Category Archives: Professional Development

Relocation 101: Three Things to Consider When Job Searching Nationally (Guest post by Adrienne Boertjens)

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Student Affairs Job Relocation

Job search season is right around the corner, and as colleges and universities across the country prepare their search teams for trips to the various student affairs job placement events, the time has come for aspiring graduate students, new professionals and some seasoned professionals alike to face the inevitable question: “Where do I go from here?”

When it comes to job searching in Student Affairs, career progression is the obvious primary consideration. As a field, we also talk a lot about “Institutional Fit” and how to identify an employer that aligns with your professional values, desired culture, and educational philosophy. All of these are incredibly valuable factors in the job search process, however even if you find your “dream institution” it’s important to consider geographical fit, and how adjusting to life in a different regional culture may impact your overall transition. What kind of move will both challenge and support you in your professional growth? To get started, here are a few things to consider when determining your geographical fit:

1. Consider the basics, but don’t stop there!

  • Geography: Everyone has their geographic deal-breakers, and while it’s best to minimize them when it comes to these basic considerations for job searching, some things just can’t be avoided. For some people, certain geographic regions simply don’t agree with their lifestyle, whether it’s because they can’t stand the heat of the Deep South, or because shoveling snow off their car at 7am just doesn’t sound like a good time. Either way, knowing the extremes of what you’re willing to handle is a good place to start, but shouldn’t be the end-all, be-all of your search.
  • Personal support system: When it comes to a dual-job search or considering the needs of your dependents, there are a ton of factors to consider. If you’re moving on your own or if your job is the main factor in a move, as is the case for many new grads and new professionals, it’s helpful to identify just how far you’re willing to move away from your loved ones. Thanks to technology, staying in touch with your personal support system is easier than ever, however when you live far away from the people you care about, you have to consider how far and how often you’re willing to travel to be with them. Are you willing to miss out on a holiday or two for the sake of landing your “perfect fit?” Are you prepared to shell out for a plane ticket should a family emergency arise? While we can always hope for the best when it comes to these situations, it’s good to know literally how far you’ll go for your dream job.
  • Pro-tip for aspiring graduate students: These basic considerations may be better off on the back-burner when you’re searching for graduate assistantships and choosing your graduate program. While it can be tempting to continue your studies at your undergraduate alma mater or to stay close to home, graduate school is a wonderful opportunity to step outside of your geographic comfort zone. Your graduate program is probably only 2-3 years long, and it will be over before you know it! Take advantage of this short amount of time and consider moving somewhere you normally wouldn’t live long-term. Your resume and your professional network will thank you!

2. Consider your professional networking goals. For new grads and professionals especially, growing and developing your professional network in the field of Student Affairs is a must. Now is the time to establish a strong and positive professional reputation, which can present a challenge if you’re not willing to leave the comfort of your alma mater or home state. As a Student Affairs practitioner, growing and maintaining a strong network will contribute to your own professional development and can even assist you in future job searches. On the flipside, maybe you’ve already spent some time away from your Student Affairs family or a special mentor, and you’d appreciate being within regional conferencing proximity to them. When starting a new job, having an existing professional network close by may provide a certain level of comfort and support that can make your transition easier. If maintaining close ties with your existing professional network is important to you when it comes to relocation, consider moving to a region where you’ll strike a balance between having lots of new networking opportunities, and where you’ll still feel the support of your existing professional relationships. There’s nothing like a good ol’ regional conference reunion!

3. Consider state/regional professional development/involvement opportunities. Each department in each institution is going to have a different opinion or level of financial support for their professionals’ development opportunities. Regardless of whether or not your department has the financial means to send you to a national conference each year, it’s important that you’re able to seek out your own professional development opportunities in order to continue to grow in the field. As such, consider researching state/regional professional organizations or chapters of national organizations as a way of determining whether or not there will be opportunities for you to join committees, attend conferences, network, and take charge of your own professional development outside of your place of employment.

While this list is certainly not the end-all, be-all of relocating, these are some important things to think about as you begin applying to jobs and considering where you may want to spend the next phase of your career. What are some other things that you’ve considered when making a decision to relocate? Please share your thoughts in the comments below, or tweet me at @aboertjens.

Adrienne Boertjens is a Residence Director at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, and a proud alumnae of Eastern Michigan University (2015, M.A.) and Minnesota State University, Mankato (2013, B.A.). She is passionate about travel, arts and crafts and all things technology! Connect with Adrienne via email, Twitter, LinkedIn.

