Increasing your Personal Knowledge with Plaid - by Guest Blogger Chris Hanes

Guest Bloggers – Chris Hanes, Vice President and Chief Learning Officer, Plaid, LLC & Wilson Wong, President, Plaid, LLC
 
 

One of the four pieces of Delta Zeta’s Purpose is the pursuit of knowledge. A very important part of the college experience is a member’s personal growth through academics. Equally important to a member’s growth are the life lessons that she experiences through interactions with others. Delta Zeta is an ideal venue for this area of personal growth.

Plaid, LLC (www.beingplaid.com)  is an organization which helps individuals and groups become better.  We at Plaid are honored and delighted to partner alongside Delta Zeta to provide training and insights to you in your pursuit of personal knowledge. Delta Zeta’s collegiate chapter presidents were just exposed to the power of personal knowledge with their participation in Plaid programming at the Chapter Presidents Academy in February. By taking the personal assessment known as the Birkman Method, participants explored how their differences, represented by colors, come together to create a “plaid.” Staff from Plaid helped participants explore how, through increased self-awareness, they can become better leaders.

In our perspective, there are three major types of relationships we have in life:

1) Relationship with self - We all are always having conflict with ourselves.

• I want to stay fit but I love chocolate cake (with ice cream, please).
• I am a noisy, rambunctious person but I need to stay civil during meetings.
• I can't believe I just did that. What was I thinking?

2) Relationships with others - We are discovering an array of relationships with new friends and acquaintances.

• I have a new best friend who really seems to be different from me, and I don't want to do anything wrong to jeopardize our friendship.
• I really want to get along better with all my sisters.
• I would like to better relate with some of my teachers, especially in the classes that I am struggling in.
• My parents? Don't even get me started!
• I can't believe they just did that! What were they thinking?

3) Relationships with the things we do - We will always be trying to accomplish something.

• I would like to know how to become a better leader.
• I would like to be able to perform my tasks better.
• I would like to study more productively and effectively.
• I would like to figure out my career path.
• Why is all this so difficult?

The time you take to reflect on all of these statements, or those you create, leads to a greater knowledge of self. Just as it is important to prepare for your academic classes while in college, it is important to prepare for your personal growth. Personal growth, like Delta Zeta, begins in college, but is a life-long journey. Plaid is pleased to continue to partner with Delta Zeta to assist you in your life journey.

For more information about Plaid, please visit our website at www.beingplaid.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing what you have to say about your personal growth and want to help you on your journey.

Planning your Learn 2 Listen Campaign

Delta Zeta's Learn 2 Listen Campaign to educate about Noise-Induced Hearing Loss will be April 1-7, 2013. All Delta Zeta collegiate and alumnae chapters are encouraged to take part in educating their communities about how to prevent unnecessary hearing loss.

Did you know that -

• An estimated 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have permanent hearing loss from noise exposure.
• Preventable noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) among teens and adults is on the rise in the U.S. NIHL has increased among teens and young adults by more than 30% just within the last 15 years.
• One in five American teenagers now suffer from some type of hearing loss, an increase of 31% since the mid-'90s.
• Most cases of hearing loss are slight, affecting only one ear and involving mostly high-frequency sounds thus many teens may not even notice the hearing change.
• About one in 20 have a "mild or worsening" hearing loss, which can make them struggle to follow conversations or teachers at school.
• Instead of developing noticeable hearing problems at age 50 or 60, these teens may have trouble hearing beginning at age 40.
• Teens with "mild to moderate" hearing loss were found to have a 70% increased risk of hearing loss from the use of a portable music player, such as an iPod.

Follow the conversation on Twitter with #DZLearn2Listen and for more information on the campaign please visit our website.

What would you do if you were not afraid?

In his book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek describes a model of leadership that enables leaders to feel excited about the challenges that lie before them, to inspire others and lead with passion. Many of our chapter members may not feel like leaders, perhaps you do not have an office within your chapter, or maybe you’ve just joined as a new member and do not feel like you know enough about Delta Zeta to lead within it. Sinek says that “Leadership is a wholehearted commitment to making things better; often at the risk of failure and sacrifice.”

