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by Paula Brand
Dear MCDA Members and Friends,
Welcome to a new program year for the Maryland Career Development Association (MCDA). I am looking forward to serving you as this year’s President, along with a talented and dedicated Board. In this regard, I would like to share some of my goals for the program year ahead. Of course, I will not be able to do this alone so I ask for your help and your support of the Board in its efforts.
Summary of Presidential Goals for 2012-2013 Program Year:
1) With the help of the Conference Committee, plan and execute a successful annual conference in April 2013. Our theme is Navigating Maryland’s Workforce, Employers and Careers: A Sea of Possibilities. It will be held at the newly renovated Doubletree Columbia on the evening of April 18 and the day of April 19, 2013. Dr. Rich Feller, renowned speaker/author and President of the National Career Development Association, will be our keynote speaker on Friday the 18th. Please consider sharing your knowledge with other career professionals. For more information on the RFP for presenters, go to this link.
2) Continue to build upon the foundations laid by Past Presidents of growing leadership within MCDA, ensuring that all Board positions are filled, supporting current leaders and honoring past leaders. This program year, we will hold a leadership event that will honor past leaders and seek emerging leaders. If you are interested in becoming a future Officer or Chairperson, please contact me (MCDA.President@MDCareers.org) or Past President and Nominations and Elections Chair Lakeisha Mathews (MCDA.PPresident@MDCareers.org)
3) Increase membership and minimize attrition of current members. If you haven’t renewed your MCDA membership, could you tell us why? We would love to hear how we could serve you better (MCDA.President@MDCareers.org).
4) Increase participation of MCDA members, especially in volunteer roles. If you are interested in volunteering, please go to our website contact page (http://www.mdcareers.org/contact-us), review the list of committees, decide which hold the most interest to you and reach out to the listed Chairperson. If you are not sure about getting more involved, try sitting in on a Board meeting to learn more about us. All MCDA members are invited to join our monthly Board meetings (listed on our website under events) and that is how many of us got our start with MCDA. Please note that we vary meeting formats between in person and by phone (in person meetings can be a better way to connect with others).
5) Increase to amount of people attending MCDA events. This year we plan to hold a mix of networking events along with programs to earn contact hours. Please support our programs and let us know if there are topics you wish we offered.
6) Lead the Board in moving MCDA forward. The Board will handle agenda items that have been passed on from last year and look for new ways to make MCDA membership more meaningful.
In addition to these goals, I want to see MCDA: clarify its mission and vision, ensure we are serving our members well, increase the activity on MCDA’s social media sites and to take a cue from NCDA and perform some long term planning for our organization.
Again, I ask for your help in making these goals a reality. Please also help make MCDA stronger by getting more involved and sharing your ideas. I would love to hear how you think MCDA can improve and I would also like to see MCDA members get more involved with our organization.
Not sure how to get more involved? Here are some ideas: retweet something from our MCDA Twitter page (our handle is @MCDAssoc). Post a message on our MCDA facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MDcareers. Volunteer on a committee. Submit a presentation proposal for our annual conference. Plan to attend at least one of our events. Write a submission for our next newsletter (share a best practice, a useful resource or tell us what is new with you in Members on the Move). By acting on one of these suggestions, you can help MCDA grow and develop. Thank you for helping make MCDA the best it can be!
Paula Brand, GCDF, CPRW
MCDA President 2012-2013
Board Meeting Minutes Available for Review
by Shauna Bryce, MCDA Secretary
"Minutes from MCDA Board Meetings dating back to mid-2008 are available for review at http://www.mdcareers.org/bylaws--minutes We strive to have minutes posted within two weeks of each meeting."
LEE RICHMOND is President of MASERVIC
As the incoming MASERVIC president, I invite you to consider taking a look at a book published this summer by the Oxford University press. The book is called The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality and it addresses the intersection of religion, psychology, and counseling and therapy. Among other chapters in this first of its kind reference book, there is one that I wrote called Constructing the Connection Between Spirituality, Work and Family. I believe this topic to be of great importance and select it as the theme for MASERVIC this year. It will be presented as such at the MACD conference, and I would like anyone who reads this and is interested in working with MASERVIC or has something to present with me, to please contact me as follows:
Lee Joyce Richmond, Ph.D.
School of education
Loyola University Maryland
Timonium Graduate Center
2034 Greenpsring Drive
Timonium, MD 21093
410-617-1508
lrichmond@loyola.edu
It should be a great year, so come out and Join in!