8 Mistakes to Avoid During the Housing & Residence Life Move-In Process

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Residence Life Mistakes

August has come and gone with an incredible amount of hard work from my staff for which I am extremely grateful. This has inspired me to think of some of the lessons that I have learned (the hard way!) over the past 20+ years of being a part of and managing the move-in process for new and returning students. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, I feel the following are eight of the most important Mistakes to Avoid During the Housing & Residence Life Move-In Process:

    1. DON’T FEED YOUR STAFF – Move-in is a very busy and stressful time. Unfortunately, we can forget about doing the simple things we need to do like eating (remember Maslow?) If you are going to require your staff to be there all day for move-in, you need to feed them. Or at the very least give them ample time to go and take care of themselves. Rotate shifts with your staff if need be. Keep in mind that orientation-type meals may have long lines and may not be the best option for staff who need to be in and out quickly. For move-in days here in which I need my entire staff working, I will either have food delivered or shop for groceries (i.e., sandwich fixings, fried chicken, salad ingredients, etc.) so that they can make they own plate and spend some time relaxing with one another. Remember to consider those with food allergies and / or other nutritional considerations (i.e., vegetarian, religious, diet / wellness, etc.) because pizza, wings, burgers, and hot dogs are easy and convenient, but not always universally appreciated.
    2. ARGUING WITH PARENTS – While you may be right with your argument and holding your ground, this is one fight that you are not going to win in the end. Parents are very quick to email and / or call the VP and / or the president of the institution, and students are eager to complain on social media. In many cases, some people just cannot be appeased so you’re better off having handled a situation in a respectful and “win-win” manner rather than adding fuel to the fire. I also recommend reading Eight Strategies for Communicating with Challenging Parents I wrote for The Student Affairs Collective.
    3. HAVING STUDENT STAFF MANAGE IRATE PARENTS – Handling irate parents is never fun nor is it something we look forward to. However, doing so should always be managed by a full-time professional staffer and not a student resident assistant. That’s why we’re paid professionals. Professional staffers also have more leeway when it comes to making decisions and coming up which options (or holding the line) that student staffers cannot. Furthermore, this can be an emotionally traumatic experience for a student employee, which will inevitably set a negative tone with them for the rest of the year.
    4. NOT PREPARING FOR CONTINGENCIES – Not to sound like a post-apocalyptic “prepper,” but problems will happen so you need to prepare for the worst. Know your placements, know your vacancies, and know how to make switches if needed. Not only can unexpected maintenance issues arise, but simple occupancy mistakes can also necessitate moving students (i.e., mixing genders in a single gender room / floor by accident). Do you have cleaning staff on site? What do you do if a key does not work? Is there a plan if the fire alarm goes off? Granted, you can’t think of every little scenario that could happen, but remember problems that have occurred in the past, and create a plan to handles those types of situations. Your staff will also appreciate this rather than having to scramble to find answers.
    5. NOT DRESSING COMFORTABLY – August is always hot no matter where you are in the country. A dress code is important, but you need to consider what is appropriate during a warm move-in. We are usually equipped with a new department t-shirt or polo, which is usually comfortable enough. But if these aren’t provided, consider relaxing the dress code to accommodate your staffers who will inevitably be moving carts, running errands, and walking the floors to meet and greet parents and students.
    6. MAKING PROMISES YOU CANNOT KEEP – We all want to be helpful and provide a memorable move-in experience for our students and their families. However, as I always tell my staff, if you don’t know something, ask! Don’t make it up just to get rid of someone or make yourself look like a hero! Never promise something that you cannot deliver on. Not only does this make the team look bad, but also the institution as a whole. Plus it can start a rocky relationship from day one, which will inevitably resurface again and again throughout the year. As an example, if there is a cleaning complaint and you say someone will be there within the hour to touch it up, someone BETTER be there within the hour. Likewise, if you state that a new mattress can be supplied within the week, you BETTER have a new mattress there within seven days. Not only does this apply to facilities issues, but even relationship building and student development practices (e.g., “I can help you find clubs to get involved with!”; “Come to dinner with us tonight…I’ll be by at 5pm to get you!”)
    7. LOSING YOUR COOL – August can be the most stressful time of the year for most of us. Case in point, when August 1st rolls around I always tell my wife, “I’ll see you in September!” (Residence Life spouses are saints by the way!) Managing training, resources, facilities, and the anticipation of increasing nasty parental involvement and student complaints is enough to create more than a few sleepless nights for Residence Life professionals. However, you need to be able to successfully manage that stress and not lose your cool during the move-in process. As the leader, you must be the role model as the cool and collected professional in charge. Granted, this is not easy; I myself have become angry in years past and wish I could have a few “re-do’s” with a few situations. But as a result I have become more self-aware after having more practice under stressful circumstances. Losing your cool in front of fellow colleagues, staff, students, and / or parents is certainly embarrassing, and can even cost you your job. Sometimes you simply need a few minutes to yourself to breathe and clear your head. It’s alright to ask for help and delegate authority to another colleague so you can take a break for a few moments. I often hear Student Affairs professionals talk about self-care, but rarely practice it. ResLifers particularly wear a “badge of courage” when it comes to managing work and trading war stories. Unfortunately, this doesn’t bode well for business as we can constantly be on edge and are more prone to lose our cool.
    8. NOT THANKING YOUR STAFF – I have heard various managers use the phrase, “Hard work in itself should be thanks enough!” which I think is simply arrogant. People appreciate being acknowledged for working hard. I strongly believe that I am nothing without the dedication and support of my employees. As a servant leader, I do my best to thank my staff not only at the end of the move-in process, but every morning and throughout the day as well. I try to see various “above-and-beyond” moments that staffers provide and point them out to them expressing my gratitude. And to be honest, making them feel good also makes me feel good! That’s something we all can benefit from holistically.