Many leaders fail to take action because they are paralyzed by fear – fear of failing, fear of change or even fear of not being accepted. Is it sometimes hard to act with passion? Or to inspire others to be excited? What about being committed to making things better – no matter the risk? Or to try to do all of these while juggling life’s delicate balancing act?

Another little nugget of how to face these feelings head on is found in Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, M.D. Just ask yourself – what would you do if you weren’t afraid? And do it!

Tell us how you would make Delta Zeta better if you weren’t afraid by leaving a comment below or tweeting us at #NotAfraid.

Attention Seniors! De-mystifying the job application process

Spring is a busy time for every student on a college campus, especially those in sororities. Philanthropies, classes, speakers, Greek Week, spring festivals, planning for next year; the list could go on and on. But for seniors, there is the added responsibility of graduation requirements and applying for your first professional position post-college. While this list is not comprehensive, hopefully this blog post will get you thinking about what your next steps should be towards finding your first post-college job. Delta Zeta alumnae – what else would you share with our upcoming graduates or young alumnae conducting a job search? Comment on Facebook or share with us on Twitter.

Get Your Ducks in a Row
A great place to start with your job search is to tackle the “task-y” items. Update your resume. Have advisors/mentors review your resume and offer feedback. Discuss your job search with mentors/professors and ask if they are willing to serve as a reference. Review and update your social media for what it says about you. Ensure all your graduation requirements have been met. Reflect on your collegiate and volunteer experiences and how you may discuss those during an interview. Research positions and/or companies for which you would like to apply. Practice writing some cover letters and seek feedback. Investigate the locations where you will be job searching. Questions to investigate include:

• What is the average pay for position type with my experience? Does it change geographically?
• What is the cost of living?
• What type of work environment am I seeking?

Take Advantage of Campus Resources
Be sure to take advantage of all the resources that your campus offers. If you have a career center, visit. Career centers often assist in reviewing resumes and cover letters, offering mock interviews and some even maintain lists of prospective employers or positions. Attend job fairs that your campus hosts. Often colleges or departments within the institution may hold job fairs as well (for example, engineering and technology focused or communications focused). Attending these allows you to network, submit applications and at the very least practice talking about yourself and your skills.

Submit Applications
When all your materials are ready, submit your applications. Consider starting this process soon. Consider several options when searching for positions – job search engines (LinkedIn, Monster, Yahoo, CareerBuilder), individual company/organization websites and job fairs. You might even use your Delta Zeta connections to learn about openings. Make sure to check out the postings that members make to our JobBound Board in DZ Metro.

Prepare for Interviews and Negotiating
Interviewing can cause nervousness in even the most confident individuals. Try to ease your anxiety by practicing interviewing and doing your research on the position and company/organization ahead of time. Once you have been offered a position (first, congratulations!), it is time to start thinking about negotiating. This is your opportunity to really make a difference in your position with the company. Can you negotiate for additional salary, professional development funds or benefits? Additional interview and negotiating tips are included below in articles under “Further Reading”.

And, as always, one of your greatest resources and support throughout the entire process is your Delta Zeta sisters. Practice interviewing with your chapter sisters. Connect with alumnae in similar positions via DZ Metro. Both your fellow collegians and alumnae are here to help!

Further Reading

• http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/10/17/the-questions-you-must-ask-yourself-before-accepting-a-job-offer/
• http://visual.ly/what-you-wish-youd-known-your-job-interview
• http://dailyinfographic.com/anatomy-of-a-job-interview
• http://www.levoleague.com/skills/sorority-networking-lessons
• http://campus-to-career.com/2010/03/23/landing-your-dream-job-part-2-the-phone-interview/
• http://lifehacker.com/5874647/why-i-wont-hire-you
• http://www.career.vt.edu/jobsearchguide/coverlettersamples.html