Your Career and You: "Ask Questions and Be Accountable"

Two separate incidents within the last couple of weeks have given me cause to reflect on what seems to be a growing trend in "responsibility avoidance."

The most recent was an article in the April 3 Boston Sunday Globe about the state's Transportation Secretary who apparently was...or chose to be..."out of the loop" on matters relating to falling light fixtures (yes..."falling," not "failing") in a heavily-traveled Boston tunnel.

The other cause for reflection was a meeting with an internship advisee who is having problems with his internship; he puts the blame squarely on the person in charge of the organization he's interning with.

The similarity between the two events was what caught my attention. Basically, neither individual is admitting that the problem might really be his fault.

While I'll give the student a little leeway on this matter based on his youth and relative inexperience, I have a little problem with the guy at Transportation.

He's not a "newbie." He was a successful attorney for quite a few years (hmmm...lawyer...transportation secretary...I won't wander down that path!), so he theoretically has some business management smarts.

This fellow admits he didn't consider the public's "need to know." To which I ask, "What is it about 'public servant' and 'public's need to know' that isn't connecting?"

For the student...what is it about communicating with your supervisor that you're not getting? Why aren't you sitting down for a serious conversation about your needs as a student-intern and the organization's needs?

In both cases, I would offer that the root cause in both cases is fear of being held accountable. "If I don't ask, I can't be blamed."

That works maybe once in a blue moon, but rarely more often than that. As we see more and more, in the media and in daily life, people are being held to their responsibilities. They are being evaluated on what they are supposed to do.

So, to use a phrase from my favorite television program, South Park, "what we have learned here" is you have to ask questions...you have to make sure you have the answers... and you have to hold yourself accountable for your actions and your responsibilities.

It's called "being grown up."

"When a member of my family complains to me of having bitten his tongue, pinched a finger, or the like, he does not get the sympathy he hopes for but instead the question:
'Why did you do that?'"
Sigmund Freud, "The Psychopathology of Everyday Life" [1910], ch. 8

Your Career and You: "Find Your Inspiration"

I read a truly inspiring feature this morning in the Boston Sunday Globe about a young man...Lane Sutton...from Framingham, MA, who at age 13 has established himself as a social media maven.

I also read some genuinely idiotic comments from some Globe readers who apparently are appalled that this young man has emerged as a budding leader in the social media world. Seems like some folks are not prepared for the fact that some young men and women actually do care and actually do such shockingly adult things as read, use grown-up language, and have a vision.

This might explain why some of the young adults with whom I come in contact both at Curry College, where I teach undergrad Communication courses and oversee the Public Relations Concentration, and Regis College, where I teach graduate communication courses, are clueless about where they would like to go in life. They have gotten zip as guidance from their parents!

This is obviously a problem as we are talking about young men and women who are within shouting distance of their entry into the professional working world and are investing a not-inconsiderable chunk of cash into their educational preparation. They don't know why they're doing it!!

It's not entirely hopeless, though, and this is why I (and many other of my colleagues) take the time to meet with students to guide...nudge... shove(?) them along a particular path. We see the glimmer of a possibility, and we make it our crusade to help those who will accept our help find their way.

So what does all this mean for you?

It means you look to others...teachers, peers, parents, whoever you respect...for guidance and advice.

And you start paying attention to the success stories of those who have found their way and see how what they have done might apply to you.

What fascinated me about Lane Sutton's story is the fact that, in spite of his being, to use the trite phrase, "ahead of his time," he is a normal, decent kid who does his homework, has friends in school, and rides his bike.

Where he diverges from the norm is the fact that he reads newspapers and magazines. He associates with and talks to adults. He has figured out where his interests lie, and he's doing something about it. OMG...he reads?!?

Maybe this isn't you. Maybe this isn't where your interest lies. And that's ok. You don't have to be like someone just because he or she is successful.

What you do have to do is ask yourself, "What is it about this person that made him what he is today?"

When you answer that question, you're ready to find your own role model...someone who you would like to be like...someone whose interests are similar to yours.

Pay attention to what he or she does...reads...says...thinks. Ask yourself, "Am I like that? Do I want to be like that?"

I'm not saying become a mindless clone. What I am saying is you don't have to create everything yourself. Someone, somewhere, has done or is doing what you would like to be and do.

I would venture to say that, when you do find this person and pay attention to all these things, you will start getting a sense of how you would like to conduct yourself. You will start doing things that bring you a sense of satisfaction, that make you proud of your abilities. You will find that others are starting to listen to you and, sometimes, asking you for advice.

It may feel a little unnatural in the beginning, but as you grow into your new "you," you will become more comfortable and sure of yourself.

It all starts, though, with the initial challenge...find your inspiration!

