us will feel quite overwhelmed. While I’m no expert at managing stress, I have been conscious of my reactions to stress for quite a while. Last semester was the hardest academic semester I’ve had at Auburn, and I also was shoulder deep in planning a wedding. This semester my course load is much easier, but I am now ear deep in wedding planning. Through this year, I’ve learned several things about managing my stress and reacting well to stress.

1. Writing things down helps keep me from getting overwhelmed. When I write things down, I know that I won’t forget it. Keeping a planner up-to-date is one of the best things I’ve done throughout my college career. It keeps me from double booking and wasting time.
2. Exercise can be used to prevent stress and relieve stress. I haven’t always been great about exercising. A lot of times when I am stressed I feel like exercise is a complete waste of time. However, this semester I’ve been very disciplined to exercise more, even if it’s only a 30-minute walk. What I’ve found is that the physical activity works out my anxious jitters and usually gears me to productivity. This is great because on the days that I’m not very busy, I get things finished thus leaving my next day a little less busy. It keeps things from piling high and keeps me feeling better. It also helps when I’m in the middle of a stress out phase. Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of school and work to move my body leaves me feeling more relaxed. 
3. Concentrated breathing sounds silly, but helps a lot when feeling stressed. As previously stated my academic schedule is not very strenuous this semester. I am fortunate enough to be able to take a stress reduction course in the physical education department. One of the best things I have learned is the use of meditation and breathing. I don’t always have the time for a 30-minute guided breathing exercise, and I’m sure most of you don’t either. However, in those times of gut-wrenching stress or anxiety, close your eyes and take 10 slow, deep breaths. It sounds silly, but taking that time to concentrate on your breathing slows your heartbeat and relaxes your body. Chances are you were tensing either your jaw or shoulders. By taking the time to breath slowly, you can relax those muscles.

These are just a few of the things that I found help me relax. Everyone is different, so maybe there are some other good activities you can do to unwind from your day. Whatever it is, realize that how to react to situations, stressful or not, plays a key role in how you are viewed as an employee.

BONUS: The Auburn University Career Center and DEI are co-sponsoring a Stress Relief Panel (WITH free food) on Thursday, August 26. Check it out here.

A Senior's Perspective: Be a Helper

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One of the things that I have learned through this internship at the Auburn University Career Center is the value of hard work. Every week may not be packed full of tasks, and there may be times when I feel like I have nothing to do. There are, of course, other times when I'm begging for no more tasks.

The lesson learned from this realization is this: A great employee is the one who takes advantage of the down times. It’s not wise to take on additional tasks or volunteer to help when things are already piling high on your desk. However, those days that aren’t quite as frantic are the perfect times to ask around for who needs help or take initiative on a project. This not only takes the load off another coworker or your boss, but it also can have some intrinsic value. Doesn’t it feel good when you help out? So, why not help out!?

Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of "The 11 Laws of Likability" and founder of Executive Essentials, a corporate training and coaching company based in New York, NY, said, “Pursue the relationships that feel authentic to you to expand your resources, knowledge base and support network, and offer your help. If you don't have anything to do, find something. Build your brand as someone who pitches in."

Another thing to highlight while we’re “pitching in,” is to maintain a positive attitude. The importance of a good attitude cannot be stressed enough. It really can be the difference maker in whether or not you get a job offer.

One of my friends completed her internship in accounting this spring and received a job offer from a Big Four accounting firm in the city of her choice. When the bosses called her in to offer her the job they told her that the thing they loved about her was that she remained positive and uplifting through her entire internship. She later confided in me that she had actually made some mistakes and at times wasn’t 100 percent positive she was doing the right thing. She is incredibly smart, but this was her first time to do real, outside of the classroom accounting work. She didn’t feel extremely confident in all of her decisions and actions because she wasn’t positive that they were correct. However, she also told me that she realized that the only thing she could control was her attitude and outlook. Her knowledge base is only so deep right now, but she could smile, be nice and have a good attitude. For those very things she got a job offer.

For this reason, I stress to you to make the most of your time at your work or internship. Your helping out, smiling or maintaining a positive attitude could be the difference between being unemployed and employed.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

"You Shouldn't Call Here", Or, How To Lose A Customer

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Just had another experience that reminded me of the importance of putting ourselves in our patron's shoes and making life as easy as possible, even if your university or library policies are a bit convoluted.