What are some other mistakes to avoid during the move-in process? Please share below in the comment section or tweet me at @studentlifeguru.

Conference Hacks: Tricks for Saving Time & Money

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Conference Hacks

Attending conferences is quite the expense and is easily seen as a luxury by many decision-makers at our prospective colleges and universities. After attending the most recent ACPA Convention, I kept a track of various tricks that I myself employed to save time and money during my stay.

1. HOTEL FLOOR PLACEMENT – Every time I stay at a hotel, I ask the front desk staff to do their best to place me on the lowest floor. If possible, I have them place me on a floor that doesn’t require the use of the elevator to get to where I need to go. This saves a lot of time waiting for the elevator, which can be tiresome especially when you are on a schedule to get to and from place to place. Getting a room near stairs in which you only have to go up or down one or two floors can save you a lot of time (and help you burn some calories in the process!)

2. GROCERY SHOPPING –  Having access to inexpensive and convenient food can be nearly impossible depending on the location of your conference. Many of the hotels and convention centers have a monopoly on the food market with expensive kiosks, franchises, or in-house restaurants. A small part of my soul died when I paid $3.00 for a can of Diet Coke at the Tampa Convention Center! I do my best to get around some of this by packing non-perishable snacks and other food items that will fit in my luggage (i.e., dried fruit, granola bars, candy, etc.)

Additionally, I do my best to make my way to a local grocery store and stock up on items that I can store in the hotel minifridge and / or buy a small Styrofoam cooler I can pack with ice from the hotel machine. Buying simple breakfast (i.e., yogurt, oatmeal, bagels) and lunch foods (i.e., lunch meat, fruits, salad components) can literally save you hundreds of dollars from eating every meal at the hotel or convention center. Granted, you may have to get dinner on your own, but over the course of a multi-day stay, this strategy will help you save money. I got away with eating Chobani yogurt, granola, and a banana for breakfast for three days at the ACPA convention, which probably saved me at least $45.00 or so.

3. TWITTER CROWDSOURCING – Twitter is a great resource to use to connect with colleagues to enhance your conference experience. Use the designated conference hashtag to connect with other conference attendees to share taxi rides, meet up for dinner, and even attend social events together (e.g., “Anyone interested in going to the hockey game tonight with me? #ACPA15.”) This is especially helpful if you are the only person from your institution and don’t want to be alone. Additionally, you can use Twitter to hook up with others at the conference to share work-related resources and collaborate on projects together.

4. PARKING & TRANSPORTATION – Scope out transportation and parking options prior to your leaving home. Using public transportation to and from the hotel can save you a lot of money because taxi service will be expensive if you are on a budget. Check out the bus or rail lines online for the city you are traveling to figure out the cost and timing of getting around. If driving your own, find the public parking decks close to the hotel ahead of time so you can be strategic in parking with a much cheaper option than using hotel valet or their in-house parking.

5. BAGGAGE – On a few occasions, I have packed flat, prepaid postage boxes in the bottom of my suitcase to pack with items to be sent home. Typically the airline will charge the basic bag fee for up to 50 lbs., but will whack you $100 or more for weight over that. If you know you are going to be receiving awards, books, tchotchkes from the trade show, handouts, and other weight-inducing items, it will definitely be cheaper to pack them in a box and send it. Normally you can leave the box at the hotel’s front desk, and they’ll make sure it gets picked up.

What are some other “conference hacks” that you have used to save time and money when attending regional and national conferences? Please share your thoughts below in the comments section and / or via Twitter by mentioning @studentlifeguru in your tweet.