Career Services Blog

Well, I have been struggling to be all that I am, student, friend, brother, boyfriend, employee, etc… and I cannot find the time for all of these things. I am trying to learn how to divide my time and what are the best ways to do so to be able to maintain love relationships, and still be responsible at work or any other place. I am including some links that discuss time management techniques for students or employees. I am pretty sure no matter the case we can all benefit from some, if not most of these suggestions.

I will say that the most important one for me is knowing when to say "No" because of all of the responsibilities that I have. Also, I have noticed that this is a big issue for many people close to me. Knowing when to stop playing, talking on the phone, or even being with family and friends is essential to completing or accomplishing any goal. I know we all need help and cannot do it alone, but sometimes we have to distance ourselves from those connections in order to stay focused and on-track.

Time Management Technique #3: Learn to say "Yes" and "No".

The inability to say "No" is the cause of an incredible amount of misunderstanding and frustration. Instead of saying "No," people say "Maybe" or "I might be able to do that" or "I'll see", creating the expectation that they will do whatever it is on the part of the listener and the pressure on themselves to do it. Then when they don't do it, the person they said "Maybe" to instead of "No" is disappointed/annoyed/hurt.

Make it a general rule not to say "Maybe" at all when you're asked to commit to something. Learn to make quick decisions and say "Yes" or "No" instead and don't get hung up on elaborating. You don't have to give extensive reasons for your decision. A simple "No, I can't do that" is enough. The person you're speaking to will appreciate your honesty and your disinclination to waste their time. And you'll be without the pressure to fit in yet another activity or event you weren't that interested in anyhow.

In this link the one that stands out first is number 7, learning to delegate. Even though we are not bosses, our families, or older children can take some of the responsibilities we try to do ourselves. My BFF had her older children help the younger ones with their homework assignments to help free some of that time for herself.  I do not want to inundate y'all with tons of websites on time management, but hopefully these can be of some help.

 

 

 

 

I am sitting here watching an Alfred Hitchcock film, just finished eating, thinking of homework to do for two classes and Italian chapters I need to make up. I'm wondering how I can catch up and be able to feel like I am actually learning something other than just reading to answer a few questions in class. I had begun my recent entry a few days ago and have been stuck ever since. As I was returning the apple juice back to the refrigerator, I noticed directly above it (the fridge I mean), my vision board. What is a vision board?  You may be asking. Well, it is a different way of keeping track of your goals and dreams, other than just writing them down in some to-do list or journal. It allows one to see or visualize all one desires and in a way, help bring them into existence.

 

A couple summers ago, maybe more, a good friend had arranged a Secret viewing party, where we watched the self-help film or documentary, and then created our own vision board from its example. We used magazine cut outs, ads, newspaper clippings, and created some sort of collage out of all these different images, texts, shapes. I having had no furniture in my apartment at the time, glued clippings of furniture: sofa, bedroom set, and put in the quote "A room to relax" around them. I also glued pictures of a camera, a computer, a cap and gown, as well as, a plate of salad.

 

Now, the purpose of the vision board is to have some sort of record of ones's goals and dreams posted around the home, to remind us of what we work and toil and sweat and sacrifice for. It is a way to visualize, and to see oneself accomplishing these desires, in an effort to make them more attainable.

 

As I tried to write this blog on the theme of time management and balancing life, work and friends, I thought of all that I have accomplished-great and small-from graduating with my BA in English and Spanish, to my laptop,, a furnished apartment and a place to feel comfortable and pleased, to be productive and studious, to have company and not be embarrassed or ashamed while I entertain friends. I say these things because, as I think of the time that it took me to have a small part of these goals come into fruition has been, about 3 years, while some, I know will take longer, though I am doing things that will prepare me for them in the future.

 

last blog I wrote about dreams and being in the position of questioning the path that our lives should take, and I remember when I made my decisions I made that vision board. Now, every time I pass my kitchen for a drink, or am washing dishes-cause the girlfriend cooks-I recall nights where 3 hours were all I was allowed to sleep, when my weekend craziness meant, reading 100 -150 pages of literature and critique, and writing 5-10 pages of my own. I can look at this poster board, and around my home, at the pictures of family , postcards from friends and loved ones,  a pleasant love seat, a soft and comfortable bed, along with many other blessings life has brought my way, and be thankful. Thankful because not only did I set out to accomplish something, but I made a list or a plan on how to see it come about. I kept focused on my desires and didn't  stop due to any difficulties or obstacles that presented themselves throughout my journey.