I called a medical specialist's office to see why I still did not have an appointment, five weeks after my doctor faxed my records and called to make the appointment. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hi! I'm just calling to follow up and see what I can do to expedite getting an appointment. I know you likely don't have anything open for months, I just want to get on your calendar. My doctor's office faxed my information and called five weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything back."
Receptionist: "Your doc office has to call and set it up."
Me: "They did. You said you were swamped and would get back to them. Your office hasn't."
Receptionist: "No, we always make the appointment when they call."
Me: "They've called your office weekly for 5 weeks to no avail. My nurse calls me to give me a report."
Receptionist: "That's not true, because it's not our policy."
Me: "Okay, I'm not sure where things went wrong. You have my file. My doc's office has called. Can you just give me a time slot?"
Receptionist: "No, your doc office has to call, and we give it to them, and they give it to you. You shouldn't call here; we can't help you."

She never even took my name.

I hung up frustrated and annoyed that my care has been delayed because of someone's failure to play ring-around-the-rosie phone tag. So, my doctor's office has to call you, and then they have to call me, even though you already have my file, know I'm a valid patient, and I'm already on the phone with you.

Frustration. Right now, I see this in academic library terms as "Well, you see, the copiers in the library aren't really the Library's; they belong to the Copy Office. And the Copy Office is actually located across campus. And you have to deliver them a paper form to get a $.10 refund for the copy that the machine mangled. And then you will be able to print the one page memo that is due in fifteen minutes. Here, let me get you a map so you know where to go, because we can't help you."

This is not good customer service. It is an explanation, and perhaps a helpful one in case this occurs again. But in the moment that the student needs one single copy/printout/whatever, does it really hurt us so much to make the damned copy ourselves? It costs us a piece of paper, a little ink, some extra flexing of decision-making muscle, and earns our user's gratitude and goodwill in return.

Telling me not to call the specialist's office, and that they can't help me...well, I'll tell you this: if you can't help me with what should be the easy part of just getting on the calendar, how the hell am I going to trust you with my medical care and records? Could you imagine if "You shouldn't call here; we can't help you" was standard customer service fare?

Had the receptionist sympathized with me, but noted the call-circle requirements were somehow medically necessary, I would have been *ecstatic* had she taken the initiative to call my doc's office, straighten whatever it is out and get me on the calendar. Instead, I was left with the feeling that the office was unhelpful at best, and rude at worst. Given that I run what is essentially a customer service department, I was affronted. I'll guiltily admit had a typical patron-who-had-a-bad-experience response: I wrote negative reviews of my experience and posted them wherever Google was collecting and publishing reviews of local doctor's offices. Turns out I'm not the only one who had this experience.

I called the only other specialist in the field in town, and had an extremely pleasant encounter with a receptionist that gave me a step-by-step explanation of how to get my doctor's office to get me in as quickly as possible. She took my name and said when the call came in, she would put me on the cancellation list immediately to get me in sooner. She invited me to call again if I had any other questions. I get the feeling this office will be a much better fit for me. I hope the doctor is as helpful as his office staff. I hope he appreciates the letter I've drafted commending him for hiring such warm, friendly, and helpful staff.

The Dissertation Problem and ProQuest's "Legitimacy" Lie

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I located a great dissertation that I'll have to cite in my literature review for my own dissertation-in-the-making. While finding it thrilled me, it also completely crapped on my parade. The dissertation is not interlibrary-loanable, since the degree-granting institution has the only paper copy. And to get a pdf copy of the work from ProQuest? Will cost me $37.00.

I am now looking at this in light of comments my advisor, who is teaching one of my doctoral classes this summer, made. He said to a group of us who were talking about the dissertation in a discussion board that the dissertation is essentially a dead end research exercise - nobody reads them when you're through with writing the damned thing, it just provides a platform for your future research agenda.

Well, HARRUMPH, doc.

*I* read them. The useful-to-me ones, anyway. That is, if I can get access to them. The problem - as it always is - is access. How on earth is a dissertation supposed to be cited by others when access to it is so heavily restricted? It makes me wonder how much research is lacking because of the prohibitive cost of getting access to the research. It also makes me gnash my teeth that institutions awarding doctorates aren't fighting for the right to keep their students' work freely available in their own catalogs in digital format...even though digital format is how more and more graduate schools are accepting their theses and dissertations from students.

What really got me hot, though, was the phrasing on ProQuest's page for authors on why they should choose to publish their thesis or dissertation with ProQuest. (If it's even a choice - many graduate schools actually require this of their students.) On ProQuest's "Why Publish With Us" page for authors, they state:
"Publishing your dissertation or thesis with UMI provides you with a legitimate citation for your curriculum vitae and for other scholars who refer to your work. ProQuest's dissertation research tools have been the primary sources used to cite published dissertations and theses for decades."

Actually, having the school accept my dissertation as acceptable for the awarding of the degree provides me with a legitimate citation. Per Purdue Owl, in APA you would cite it as: Lastname, F. N. (Year). Title of dissertation. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Name of Institution, Location. ProQuest doesn't legitimize anything. If I find it in a database, I have to note the database and accession number, but there's no more - or less - legitimacy granted than if I had a paper copy in hand, or found it through the University's repository as a .pdf file.

