Find Your Resting Place

 If you’re ever feeling worn out, take a break. No amount of work can make you feel complete. Only your well-being and values such as faith, family, self determination and community can sustain you. Life can be tough. When you’re young and trying to prove yourself you may want to work while sick, take on more than what you can handle, go above and beyond. It is wonderful to make a good impression, I encourage you to do your best and treat others how you want to be treated, but never end up in the hospital trying to please people. You deserve your rest and your peace. 

Workplace Communication Tips

You may have heard about workplace communication. You may have also heard about work place politics and chains of command. Unfortunately, the lines can get blurry and you will have to figure out how to communicate, who to communicate with and when. 

1. If the company has a handbook or an organizational chart, check it out to learn more about how that workplace is structured. Is it always followed ? No. Do people communicate effectively always, no. So you will have to be patient. 

2. Try to have a good rapport with your direct report. This person should be a good person to work with for you and can help you navigate your work environment. You should also try to develop a good rapport with others who know the organization, however be wise due to politics, you want to be sure you connect with people who are genuine about your growth within the workplace. 

3. Listen and observe before acting. Some people communicate without thinking about how the other person will perceive their message. The best thing to do is to clarify what you don’t understand, try to get the task completed, confirmed and be done with it. When the person is difficult, you may want to get assistance from someone in a higher position. Try to problem solve from a neutral place and don’t take what people do personally. 

4. Protect yourself by always keeping track of what you need to do and what is expected of you. Be a pleasant person to work with and surround yourself with others who are pleasant. It will make your work experience better. 

5. When in doubt, give yourself time to respond and don’t feel pressure to write long explanations. Be brief whenever possible. Make 24-48 hours a reasonable response time unless it’s an urgent matter. Put an out of office message up when you’re unavailable. 

6. Keep your manager in the loop when possible so they are not left in the dark. You may even ask their preferred communication and CC them when needed  

7. Find someone outside of work to support you. Sometimes people in your work space are not the right people to talk with when you need to vent. Get a mentor, connect with trusted people in your profession who can guide you. 

8. Read. Try to learn better ways to communicate by reading articles and engaging in professional development around the matter. 

9. Transfer your skills wherever you go. Remember you are an asset. Everything you learn goes with you. 

10. When you need help, be careful. Don’t panic. Stop and think about the right person to ask and the best way to ask. Should you call? Schedule a meeting? Email? Text? Again, this goes back to learning your environment and the people around you. In addition, what are you comfortable with ? I know you may want to make good impressions but you also need to be respected by setting boundaries around when you communicate and how. 

Surviving Career Transitions

Many people are going through career transitions. Whether it is by choice, or you have experienced a layoff or other life circumstance that causes change here are a few of my tips.

1. Always keep your resume updated and well done. You should always know your skills, your strengths and weaknesses. You may also consider a free career assessment to take inventory of your skills and interests. They may have changed over the years or you may not have identified them sufficiently.

2. Always seek professional development opportunities to remain current on your industry trends, and stay competitive in today's market.

3. Spend your time wisely. If you are not able to find your ideal position yet, continue to build yourself up by creating a daily schedule of tasks you can be doing while you are searching.

4. Get support: It really helps to talk to a professional career coach or even a counselor when you are having concerns with your career. You may even try a job search support group. This process can be tough so be sure to take care of yourself mentally, emotionally and physically.

5. Read! Being informed is so good for you. Many people lack direction because they do not have information. You can not rely on word of mouth to make career moves. You must have multiple sources on what is really happening. 

6. Embrace change. It can be hard to let go of an old position, especially if you really enjoyed it but sometimes we are forced out of our comfort zone. Try to think of the good that can come out of the situation. 

7. Don't rush. It can be tempting to rush back into the workforce, but I encourage you to take your time and really be selective when searching. Make sure you know yourself and all that is needed for you to be content with your decision. 

8. Be financially responsible. Needless to say, life has its ups and downs. 

9. Prepare for the unexpected, and know who you are with or without opportunity! You can create opportunity for yourself with the right mindset. Get up everyday knowing you have a purpose.

10. Find joy! Life is more than a career. You should be able to identify at least 3-5 activities outside of work that bring you joy.  Life is too short to spend on things that don't make you happy. Joy is not dependent on circumstance rather the attitude you carry about your circumstances.
 

Advice For Working as a First Generation Graduate Student

 

Working as a college student can be extremely challenging. Paying bills while studying, meeting requirements and completing tasks can be hard to manage but it can be done with perseverance and the proper perspective. Not everyone can make the choice to just focus on school.Many students have to balance work with college courses. Being in a school counseling program has been especially challenging for  me because the program requires a substantial amount of unpaid hours completing an internship and practicum during work day hours. Disclosing that you are in school to an employer is another delicate situation that can be hard to navigate. I am sharing a few tips on what has been helping me. 