LYNNE WAYMON, CEO, of Contacts Count LLC is pleased to announce two new trainers have joined her cadre of free-lancers who are certified to teach her unique program of business and career networking skills. One is in Denver and one is in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has 7 trainers overseas and 7 in the US who deliver programs to corporations, associations, government agencies, universities, and people in professional services. www.ContactsCount.com
SAUNA BRYCE Esq. is happy to report a few of the bigger projects:
- She had an article in the NCDA Career Convergence called, "Best College Majors and Activities For Aspiring Law School Students."
- She also had a review of her book, "How to Get a Legal Job: A Guide for New Attorneys and Law School Students," appear in a recent NALP Bulletin.
- She did a webinar for Lexis/Nexis on on-campus interviewing for law school students.
PAULA BRAND recently became the Lead Career Advisor for the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation (AAWDC). In this role, she will continue to work as a Career Advisor for job seekers but she will also offer technical support and professional development training to other Career Advisors of AAWDC.
Paula also recently received certification as a JCDC/JCTC.
In September, she attended a White House Jobs Club Forum and spoke on a panel representing workforce centers.
SUJA JOSEPH recently joined the Columbia Workforce Center as Early Intervention Facilitator and Workforce Trainer. Here she trains unemployed clients in: Resume Writing, Networking, Interviewing, Dealing with Job Loss, Leveraging the Power of Social Media in Job Search, Online Career Assessment Tools etc.
EILEEN MARIE SNYDER just changed jobs after 7 years with a small private college; she is currently the Manager of Student Success Services for The Graduate! Network, Graduate! Philadelphia. Eileen is a MCDA member since 2009, and writes about career development on her Blog, FireBreathingDragon, http://careerforward1.blogspot.com/
What Do You Do?
By Lynne Waymon
The brilliant people attending our training programs came up with these answers to “What do you do?” using the Contacts Count BEST/TEST formula:
BEST: Tell one talent or skill
TEST: Tell a time you saved the day, solved the problems or served the client
“I work with teams that are falling apart. At a retreat I led last week, eight folks in IT were so glad to find out that people from four different generations really CAN work together.” (Consultant)
“Some of my clients are ‘empty nesters’. I just helped one couple in the neighborhood turn two unused bedrooms into two beautiful home offices.” (Interior Decorator)
“I design exhibits at theAir & SpaceMuseum. I just built one around the nose-cone of a B-52.” (Visual Arts Specialist at the Smithsonian)
“I figure out how the company can save money. I just briefed the C-Suite folks on what the budget looks like for 2015 and where we can make some cuts.” (Budget Officer)
Here are 5 tips for writing your answer(s):
- avoid “résumé” language (i.e. instead of “I initiated” say “I started”,
- use very little jargon,
- teach one thing you do best of the many, many things you do,
- create several answers depending on the setting, how much the listener knows about you, and what you want to teach the person next,
- deliver your answer with energy and enthusiasm.
MY NEEDY CORNER: Preparing for the Job Change
By Eileen Marie Snyder, GCDF
I consider myself lucky because I like change and when a job no longer offers an intellectual challenge or becomes too rote and oppressive, there is a bell that chimes in my brain, an alert that urges me to abandon the straight and narrow and locate the fork in the road.
I put on my game face and start networking. I pull out my business card file and choose five or six cards that belong to individuals that may be in the position to provide a serious job lead, or direct me to a serious job lead. I flip though my LinkedIn contacts and select those individuals that work for organizations with openings that fit my skill set. I ask for recommendations that point to the outstanding work that I have accomplished. I also want that recommendation to articulate the depth of my character, work ethic and level of commitment to the organization. This is the time to call in favors and promise to reciprocate. Yes, I become very needy.
Of course, I contact the career center of the college I attended and ask for a resume and cover letter review. It never hurts to have a second or third set of eyes peruse the one document that will precede me, not unlike Beta readers that writers use before submitting a manuscript. Now, I have another team in my corner. My Needy Corner.
Last, I target four references that are most familiar with my professional experience and expertise. This is the most important step because this could make or break a pending job offer. I want to select an array of individuals from previous positions that will be available to make the call back to the reference checker immediately, and not mince words when answering questions about my ability to do the job. Once I have chosen the job references, I, in my needy state request that my reference contact me when the organization makes contact with them. This has a twofold purpose; first, it holds that person accountable to my request. Second, it gives me some indication of when a job offer will be made. Ultimately, if I have selected the right people to be in My Needy Corner I will have found the fork in the road.
Who is in your needy corner of the job search?
I want you to share, email careerforward1@yahoo.com
By De Jackson
We all agree there is not enough time in the day to accomplish our goals, but what’s a person to do? Well, how about making the time you have work for you?