I wonder how many students finishing their theses and dissertations are actually taken in by the legitimacy argument, and how many are just snowed under by the giant small-print forms they have to sign granting UMI? ProQuest the right to their hard work. Ah, well. I suppose that'll just be practice for when they sign away all of the rights to to their other research once they want it published in a journal, right?

/stabbity

Library Managers as Triathletes of the Mind? Meaghen's Wisdom for Librarians

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Meaghen Ann Harris, award-winning athlete

I'm putting the finishing touches on my slides for ALA, where I'll be presenting the LLAMA preconference "The Tough Stuff: Leadership, Change, & Performance Management for Library Managers" with the incredibly wise Jenica Rogers. This past weekend I was trying to find a theme to run through my portion of the talk on managing change. In a fit of pique and laziness, I polled Facebook, and my sister Meaghen noted that triathlons were a pretty good metaphor. She noted that triathletes have to swim to T1 (transition #1), tear off their wet suits, put on bike shoes and helmet, and cycle to T2 (transition #2), where they "drop off bike, tear off helmet, throw on some kicks and run...to the FINISH. Manage the change, Colleen. Manage the change."

My little sister is wise. (And a kickass athlete to boot, regularly taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd in her age group, while I cheer her on from under my covers and half a country away.) But Meaghen is right - triathletes manage not just their training, but issues of endurance and skill and training and awkward transitions. That sounds pretty much like library management to me. The next message she sent me via Facebook struck me right between the eyes:

“You always spend the most time on your bike. So it's a very important part of training. Swimming is the shortest part of the race (time and distance wise) but it takes skill and technique--- like- I can bust my ass to be a better runner/biker, but it doesnt work that way with swimming- if you try to swim faster by working harder you just end up thrashing through the water and looking stupid. It takes time to become a better swimmer (my current dilemma- because I want to be good NOW). Some people are JUST good swimmers- I like them- because I end up passing them on the bike and the run.”

Hmmm. Matching this up to library management issues, I see a lot of parallels. Where we spend the most of our time is an important part of our work (though perhaps we're not as well trained in it as we should be), managing the day to day aspects of our part of the library, the regular small changes that we absorb and move through with regularity. What is the shortest part of our management race/life? Maybe dealing with what I would call "catastrophic change" - things that happen rarely but are paradigm-changing. Like Meaghen mentions about swimming, I don't know that it is something we can do by working harder -- mostly, the folks I see who deal well with this are the library managers who work smarter, and who have gone through a few of these experiences and streamlined their responses. But if the only skill set a library manager has honed is the one necessary to deal with the huge, catastrophic changes, and they're not prepared to handle the more quotidian long-haul issues, they're not really prepared to hit any sort of finish line or goal with their organization.

Jenica notes in a recent blog post that the interest in learning how to manage - and how to manage better - is alive and well within librarians. My sister joined a team with a coach, and they support each other. I've found what Jenica might term my tribe of management peers largely through the luck of having great mentors, latching onto folks I want to talk to at conferences, and deciding to craft my speaking proposals around something I feel strongly about. I keep coming back to "[I]f you try to swim faster by working harder you just end up thrashing through the water and looking stupid."

Where are we working harder when we should be honing skill and technique instead? How (if at all) are MLS programs useful as a "training program" for library mangers? Should we instead be focusing on things like the TRLN Management Academy? I've asked before and I'll ask again, given the success of ACRL's Immersion for instruction librarians, why is there no Immersion for library managers until they get to the director level and can attend the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute? Why do we think we can develop library managers - mental athletes - by simply hoping they'll show up at the starting blocks, fully trained and ready to go?

These are the thoughts bouncing around in my head as I make my final preparations before heading to New Orleans tomorrow. Jenica and I will get to spend the day with forty-nine library managers on Friday who hail from academic, public, and special libraries, and I can't wait to hear what, how, and why they're doing at their own libraries in terms of management and leadership.

Disclaimer (for this blog post and for my slide deck):

I am not a triathlete. But my sister is. Take my advice about managing; take her advice about athleting.

A Senior's Thoughts: e-personality

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Last week, I shared my attempt to reduce my spending. That is something I’ve been continually working on, although coming back to Auburn to an apartment with no food and new warm weather didn’t make it easy. This week, however, I’ll be focusing on monitoring my e-personality. Have you ever thought about this? We’ve all heard that you only get one first impression, but have you ever thought that your first impression could be on Facebook or Twitter? Think about it. If you tweet something that is retweeted, chances are someone you do not know now knows your name and associates your name with something you said using 140 characters or less.