1. Self care- Take advantage of your school's gym or get a low cost membership. It can really help with stress relief. 

2. Social support- Consider reaching out to personal and professional contacts who support you.  They may be of encouragement to you when you are having a hard time staying motivated.

3. Explore work opportunities within student friendly work environments where your supervisor would be supportive of allowing you to have flexible work hours if working full time or consider working part time. Try looking at tutoring, working on a college campus, a mental health agency or company that offers multiple work shifts such as weekends. With class during the evenings and commitments during the day for field work, it can be hard to find the happy medium but it can happen. Choosing a position that works well with your schedule will help you avoid a difficult conversation or decision later on. 

4. Save, save, save and pay bills on time! I know how hard it can be to sacrifice, but due to the expense of school, it is important to make sure you plan for the unexpected and maintain a healthy financial report for the future.

5. Don't give up. There are going to be people who won't be compassionate towards you. You can't get discouraged by that. You must continue to observe the real world to make the decisions that are best for you. This may mean taking notes on how schools treat you during the interview process, keeping an eye out for where you would like to work in the future. Use your experiences to ask questions, get to know yourself, and gain exposure to opportunities. Keep an open mind and always stay hopeful!!

6. Take breaks when you need it. Don't overwork yourself with classes or with work. Balance is hard, sometimes you have to stop and take care of yourself first before completing another task. In the long run, it will be better for your performance, if you are well!

7. Join a support group: There may be support groups for students like yourself who may be going through the same thing or a support group unrelated to school that can still help you find  a community of support to help with managing your stress and feeling less alone.

I hope these tips help! Life can be tough but so are you. Enjoy your journey, and know that sometimes things seem impossible until its done.

Give Yourself Grace to Learn

 

Handle yourself with care

There will be times as a young professional when you do not know what to do or how to handle something. You will not always know the answer. I want you to extend grace to yourself. You do not have to be perfect. I have heard many black professionals talk about how they have to be perfect at work because someone is always looking for a flaw in them, and in very rare cases are they allowed to mess up. I know this is the feeling that many of us have, but I will argue that it is such a big weight to carry. It says you don't deserve grace, and you absolutely do. If no one else treats you with softness, treat yourself with softness and kindness, because most likely you are trying very hard and at all times you are enough. While I know you have to meet certain standards to succeed in different work environments, I want you to remember your own standards and self love. As a professional you are still a human deserving of respect and the same treatment as everyone else. While that does not always happen, it is and will always be the standard. Keep your head up :) 

Sincerely,

Victoria 

An Entrepreneurial Spirit

     If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, I encourage you to not give away all of your ideas and talents until you burn out but keep something for yourself. Write those ideas down in a notebook and when you have some free time start working on it. You may not be able to see the end, but if you have faith, anything is possible. I believe the desires of our hearts are linked to our destiny. So listen closely to those desires and follow the timeline of God. You will get there at the right time. 

Workplace Wellness for Professionals of Color

I think it is so important to promote workplace wellness, especially as a professional of color. I have seen too many people burn out, work harder than they should have to in order to be respected, feel unappreciated or underpaid and try to be perfect so that they will not be discriminated against or stereotyped at work. This kind of stress and pressure can really take a toll on someone. 

Workplace wellness is important because work is where we spend a lot of our time. 40 hours per week or more is a significant amount of time to spend working for a company. Even if you are part time, you can still be impacted by stress because part time workers often take on more in less time.

This also extends to entrepreneurs. Working for yourself does not exclude you from the stress that can come from work, and also the disparities that sometimes exist for professionals of color. However, I am confident that things are changing, and that change first starts with being an advocate for yourself. Here are a few tips I have for workplace wellness. 

1. Take your breaks: It may be tempting to work through your break, especially if you have the freedom to set that break for yourself. Be sure that you are aware of how much time you are spending on a project and take the breaks you need to reset. 

2. Use your PTO- If you have PTO please be sure to use it. Everyone needs time to restore themselves. Being overworked is not good for your health. 

3. Have a good support system at work or outside of work: I think it is important to connect with other professionals who you can be transparent with but who also have a positive spirit to help guide you when you need support. If you do not have this in your work space be sure to join a network to connect there.

4. Consider exercising during your day. It's amazing how beneficial even a 10 or 15 minute walk can be. Taking just 30 minutes or less to refocus and meditate on something positive like your self care can really keep you balanced. 

5. Let it all go. It is tempting to rehearse everything that happened at work, or to worry about things that are not in your control. Once you release all that bothered you for the day, don't forget to let it go. Remember that its okay to not get everything done in one day and it is okay to have a boundary with work. Leave work where it belongs and be sure to schedule some time for fun with the people who love you most. 

Best,

Victoria