"Yet this we ask ere you leave us, that you speak to us and give us of your truth.
And we will give it unto our children, and they unto their children, and it shall not perish."
Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet" [1923]

Your Career and You: "Speak Your Thoughts... Others Will Hear You"

Today has been one of those really cool days when I've come to realize that the things that I've been writing about in this blog are valid and meaningful.

First, the Boston Globe had an article in the "Money and Careers" section entitled "For the ambitious, entry-level jobs are far from a dead end." The advice, as provided by Globe staffer Katie Johnston Chase, was dead-center what I wrote about back in June.

Then, I received a tweet from Valerie Simon at BurrellesLuce about a blog ("Culpwrit") written by Ron Culp, a Ketchum PR exec who has some very keen insights into the quagmire known as "careers and job searching." Ron has provided some great observations on the importance of "passion," a topic I examined in August.

I can hear you asking: "So what? What does this have to do with my situation?"

Well, for one thing, it should reassure you that you're not in this all by yourself. If people are offering advice in national publications and on global social media platforms, there's a reason...and that reason is that others, just like you, are asking for advice and guidance.

Another more to-the-point reason is that Ron and I, and countless others, are writing blogs, articles, memos...you name it...putting in words our experiences and our opinions in the hope that we will offer some tidbit of advice that will help you.

I can't tell you how many times one of my students at Curry College or at Regis College has come to me asking for advice on how to better position him- or herself to stand out among the hordes of similar job seekers trying to get a toe in the door of a PR firm or in the PR department of a company or nonprofit organization.

Guess what? You've all taken the same courses....often studying the same texts! You've all done two or three (or more) internships. You've all excelled in your studies. And you've all been involved in a gazillion on- and off-campus activities to help flesh out your knowledge and experience.

So what's left? Well, here's a suggestion. Put your thoughts...your experiences...your observations...down in written form.

Blogging is one obvious way. Writing for your college newspaper or some other publication is another. Even updates on Facebook or Twitter...something besides the fact that you partied way too well last night and are paying the price today...can be valid. If you read (you do read, don't you?!?) something that catches your attention, post a link and a comment on Facebook. Or fire off a Tweet.

Why? Because professionals like Ron, Valerie, me and countless hundreds of others pay attention. You apply for a job; I'm going to pop your name into Google to see what bubbles up.

What would you rather have me see? Your most recent blog about your very cool trip, describing the scenery, the ambience, the excitement of visiting and learning about a new location/culture? Or a photo on Facebook of you getting up-close-and-personal with a trashcan after a party???

Read other people's blogs, and get a sense of how they're expressing themselves. Then think about it and decide what topic you might like to write about. Sports? Cooking? Travel? Art? It doesn't matter. Just put your thoughts down...demonstrate interest.

Set yourself a schedule. I do this blog weekly simply because I seem to encounter enough people and situations to always have at least one topic to sound off on weekly. Just try to be regular about it... demonstrate consistency.

And, finally, keep at it. Don't do one or two and stop, telling yourself, "Ok, I did what Kirk told me to do." Demonstrate dependability.

See what you've accomplished? In addition to having now established a written "picture" of you, the individual, you now have answered three of my top questions as a hiring manager!

So now you're a couple of notches up on the job search chain. Your resume looks good because of all the cool things you've accomplished. And now you and I have had a virtual mini-interview thanks to your having written your blog or whatever published form you choose. I've "heard" you!!

"'Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know.' So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there."
Ernest Hemingway, "A Moveable Feast" [1964]

Networking - Part 2: Going Public

I'm probably going to be accused of going on a rant this morning, but I read a very disturbing article in The Boston Globe about some parents who are encouraging/allowing their children to become immersed in online games and other Internet-based activity.

As a public relations professor in Curry College's Communication Department faced with the daily challenges of introducing young people to the many wonderful ways in which they can use their own skills, I have a serious problem with this.

Why? Because I, myself, am by nature an introvert. I am incredibly uncomfortable in group interactions. I would rather sit in my room with my teddy bear and a good book than go out into the "world" and be with "people."

But I do go out...and I do this because I have learned that human, face-to-face interaction is vital for successful communication. Nothing can replace the insights that you derive from looking someone in the eyes while discussing, negotiating, debating...communicating.

I am constantly urging my students to join campus organizations and get involved, to attend on-campus as well as off-campus meetings to meet and mingle with others, to start developing their social interaction skills.

At Curry, we have the Curry College Public Relations Student Association (CCPRSA) with monthly chapter meetings bringing in communication professionals from the area to talk about their own careers and offer tips and advice for making that move into the "real world." More importantly, it is an on-campus opportunity for students to meet and mingle with others and further refine their one-on-one communication skills.

The Boston Chapter, Public Relations Society of America and the Publicity Club of New England also both offer excellent programming. Both also welcome student attendees and offer special pricing to encourage students to attend.

So, for my own students and for others who can identify with a veteran PR professional's own fear of crowds...do as I did oh-so-many-years-ago..."go public."