I began the monitoring process by Googling my name: Paige Robinson. On the first page of websites, the only two things that showed up were my LinkedIn profile and the website I created for a class. While, I’d like to appear more upon that Google search, two isn’t bad. When I Googled: Paige Robinson Auburn, I got much more interesting results. Everything on the first page was me. It was videos I did for a class, articles and my resume. Various articles, websites and videos kept occurring even up to the third page. These were all good things because they market my skills: video production, editing, feature and news writing and social media.

Next I analyzed my social media accounts. I’ve done this before and regularly update them, but I still took the time to check them out. I had no profanity or bad pictures on my sites. I did have some high school yearbook invitations on my home page on Facebook, but I promptly deleted them.

The scary thing now is Facebook’s timeline. If you’re like me and didn’t start college off on the best foot, you have to go back to 2008 and clean everything up. This is one thing I did learn from this experience. Everything you post on a social media site is present. Luckily, you can delete photos from your site, but you have to take the time to really go through it. That is one thing I am doing now and plan to continue. It’s embarrassing to see what I posted as a high school senior, and I definitely don’t want a future employer to see that!

If you have never monitored your e-personality here are my recommendations:

1. Google yourself. Make needed changes based on those results.
2. Review your tweets. Do they have profanity? Do they allude to inappropriate topics? If so, delete them.
3. Look at your Facebook pictures. Do they have alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, drugs or profanity in them? If so, delete them.
4. Look at posts on your Facebook wall, groups you’re involved in and your recent activity. Are they alluding to crude subjects? If so, delete them.
5. Complete your LinkedIn profile. Why have a profile if it doesn’t adequately show your skills? Make sure each division is filled out to the fullest.

*Maybe you’re wondering what to do with pictures or posts regarding alcoholic beverages if you are 21 or older. My advice is just delete them. Better safe than sorry. What if your boss is extremely conservative? Is that something you would want him or her to see? Remember this could be your first impression; just take them down.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

A Senior's Perspective: Going Beyond the Textbooks

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This week’s topic couldn’t exactly be done in a week. Going beyond the textbooks by finding quality experience is something that needs to be done continually throughout our college careers. However, I will take this time to reflect on some things I’ve done and ways you can too!

In order to find quality experience in your field, you must first know your field. If you don’t, please go to www.auburn.edu/career and click on the Career Assessments tab. Take an assessment or two, and then come see a career counselor to discuss your results. You may not leave your career counseling session with a major, but it gets you a step closer by knowing your strengths and weaknesses.

If you are the lucky college student who actually knows what you want to do with your life, then get on it! In the Career Rookie article “6 Tips for Success All College Seniors/ New Grads Should Know,” Heather Huhman, founder and president of Come Recommended, said, “A degree isn’t going to be your golden ticket to gainful employment, worthwhile experience is.”

Here are some things you can do:

1.    Join a major-related club or organization. Many majors at Auburn University offer specialized clubs for each major. For instance, COSAM has Alpha Epsilon Delta, Medical D and a Pre-Pharmacy Club. In my major, public relations, we have PRSSA, which is a precursor for PRSA, the club for public relations professionals. Any of these clubs show that you care about the latest trends in your field and that you care about furthering your knowledge and abilities in your field.

2.    Gain volunteer experience. Volunteering, no matter the cause or organization, is a valuable thing to do. It puts you in contact with a diverse group of people and forces you to work toward the same end goal. It also shows that you care about your community and the people in it. Even better, get involved in a volunteering organization like Project Uplift or IMPACT that allows you to volunteer weekly. Another great thing about volunteering is that is doesn’t usually require previous experience or involvement. Even if you have never done anything else, you can still volunteer!

3.    Obtain and internship in your field. It seems that these days obtaining a job without an internship is nearly impossible. Employers like to hire people who have actually put their book knowledge to use. Luckily, many Auburn University majors require an internship. If yours doesn’t, consider a summer internship or come to the Career Center for more information on our job shadowing program. This program puts you in contact with professionals in the Auburn/Opelika area that you can observe for a day.

4.    Leadership, leadership, leadership. What is better than being involved? Leading the involvement. Once you find your niche, take on more responsibility. Whether it is your volunteer organization, social sorority or fraternity or professional organization, gaining leadership experience is crucial. No, you don’t have to be president of everything. If you can be and want to be, go for it! However, you can also become team captain or the manager of a club project.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

A Senior's Thoughts: Honesty & Integrity

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Our next topic should be rather obvious. It is entitled “Be honest, have integrity.” Sadly, many new employees overlook the importance of good morals in the workplace. Not only does your conduct represent yourself, your family, your university and your hometown, but you also now reflect your company. No company wants a cut-throat, sneaky employee, no matter how great of a sale representative, doctor, lawyer, teacher or nurse you may be.