Time management is a very important tool of success in our careers or personal lives. The problem exists with the managing part. Are we really willing to give up our free time even to make a plan to manage it? Sounds crazy, but if you really want to see progress, make the sacrifice.
- Admit to yourself, you may not be making the best use of your time. This is difficult to do when you think you have it all together. Talk with your mentors, family and friends. Ask them to be honest with you as to what they observe. You will probably be surprised at the positive feedback, but be willing to suck up the negative responses and put those emotions into planning.
- Start with your sleep and relaxation. Why? Sleep deprivation and stress will definitely interfere with focus and progress. Balancing work and personal life is a must.
- Determine what your goals will be and apply realistic timelines. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance to get them completed. At work, discuss with your manager if assistance can be requested. If your project has to be accomplished solo, make sure you adjust your schedule accordingly.
- Allow time each morning to review the tasks of your day. If possible, do the same at the end of your day to assure smooth transitions for the morning.
- Use organizational skills to make your time well spent. Have a place for everything and everything in its place is an old cliché, but it still works. Use a filing system that works for you, but gets the job done right and on time.
- Prioritize your projects whether at work, during hobbies, vacations, etc. saves so much stress and will help you finish your tasks leaving no regrets.
- Consider coming up to speed with technology by investing in an electronic device to keep track of your appointments, tasks, notes and other important data.
- Read up on the 80/20 rule. As yourself just how much time do you “give away”? Example: Someone comes to your desk and starts talking. Ask yourself, if you have the time to chat or not? Remember, you are making the decisions that govern your time.
- Believe it or not, getting your clothes ready for the following day is so much more time savvy, then choosing them the morning of. (Don’t we tell our kids this?)
10. Assess yourself from time to time to see if you are progressing, falling behind on right on target. Time management is an ongoing challenge.
It’s Time to Get Busy.
Featuring a Creative Career Development Website
http://candychang.com/career-path/
Below is the information on the site but there are photos to illustrate it.
It is a creative and different way for people to look at their career development.
By Elda Schwartz
As part of Turku, Finland’s 2011 European Capital of Culture events, Candy was commissioned to create a public art project near the University of Turku. There is a pedestrian/bike path nicknamed Uraputki, or “Career Path”, because it is a popular route that students take from their residences to the university, to get a degree to get a job.
To remind students of the larger picture, Candy turned the path into an interactive space with fill-in-the-blank sentences stenciled on the pavement that say “When I was little I wanted to be ____. Today I want to be ____.” in Finnish, Swedish, and English. Passersby can use colored chalk to write directly on the pavement and reflect upon their larger life choices. Sun and rain erase the responses and the installation starts again. The project is created with temporary spray chalk and will fade with weather and foot traffic.
This project is about comparing yourself today and when you were young, reflecting on how you’ve changed or stayed the same, and thinking about the desires you had as a child.
What made you come alive as a kid and why?
How can this help inform the decisions you make today?
Some favorites: “When I was little I wanted to be a princess. Today I want to be an electrician.” “When I was little I wanted to be a bird. Today I want to be a speech therapist.” “When I was little I wanted to be a grown-up. Today I want to be a kid.”
The project is also about learning from the people around us and humanizing our neglected spaces. The industrial path is now a space to pause, reflect, and share with others.
Letter of Appreciation from MACD President
Greetings from the Maryland Association for Counseling and Development (MACD)! I look forward to working with the Maryland Career Development Association (MCDA), a division of MACD, while serving as the MACD President through June 2013. I know that some of you may or may not be members of MACD and hope that you will continue to stay involved in your membership and seek out leadership and service opportunities this year.
You seem to have a great year in store with all the activities planned around promoting awareness of lifelong career development! This stance can only help increase public knowledge of career development issues and in turn, support career professionals in their own development.
Kudos to your President, Paula Brand who has done a great job in staying in communication with MACD and sharing both MCDA and MACD happenings with all involved. Congratulations on also receiving the Outstanding Division Award from the National Career Development Association Annual Conference Leadership Meeting this summer, well done!
Hope to meet many of you at your annual conference next conference in April 2013 and hope to see you at the MACD annual fall conference in Columbia, MD on November 9th with the theme of: Impact of Modern Life on Mental Health - Dr. Cirecie A. West-Olatunji (ACA President-Elect) will be serving as the Keynote. If you have any questions or are interested in participating in the MACD Leadership Retreat next year, just send me an email! Looking forward to working with MCDA this year.
Sincerely,
Marsha Boveja Riggio, Ph.D., LPC, NCC
MACD President