Imposter Who?

Originally posted on December 16th, 2016 on the NASPA Blog for the NASPA Center for Women.

One of the students that I mentor graduated this past May and entered a graduate program this fall. We had a brief conversation about transitioning from an undergraduate student to a graduate student and embarking on the journey to become a student affairs professional. During our conversation, she mentioned her uncertainty, or fear I should say, of feeling like everyone would think she was a fake and not having any knowledge of what she would be doing. She was particularly worried about the students she would be working with and what they would think about her ability to serve in the role that she had been offered. It was very clear what she was experiencing but I refused to validate her feelings and tell her it was okay to feel that way. I know that imposter syndrome is very real for a lot of student affairs professionals, especially women. But, I’ve always thought it was an interesting concept and have been adamant about not letting the idea become of a part of my thought process. There are plenty of people in society that doubt the abilities of women so let’s stop doubting ourselves, too. With the prevalence of this idea amongst women in our field, I offer up a few helpful tips below so that we can all put imposter syndrome to bed.

source: hbr.org/illustration by: Marysia Machulska

Be confident. A little bit of confidence can get you far. My mom taught me that if you’re not confident in your abilities, then you can’t expect anyone else to be confident in your abilities. If your supervisor gives you a project and you appear to be less confident about your end product, he/she will probably not be confident in what you create or produce. As a result, you may be overlooked for the next major assignment and could hurt your chances for growth and advancement in the future.

Ask questions. If you are new to a position and there is an area or skill that you are unfamiliar with, ask questions. As a supervisor, I would be concerned if my supervisee did not ask questions. In fact, I expect her to ask questions because I expect that she will not know everything. Asking questions doesn’t mean that you don’t know what you are doing. It means that you want to gather the right information to ensure that you do your job correctly.

Utilize your strengths. Many of us have taken Strengths Quest and have our top 5 strengths listed on our LinkedIn profiles and email signatures but forget to apply the results to our everyday work life. My number one strength is Relator. When I need to learn about a new initiative or take on a new responsibility, I will utilize this strength to connect with colleagues who I have built relationships with and who can provide good insight or expertise. Utilize your strengths to build upon areas that you have little to no experience in. You will learn something new while building social capital and sustaining relationships that will help you in the long run.

Change your mindset. If you haven’t read Carol Dweck’s book Mindset, imposter syndrome would be an example of a fixed mindset. Possessing a fixed mindset leads to the need to prove your abilities, to prove that you are not a fraud or fear that people will think you are a less than perfect professional. Ask yourself would you have been hired if your supervisor thought you were not capable of doing the job successfully? Don’t let fear, change or doing something new stop you from learning or advancing. Don’t let fear get in the way of your future. You’re a professional and what you don’t know you will learn and will evitably be successful.

Have faith in your preparation. We work hard to get through graduate school to earn a masters or doctorate degree. We spend time attending conferences, trainings and webinars to learn best practices and current trends. We read books, articles and blog posts to develop ourselves. After all of that, why doubt our abilities? Have faith in your preparation, believe in your training and trust the knowledge and experience that you have gained.

I shared these tips with my mentee in the hopes that she will grow and develop without feeling like an imposter. How have you overcome feeling like an imposter? What tips do you have for putting imposter syndrome to bed?

The Inner-Workings of Search Committees

Originally posted on studentaffairscollective.org on 9/29/14 for the #SACandidEx series.

i8nterview — Source: theglobalandmail.com

My very first experience being on a search committee was as a junior in college. At that time, I had no idea what a search committee did and was told that I would represent the student voice on the committee. The search was for our institution’s first Dean of Students and was a very eye-opening and well thought out process. I remember entering the conference room of our first meeting and seeing three very large stacks of paper, and thinking, “I hope we don’t have to read all of that for this meeting.” I quickly learned that was the exact thing that we were there to do. The large stacks turned out to be over sixty 7-10 page resumes that meet the minimum requirements of the job announcement. I thought it would take all day to read through all of these documents. But within 30 minutes the stack was down to less than 20 based on a pre-determined checklist. If a candidate did not meet the five criteria on the list, they were automatically a “no.” Then we discussed as a group who would be offered a phone interview from the remaining stack. Since then, I have served on several search committees as a professional and have learned that if you are invited for an on-campus interview, then give yourself a pat on the back because that’s an accomplishment within itself.

Search committees are somewhat mysterious because no one ever talks about what really goes on behind closed doors. Candidates, especially graduate students and new professionals, can benefit from knowing how search committees really work to better prepare for the on-campus interview. Here are a few tips that I think are helpful in understanding the inner workings of search committees:

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“What just happened?” Dealing with Unprofessional Behavior as an Internal Candidate

Originally posted on studentaffairscollective.org on 9/19/14 for the #SACandidEX series

It was time for the campus partner panel for my internal interview. I currently served in the interim role of the position I was interviewing for so I was familiar with everyone in the room. There was a panel of 6 individuals with whom I interviewed and had worked with in various ways. The interview began. I was ready for their questions. Then, like most interviews, it was my turn to ask questions. My first question was, “How can I support you and your office in this role? What are your needs?” Well, this was my first and only question, because I was blindsided by a barrage of frustrations and complaints about their lack of involvement with the new direction of the program that I was coordinating. The flood gates opened. I sat there in awe, nodding, smiling and attempting to take notes while thinking “how do I get this back on track?” I still had two other questions that I really wanted to ask and we were quickly running out of time. More important, my interview was neither the time nor the place for them to express their frustrations and frankly, it was unprofessional. There were also some harsh comments directed towards the actions of my supervisor, who was not present during the interview. Luckily, a member of the panel realized the responses were no longer to my question and interjected to suggest that these concerns be discussed with my supervisor at a more appropriate time. At that point, time was up and I had to move on to my next interview panel. I thought to myself, “What just happened?”

jobinterviewpic — Source: https://elev8.hellobeautiful.com

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Taking a step back…

It’s been awhile since I’ve made a blog post. I wanted to check in and let you all know that I have not abandoned my blog. I’ve decided to take a step back and think about the direction I want to take. Blogging is a very thoughtful process and I want to make sure I am writing posts that are beneficial and inspiring to those who follow my site.
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“Quality over quantity”

“Those who speak most of progress measure it by quantity and not by quality.”
~George Santayana

This year’s NASPA Conference was held in Orlando, Florida at the Orlando World Resort & Convention Center, March 16th-20th. This was my fourth NASPA conference and as I attempted to recuperate (for anyone who has ever attended NASPA, you know exactly how tired I was) and reflect on what I learned, I was reminded about the importance of quality over quantity.Continue reading ““Quality over quantity””

“She who learns, teaches.”

“If student affairs is as much or more of a philosophy as it is as a set of practices or a profession, then what matters is not where you are in the organization but what you do wherever you find yourself in higher education.” ~ Dr. Jim Lancaster, Appalachian State University, 2012

This quote by Dr. Jim Lancaster of Appalachian State University was shared by Aaron Fetrow of Guilford College during his keynote address at the ) Careers in Student Affairs Conference held in September at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).

This quote has resonated with me since that day.

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