If you are like me, you feel pretty good about your integrity. I’m not stealing money from my organization or committing tax fraud. I’m a good person. However, let’s think about the following:

1. Do you sneak off from work 10-15 minutes early? If being paid an hourly wage, leaving early means you are taking money that you actually did not work for. This is also referred to as stealing. 
2. Do you take home office supplies for personal use? This is also called stealing. Your organization bought these supplies for office use. By taking them, you are forcing your organization to buy more supplies sooner than they should, thus they spend more money. 
3. Did you say you were proficient in a skill or application that you really aren’t? We see this a lot. Many people say they are proficient in Adobe Creative Suite or all of Microsoft Office when really they only have working knowledge of them. If you say you can do something on your resume, you will be expected to perform at your job. Tell the truth on your resume!
4. Did you say you were fluent in another language, when really you can only hold an elementary conversation? This is another example of lying on your resume. In many instances employers will hold you accountable and begin speaking Spanish or French to you in the interview. If you know you wouldn’t be able to converse, then don’t say you are fluent. 
5. Do you participate in workplace gossip? Talking about other employees or your boss in a negative way is an incredibly painful thing to do. You may think you’re not gossiping because you aren’t saying anything, but listening to others gossip makes you just as guilty. Gossiping can tarnish your reputation, cause co-workers to lose respect for you and seriously hurt the person you’re gossiping about. Even if you are frustrated, do not vent to your co-workers. Remember, if people gossip with you, then many times they will gossip about you! Stay out of any and all drama! In the words of Thumper the Rabbit, “If you can’t say nothing nice, then don’t say nothing at all.”

In conclusion, we are all held accountable to our actions and words. We’ve all heard the common saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” If you have ever been the one that is lied to or talked about, then you know this is completely false. Employers do not want to constantly wonder whether their employees are telling the truth, can actually complete the assignment or are talking badly about them. Take some stress off of your superior and be a dependable, honest, morally-sound employee. I guarantee it will pay off!

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

A Senior's Perspective: Emotional Intelligence

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For the last four years, I’ve been drilled with exams, quizzes and writing assignments all of which are necessary for my learning. However, now that I’m on my way out and into the working world, I’m being told my emotional intelligence is more important. Emotional intelligence refers not to your IQ or book knowledge, but to the ability to manage emotions.

The one thing that really stuck out to me when evaluating my emotional intelligence is how I handle stress. You don’t have to have a full-time job to occasionally fall under the curse of being stressed out. With finals coming up, I’m imagining roughly 90 percent of us will feel quite overwhelmed. While I’m no expert at managing stress, I have been conscious of my reactions to stress for quite a while. Last semester was the hardest academic semester I’ve had at Auburn, and I also was shoulder deep in planning a wedding. This semester my course load is much easier, but I am now ear deep in wedding planning. Through this year, I’ve learned several things about managing my stress and reacting well to stress.

1. Writing things down helps keep me from getting overwhelmed. When I write things down, I know that I won’t forget it. Keeping a planner up-to-date is one of the best things I’ve done throughout my college career. It keeps me from double booking and wasting time.
2. Exercise can be used to prevent stress and relieve stress. I haven’t always been great about exercising. A lot of times when I am stressed I feel like exercise is a complete waste of time. However, this semester I’ve been very disciplined to exercise more, even if it’s only a 30-minute walk. What I’ve found is that the physical activity works out my anxious jitters and usually gears me to productivity. This is great because on the days that I’m not very busy, I get things finished thus leaving my next day a little less busy. It keeps things from piling high and keeps me feeling better. It also helps when I’m in the middle of a stress out phase. Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of school and work to move my body leaves me feeling more relaxed. 
3. Concentrated breathing sounds silly, but helps a lot when feeling stressed. As previously stated my academic schedule is not very strenuous this semester. I am fortunate enough to be able to take a stress reduction course in the physical education department. One of the best things I have learned is the use of meditation and breathing. I don’t always have the time for a 30-minute guided breathing exercise, and I’m sure most of you don’t either. However, in those times of gut-wrenching stress or anxiety, close your eyes and take 10 slow, deep breaths. It sounds silly, but taking that time to concentrate on your breathing slows your heartbeat and relaxes your body. Chances are you were tensing either your jaw or shoulders. By taking the time to breath slowly, you can relax those muscles.

These are just a few of the things that I found help me relax. Everyone is different, so maybe there are some other good activities you can do to unwind from your day. Whatever it is, realize that how to react to situations, stressful or not, plays a key role in how you are viewed as an employee.