 

That is my goal for all of you, to discover your passions, your dreams, your wildest desires, speak them to the universe and envision yourself having accomplished them, having that raise, that new job, new car,  and when times get rough, do not forget what all the sacrifice is for.

 

I will tell yea'll that though it may seem like I am preaching, I have found out that things occur in ly life at moments when I need them most. And the opportunity to write for this blog and discuss career issues, concerns, struggles, hopes, I have found an outlet for my doubts and insecurities. In this blog, I am able to mention what I am thinking about in regards to my future and I am also, able to give myself some advice or tips on how to succeed or maintain the drive and the will to continue. So, though it may sound as though I am only speaking to the million readers of our blogs, I am also trying to keep myself on course, and positive.

Gustavo Adolfo Aybar

Planting seeds is the easiest part.

April to June.  The tiny sowing.

 

An act of directed impulse;

the desire for creation.

 

It's the watering, the cultivating,

the weeding, the clipping;

 

the labor of love is in the daily act

of choosing to feed,

 

of respecting the life of the seed that grows.

What wind and rain. What storm and frost.

 

What neglect and drought.

What hail and hoof

 

and blight and pest did not stop.

What Love of Sun and God continues to thrive

 

to unimagined heights

amidst the weeds and rocks.

 

Do not be wary as the seed one planted

becomes a life on its own

 

-amongst a wild nature

of uncontrollable urges and growth.

 

Trust the design.

Embrace the Harvest.

 

-Erika Cecilia Noguera

Submitted by: Gustavo Adolfo Aybar

 

 

This is a haunting question for many people when faced with unhappiness or the idea that they may not be pursuing their passion. It is also what the newly unemployed ask themselves when their lives are no longer defined by a steady check, but late fees, disconnection notices, collection calls, and all of the rest of the difficulties that afflict those with a forced career change. Regardless of what the circumstance: chosen or forced, financially stable or living check to check, young or seasoned, we all ask ourselves---"What should I do with my life?"---That's why for this first blog I wanted to discuss this question and the book by Po Bronson with the same title, because it is something I have really been wondering about at this point in my life.

 

For anyone reading, my name is Gustavo Adolfo. I am from the Dominican Republic. Yes, I am Latin. No, I do not know how to dance Salsa. Yes, I love baseball. No, I don't play dominos. Yes, I know my name is hard to pronounce. No, I do not have a nickname. A little more about me… I have bitten my fingernails since high school, and right now all of my fingers hurt from the abuse. I've been listening to Lauryn Hill's "The Conquering Lion" for the past 3 days straight. Only this song. And, yes, I hate that she has not released a new album in years. No, I do not think that being a full-time mother is a great reason to have kept her gift from the world. Yes, my feminist BFF has debated this with me too many times. We have agreed to disagree.  I am also banned from Zona Rosa, and Oak Park Mall, because KCP&L, and T-Mobile, for some reason think some of that money should go to them instead of the clothes I so desperately need.

 

Annnnnnnywhoooooo,

 

I will let ya'll know that I am a graduate student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, majoring in Romance Languages and Literature, which means I am fluent in Spanish, and am working on Italian (my third). Expected graduation date-May 2010. What do I want to do with all of that, hmmpph? That's what I've been working towards, yet am still worried about.

 

The author of the book What Should I Do With My Life, Po Bronson says the following about how he felt when he started this book:

 

I thought the Question was a scourge on our society, a contagious mental virus transmitted via verbal exchanges. But I'm starting to see that the Question serves a valuable role. The Question is how we hold ourselves accountable to the opportunity we're given. We live in a rich country, so rich that we're blessed with the ultimate privilege: to be true to our individual nature. (20)

 

"The privilege to be true to our individual nature". Wow!!! That is why I love this book; because the message is so very true, so very powerful, that we can't deny its truth. If there is anything great about being in America, it's that though it may be a tough path, we can eventually live the life we have always wanted to.