BONUS: The Auburn University Career Center and DEI are co-sponsoring a Stress Relief Panel (WITH free food) on Thursday, August 26. Check it out here.

A Senior's Perspective: Be a Helper

To contact us Click HERE
One of the things that I have learned through this internship at the Auburn University Career Center is the value of hard work. Every week may not be packed full of tasks, and there may be times when I feel like I have nothing to do. There are, of course, other times when I'm begging for no more tasks.

The lesson learned from this realization is this: A great employee is the one who takes advantage of the down times. It’s not wise to take on additional tasks or volunteer to help when things are already piling high on your desk. However, those days that aren’t quite as frantic are the perfect times to ask around for who needs help or take initiative on a project. This not only takes the load off another coworker or your boss, but it also can have some intrinsic value. Doesn’t it feel good when you help out? So, why not help out!?

Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of "The 11 Laws of Likability" and founder of Executive Essentials, a corporate training and coaching company based in New York, NY, said, “Pursue the relationships that feel authentic to you to expand your resources, knowledge base and support network, and offer your help. If you don't have anything to do, find something. Build your brand as someone who pitches in."

Another thing to highlight while we’re “pitching in,” is to maintain a positive attitude. The importance of a good attitude cannot be stressed enough. It really can be the difference maker in whether or not you get a job offer.

One of my friends completed her internship in accounting this spring and received a job offer from a Big Four accounting firm in the city of her choice. When the bosses called her in to offer her the job they told her that the thing they loved about her was that she remained positive and uplifting through her entire internship. She later confided in me that she had actually made some mistakes and at times wasn’t 100 percent positive she was doing the right thing. She is incredibly smart, but this was her first time to do real, outside of the classroom accounting work. She didn’t feel extremely confident in all of her decisions and actions because she wasn’t positive that they were correct. However, she also told me that she realized that the only thing she could control was her attitude and outlook. Her knowledge base is only so deep right now, but she could smile, be nice and have a good attitude. For those very things she got a job offer.

For this reason, I stress to you to make the most of your time at your work or internship. Your helping out, smiling or maintaining a positive attitude could be the difference between being unemployed and employed.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

A Senior's Thoughts: e-personality

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Last week, I shared my attempt to reduce my spending. That is something I’ve been continually working on, although coming back to Auburn to an apartment with no food and new warm weather didn’t make it easy. This week, however, I’ll be focusing on monitoring my e-personality. Have you ever thought about this? We’ve all heard that you only get one first impression, but have you ever thought that your first impression could be on Facebook or Twitter? Think about it. If you tweet something that is retweeted, chances are someone you do not know now knows your name and associates your name with something you said using 140 characters or less.

I began the monitoring process by Googling my name: Paige Robinson. On the first page of websites, the only two things that showed up were my LinkedIn profile and the website I created for a class. While, I’d like to appear more upon that Google search, two isn’t bad. When I Googled: Paige Robinson Auburn, I got much more interesting results. Everything on the first page was me. It was videos I did for a class, articles and my resume. Various articles, websites and videos kept occurring even up to the third page. These were all good things because they market my skills: video production, editing, feature and news writing and social media.

Next I analyzed my social media accounts. I’ve done this before and regularly update them, but I still took the time to check them out. I had no profanity or bad pictures on my sites. I did have some high school yearbook invitations on my home page on Facebook, but I promptly deleted them.

The scary thing now is Facebook’s timeline. If you’re like me and didn’t start college off on the best foot, you have to go back to 2008 and clean everything up. This is one thing I did learn from this experience. Everything you post on a social media site is present. Luckily, you can delete photos from your site, but you have to take the time to really go through it. That is one thing I am doing now and plan to continue. It’s embarrassing to see what I posted as a high school senior, and I definitely don’t want a future employer to see that!

If you have never monitored your e-personality here are my recommendations:

1. Google yourself. Make needed changes based on those results.
2. Review your tweets. Do they have profanity? Do they allude to inappropriate topics? If so, delete them.
3. Look at your Facebook pictures. Do they have alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, drugs or profanity in them? If so, delete them.
4. Look at posts on your Facebook wall, groups you’re involved in and your recent activity. Are they alluding to crude subjects? If so, delete them.
5. Complete your LinkedIn profile. Why have a profile if it doesn’t adequately show your skills? Make sure each division is filled out to the fullest.

*Maybe you’re wondering what to do with pictures or posts regarding alcoholic beverages if you are 21 or older. My advice is just delete them. Better safe than sorry. What if your boss is extremely conservative? Is that something you would want him or her to see? Remember this could be your first impression; just take them down.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

A Senior's Perspective: Going Beyond the Textbooks

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This week’s topic couldn’t exactly be done in a week. Going beyond the textbooks by finding quality experience is something that needs to be done continually throughout our college careers. However, I will take this time to reflect on some things I’ve done and ways you can too!