 

The book, which I am rereading (though I should be doing other homework), is extremely interesting. It is interviews of about 55 people ranging from male to female, young and old, Asian or American, CEO's and college students, who all made drastic changes in their lives in order to answer that question which has been eating away at their souls like a starved animal. I was definitely more concerned about this confusion five years ago when I first read this. However, now, though I have been volunteering, working on campus and getting some teaching experience, my choice is a Ph. D. program or a real job for the first time in my life. I will say that I am a non-traditional student, which means I am older. That is one of my fears, how to transition from student to employee, with an actual career, not just a job.

 

It's interesting cause as I am typing this I am thinking of how I have been dreaming of these things: having a masters degree, being a professor, and finally having the security and stability to repair my credit-buy a home-travel the world-or country (at least)----start a family-make my mother proud. Now that the dreams are coming to fruition, it is difficult to not feel nervous about it really happening and whether I made the right decisions.

 

Another book I love is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, which is about following your dreams and the path to them. It presents the difficulties, the love that may prevent one from continuing, the money that may detract us from seeking to fulfill our true goals and how when we truly want something "the whole universe conspires to make that dream come true." I can only say that when I finally set out to finish my degrees, and begin my career path--- life, God, the universe, or whatever you choose to call it--- has surrounded me with a wonderful group of people. From students with a great work ethic and same frustrations, fears and goals; writers, poets, and artists, from all walks of life and genres: rap, visual, literary, musical, etc. who have guided, mentored, sistered, mothered, brothered, fathered, friended---studied, analyzed, reminded, gone without sleep, kept me accountable, laughed, tried to teach me to dance, cried, hated me, scolded me---- and basically loved and supported me throughout every step of this process.  And the book could not be more right.

 

I guess I should say that the reason I am mentioning these two books is that, to me, the "dream" is the seed, and college or the work and things we do to accomplish them, is the nurturing. They are the sunlight, the rain, the pruning, and the weeding. They are all of the work and care that we put into our lives and our families to be successful, and though, like a garden, some plants, flowers, or herbs take time to grow, and/or may not bloom at all, we must continue to tend to it.

 

With that said, I would and highly recommend that anyone who has the time, when not doing homework, raising children, working, or applying for work, and can read any one of these books to do so. I have read The Alchemist every year since 1999, and am always gifting it to people I care about. I just bought an illustrated version from Amazon and this time, my significant other, my princess, decided to gift my book….my special-life enriching- life changing- must have- manual for daily inspiration-to a young girl she felt would appreciate it. And we had just begun to read it. Ok, I'm sorry, she had her heart in the right place, so I am glad she gave it away, just giving her a bad time, since I feel she may be one of a few people to read this, though I hope I'm wrong.

 

Finally, to end this blog I am also including a poem.  I will honestly try to end with a poem for several reasons: 1, because I love poetry; 2, because I hope all of the million readers of this blog also love poetry or will learn to love it; and 3, because like Jerry Springer, I want to end with a positive Final Thought.

 

Did you like how the readers have grown from a few people to a million in just a few paragraphs? The ego on this guy. Did you also like how I combined something so cultural and beautiful as poetry with Jerry Springer who we know does not have the greatest reputation (to say the least)? LOL. That's what I do, I try to keep it interesting. LOL.

 

Please keep reading, I promise it will get better.

 

In January, NACE conducted a "quick poll" of select career center members (chosen to reflect a cross-section of the membership) to measure student and employer activity levels on campus relative to last year, and to identify actions taken by career centers to address the change in the college hiring market. Following are highlights of the poll:

• Student traffic at career centers has increased significantly this year-Fifty-one percent of respondents reported an increase in traffic compared with 20 percent who are seeing a decrease. Virtually all types of students are expressing a concern over market conditions, but undergraduate business majors are particularly affected.