In order to find quality experience in your field, you must first know your field. If you don’t, please go to www.auburn.edu/career and click on the Career Assessments tab. Take an assessment or two, and then come see a career counselor to discuss your results. You may not leave your career counseling session with a major, but it gets you a step closer by knowing your strengths and weaknesses.

If you are the lucky college student who actually knows what you want to do with your life, then get on it! In the Career Rookie article “6 Tips for Success All College Seniors/ New Grads Should Know,” Heather Huhman, founder and president of Come Recommended, said, “A degree isn’t going to be your golden ticket to gainful employment, worthwhile experience is.”

Here are some things you can do:

1.    Join a major-related club or organization. Many majors at Auburn University offer specialized clubs for each major. For instance, COSAM has Alpha Epsilon Delta, Medical D and a Pre-Pharmacy Club. In my major, public relations, we have PRSSA, which is a precursor for PRSA, the club for public relations professionals. Any of these clubs show that you care about the latest trends in your field and that you care about furthering your knowledge and abilities in your field.

2.    Gain volunteer experience. Volunteering, no matter the cause or organization, is a valuable thing to do. It puts you in contact with a diverse group of people and forces you to work toward the same end goal. It also shows that you care about your community and the people in it. Even better, get involved in a volunteering organization like Project Uplift or IMPACT that allows you to volunteer weekly. Another great thing about volunteering is that is doesn’t usually require previous experience or involvement. Even if you have never done anything else, you can still volunteer!

3.    Obtain and internship in your field. It seems that these days obtaining a job without an internship is nearly impossible. Employers like to hire people who have actually put their book knowledge to use. Luckily, many Auburn University majors require an internship. If yours doesn’t, consider a summer internship or come to the Career Center for more information on our job shadowing program. This program puts you in contact with professionals in the Auburn/Opelika area that you can observe for a day.

4.    Leadership, leadership, leadership. What is better than being involved? Leading the involvement. Once you find your niche, take on more responsibility. Whether it is your volunteer organization, social sorority or fraternity or professional organization, gaining leadership experience is crucial. No, you don’t have to be president of everything. If you can be and want to be, go for it! However, you can also become team captain or the manager of a club project.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

A Senior's Thoughts: Honesty & Integrity

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Our next topic should be rather obvious. It is entitled “Be honest, have integrity.” Sadly, many new employees overlook the importance of good morals in the workplace. Not only does your conduct represent yourself, your family, your university and your hometown, but you also now reflect your company. No company wants a cut-throat, sneaky employee, no matter how great of a sale representative, doctor, lawyer, teacher or nurse you may be.

If you are like me, you feel pretty good about your integrity. I’m not stealing money from my organization or committing tax fraud. I’m a good person. However, let’s think about the following:

1. Do you sneak off from work 10-15 minutes early? If being paid an hourly wage, leaving early means you are taking money that you actually did not work for. This is also referred to as stealing. 
2. Do you take home office supplies for personal use? This is also called stealing. Your organization bought these supplies for office use. By taking them, you are forcing your organization to buy more supplies sooner than they should, thus they spend more money. 
3. Did you say you were proficient in a skill or application that you really aren’t? We see this a lot. Many people say they are proficient in Adobe Creative Suite or all of Microsoft Office when really they only have working knowledge of them. If you say you can do something on your resume, you will be expected to perform at your job. Tell the truth on your resume!
4. Did you say you were fluent in another language, when really you can only hold an elementary conversation? This is another example of lying on your resume. In many instances employers will hold you accountable and begin speaking Spanish or French to you in the interview. If you know you wouldn’t be able to converse, then don’t say you are fluent. 
5. Do you participate in workplace gossip? Talking about other employees or your boss in a negative way is an incredibly painful thing to do. You may think you’re not gossiping because you aren’t saying anything, but listening to others gossip makes you just as guilty. Gossiping can tarnish your reputation, cause co-workers to lose respect for you and seriously hurt the person you’re gossiping about. Even if you are frustrated, do not vent to your co-workers. Remember, if people gossip with you, then many times they will gossip about you! Stay out of any and all drama! In the words of Thumper the Rabbit, “If you can’t say nothing nice, then don’t say nothing at all.”

In conclusion, we are all held accountable to our actions and words. We’ve all heard the common saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” If you have ever been the one that is lied to or talked about, then you know this is completely false. Employers do not want to constantly wonder whether their employees are telling the truth, can actually complete the assignment or are talking badly about them. Take some stress off of your superior and be a dependable, honest, morally-sound employee. I guarantee it will pay off!