• Employer activity decreased in the fall-To measure extent of change, NACE created an index that indicates:
  • Career fair activity decreased marginally
  • Employer information sessions were down noticeably
  • On-campus interviewing decreased significantly
  • Job postings were down significantly (near estimated 10 percent overall)

• Most career centers are addressing the market situation using multiple actions, including:
  • Outreach to employers to attract them to campus
  • Special job-search workshops
  • Special information presentations about the economy
  • Increased outreach to students to bring them to the career center
  • Outreach to alumni as a job source
  • Added services and staff
  Source: NACE

A Kansas State University study shows that invigorated and dedicated employees carry over their positive work experiences for a happier home life.

//

K-State psychology researchers studied how positive work experiences extend into family life and facilitate family interactions. They found that employees who are engaged in their work, which includes higher levels of vigor, more dedication and absorption in daily activities, have better moods and more satisfaction at home.

The K-State research group included Clive Fullagar, professor of psychology; Satoris Culbertson, assistant professor of psychology; and Maura Mills, graduate student in psychology, Manhattan. They presented the research in April at the annual conference for Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in New Orleans. The study was partially funded by K-State's Center for Engagement and Community Development.

"Our research indicated that individuals who were engaged in positive experiences at work and who shared those experiences with significant others perceived themselves as better able to deal with issues at home, became better companions and became more effective overall in the home environment," Culbertson said.

The researchers tracked 67 extension agents for two-weeks to determine the relationship between daily work engagement and work-to-family facilitation. The participants responded to two daily surveys, one at the end of their workday and the other immediately before going to bed for the night. They also completed a separate survey prior to the start of the two-week period and another after the daily data collection had ended.

Culbertson said stress at work and stress at home interact in ways that affect outcomes in both domains. The study results suggested that engagement is significantly related to daily mood, and mood also is positively correlated with work-family facilitation. The researchers found that both work engagement and work-to-family facilitation vary considerably from day-to-day.

"Just because an employee might not be invigorated or dedicated to his or her work on a Monday doesn't mean he or she won't be engaged on Tuesday or vice versa," Culbertson said. "Additionally, one's work can facilitate things at home to a different extent depending on the day and what has happened on that particular day."
//

The researchers also found that daily work engagement had a positive effect on family life after controlling for workload -- heavy or light work hours were not a factor.

Culbertson stressed that engagement refers to positive work involvement rather than more negative forms of job involvement like workaholism and work addiction, which differ in their effects on home lives.

"Work addicts, or workaholics, have been shown to experience higher levels of work-family conflict," Culbertson said. "On the contrary, our study showed that higher levels of engagement were related to higher levels of work-family facilitation rather than conflict."

Culbertson said organizations could build on these findings and intervene in the workplace. She said that it is important for organizations to help employees balance their work and personal lives. Prior research has shown that people who report high levels of work-family conflict tend to also report experiencing lower job satisfaction, poorer health, lower job performance and a greater likelihood of leaving the organization. Thus, helping employees helps the organization, she said.

"Practically, our results indicate that engagement is controlled by situational factors that are manageable by the organization," Culbertson said. "Generating high levels of engagement among workers has a positive impact on the work-family interface."

Source: Kansas State University

Job Outlook 2010 Fall Preview (September 2009) (PDF)-Employers responding to NACE's Job Outlook 2010 Fall Preview survey plan to hire 6.9 percent fewer graduates in 2009-10 than they hired in 2008-09. That drop comes on the heels of the 2009 recruiting season, which saw employer hiring plans change almost overnight from a 6.1 percent increase to an decrease of more than 21 percent, thanks to the meltdown of the financial sector last fall.

The Job Outlook 2010 Fall Preview is the first of a series of polls that NACE conducts throughout the academic year to update hiring projections for new college graduates. Job Outlook 2010 (the full report) will be available in November. Job Outlook 2010 Spring Update will be published in early spring.

Note: All Job Outlook reports are copyrighted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). No part of any of these publications may be used, adapted, or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of NACE. NACE college and employer members have the permission of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, copyright holder, to download and photocopy these articles for internal purposes only. Photocopies must include this copyright notice.

Source: NACE

Question:

I will be graduating in December from UMKC with a BA in Psychology, I need to know when I should begin applying for jobs in order to have one in line when graduation hits?

Answer:

Right NOW, start right applying now!Traditionally a job search can take as long as 6 months, currently, in some industries, the wait time can be as long as a year. The sooner you start the application process the better your chances will be. Come into the career center and speak with Dustin Williams about your job search process and how you can streamline it!

-Kasey

You might think that a long vacation is the way to beat job burnout. But the kind of vacation you have is just as important - if not more important - than its length, concludes Prof. Dov Eden, an organizational psychologist from Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Management.

//

The key to a quality vacation, he says, is to put work at a distance. And keep it there.

"Using work cell phones and checking company email at the poolside is not a vacation," Prof. Eden says. "Persons who do this are shackled to electronic tethers which in my opinion is little different from being in jail."

For the past ten years, Prof. Eden has been studying "respite effects," which measure relief from chronic job stress before, during, and after vacations away from the workplace. Electronic connectivity exacts a price from those who stay wired into the office while away from work. It marks the end of true "respite relief," says Prof. Eden, and is a cause of chronic job stress.

"If I were a manager, I would insist that my employees leave their cell phones at work during vacation and not check their email while away," Prof. Eden warns. "In the long run, the employee will be better rested and better able to perform his or her job because true respite affords an opportunity to restore depleted psychological resources.

"Employees who feel compelled to be at the beck and call of work at all times are unlikely to recover from the ill-effects of chronic job stress. This is a causal chain that eventually gets internalized as psychological and behavioral responses that can bring on serious chronic disease."

Recently Prof. Eden, his student Dr. Oranit Davidson, and Prof. Mina Westman (all at Tel Aviv University) surveyed 800 professors from eight universities in Israel, the United States, and New Zealand. The researchers measured stress and strain before, during, and after a sabbatical leave of a semester or a whole year. They found that those who took a long sabbatical break experienced about the same amount of relief (and returned to pre-sabbatical levels of stress and strain in just about the same amount of time) as people who had taken either a week-long or long-weekend vacation.

Stress and psychological strain before, during, and after the respite were measured using a questionnaire and those on sabbatical were compared to a similar group of university academics who did not go on sabbatical. Participants included professors at Berkeley, Florida State University, and The University of Texas at Arlington, among others.

Whether a vacation was as short as a long weekend or as long as a year, within three weeks back at work (and possibly even before that), the respite-relief effect had virtually washed out, Prof. Eden observed.

"Among many employees we have studied over the years we have found that those who detach from their back-home work situation benefit the most from their respite," says Prof. Eden. "Moreover, these individuals are probably less likely to experience job burnout. It's the ones who can't detach from the constant flow of job demands that are most likely to burnout.

"If I could choose," concludes Prof. Eden, "my educated guess is that I would prefer to have vacations more often, but shorter in length."

And does Prof. Eden have a cell phone? "I refuse to enslave myself to one of those devices," he says. "I only use one on the days I visit my grandchildren."

Source: Physorg.com

The adage that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely isn't as set in stone as previously thought. Social norms often dictate how much we follow the office herd, whether we chip in to buy a despised boss a chintzy gift, or whether we agree to a course of company actions that we see as madness. These social norms are just a fancy way of saying peer pressure, and a surprising number of workplace woes can be laid at the feet of peer pressure.
But is everyone peer pressure's lapdog?
There are studies that show just how damaging it can be to worry about our appearances. In fact, worrying about how hot, or un-hot we are can impact our health. There are even researchers who are urging the Chinese government to use social norms to exploit their people for the betterment of the planet. What other people think is a powerful force in our decisions. 
Or is it?
An interesting study from the University of Nottingham suggests that the genetic makeup of certain people's brain's can make them more resistant to being influenced by their friends. The researchers found that brain activity in sections of the brain responsible for planning and extracting information went into overdrive when peer pressure resistant 10 year olds were faced with a barrage of societal pressure.
And yet another study, this one by a group of researchers out of the Kellogg School of Management out of Northwestern University, found "powerful people" can be insulated from the influencing effect of the people around them. That in some way powerful people aren't as easily swayed by what everyone else thinks. The researchers even suggest that it is this very quality that makes great leaders able to conquer incredible hardships and accomplish the very things that make them great.
Only a fool would argue peer pressure isn't real but, fortunately, not everyone feels the pull of the siren song loudly and a few us are almost immune to it.