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern

A Senior's Perspective: Emotional Intelligence

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For the last four years, I’ve been drilled with exams, quizzes and writing assignments all of which are necessary for my learning. However, now that I’m on my way out and into the working world, I’m being told my emotional intelligence is more important. Emotional intelligence refers not to your IQ or book knowledge, but to the ability to manage emotions.

The one thing that really stuck out to me when evaluating my emotional intelligence is how I handle stress. You don’t have to have a full-time job to occasionally fall under the curse of being stressed out. With finals coming up, I’m imagining roughly 90 percent of us will feel quite overwhelmed. While I’m no expert at managing stress, I have been conscious of my reactions to stress for quite a while. Last semester was the hardest academic semester I’ve had at Auburn, and I also was shoulder deep in planning a wedding. This semester my course load is much easier, but I am now ear deep in wedding planning. Through this year, I’ve learned several things about managing my stress and reacting well to stress.

1. Writing things down helps keep me from getting overwhelmed. When I write things down, I know that I won’t forget it. Keeping a planner up-to-date is one of the best things I’ve done throughout my college career. It keeps me from double booking and wasting time.
2. Exercise can be used to prevent stress and relieve stress. I haven’t always been great about exercising. A lot of times when I am stressed I feel like exercise is a complete waste of time. However, this semester I’ve been very disciplined to exercise more, even if it’s only a 30-minute walk. What I’ve found is that the physical activity works out my anxious jitters and usually gears me to productivity. This is great because on the days that I’m not very busy, I get things finished thus leaving my next day a little less busy. It keeps things from piling high and keeps me feeling better. It also helps when I’m in the middle of a stress out phase. Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of school and work to move my body leaves me feeling more relaxed. 
3. Concentrated breathing sounds silly, but helps a lot when feeling stressed. As previously stated my academic schedule is not very strenuous this semester. I am fortunate enough to be able to take a stress reduction course in the physical education department. One of the best things I have learned is the use of meditation and breathing. I don’t always have the time for a 30-minute guided breathing exercise, and I’m sure most of you don’t either. However, in those times of gut-wrenching stress or anxiety, close your eyes and take 10 slow, deep breaths. It sounds silly, but taking that time to concentrate on your breathing slows your heartbeat and relaxes your body. Chances are you were tensing either your jaw or shoulders. By taking the time to breath slowly, you can relax those muscles.

These are just a few of the things that I found help me relax. Everyone is different, so maybe there are some other good activities you can do to unwind from your day. Whatever it is, realize that how to react to situations, stressful or not, plays a key role in how you are viewed as an employee.

BONUS: The Auburn University Career Center and DEI are co-sponsoring a Stress Relief Panel (WITH free food) on Thursday, August 26. Check it out here.

A Senior's Perspective: Be a Helper

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One of the things that I have learned through this internship at the Auburn University Career Center is the value of hard work. Every week may not be packed full of tasks, and there may be times when I feel like I have nothing to do. There are, of course, other times when I'm begging for no more tasks.

The lesson learned from this realization is this: A great employee is the one who takes advantage of the down times. It’s not wise to take on additional tasks or volunteer to help when things are already piling high on your desk. However, those days that aren’t quite as frantic are the perfect times to ask around for who needs help or take initiative on a project. This not only takes the load off another coworker or your boss, but it also can have some intrinsic value. Doesn’t it feel good when you help out? So, why not help out!?

Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of "The 11 Laws of Likability" and founder of Executive Essentials, a corporate training and coaching company based in New York, NY, said, “Pursue the relationships that feel authentic to you to expand your resources, knowledge base and support network, and offer your help. If you don't have anything to do, find something. Build your brand as someone who pitches in."

Another thing to highlight while we’re “pitching in,” is to maintain a positive attitude. The importance of a good attitude cannot be stressed enough. It really can be the difference maker in whether or not you get a job offer.

One of my friends completed her internship in accounting this spring and received a job offer from a Big Four accounting firm in the city of her choice. When the bosses called her in to offer her the job they told her that the thing they loved about her was that she remained positive and uplifting through her entire internship. She later confided in me that she had actually made some mistakes and at times wasn’t 100 percent positive she was doing the right thing. She is incredibly smart, but this was her first time to do real, outside of the classroom accounting work. She didn’t feel extremely confident in all of her decisions and actions because she wasn’t positive that they were correct. However, she also told me that she realized that the only thing she could control was her attitude and outlook. Her knowledge base is only so deep right now, but she could smile, be nice and have a good attitude. For those very things she got a job offer.

For this reason, I stress to you to make the most of your time at your work or internship. Your helping out, smiling or maintaining a positive attitude could be the difference between being unemployed and employed.

Paige Robinson '12
Career Center Intern