More now than ever do I/we need a pause button to press to allow time for aimless gazing, reflection, guidance seeking from the spiritual realm, strategizing plans of execution, sense making, and feeling present.

Inhale…1, 2, 3…Exhale. Inhaling all that’s good in the world. Exhaling the nonsense, irrelevant, space invading, and toxic. Semester’s end is rapidly approaching, which means stress levels are starting to rise as we think about and face head-on all that we are currently enthralled in and bracing for the things to come. My gosh there’s more to come! When will it end? Inhale…1, 2, 3…Exhale. 

I often joke about needing to display a sign in my office that says “Pause.” More now than ever do I/we need a pause button to press to allow time for aimless gazing, reflection, guidance seeking from the spiritual realm, strategizing plans of execution, sense making, and feeling present. A daily exercise for me is to show up and be present in mind, body, and spirit. I don’t want these moments to pass me by and I not be able to notice things as simple as the beauty of the color purple. 

Weighted in trials and tribulations, challenges, the unknown, and circumstance has the power to drain us, consume our daily thoughts, and confuse our mind that “this is life,” “this is normal,” so get used to it. I refuse and you should too. I challenge you/me/us during these stressful times to make space for simple joys like taking a walk, listening to music, meditating, cooking, playing, carving out guilt-free time for family and friends, sleeping, being selfish with our time, and breathing. Inhale…1, 2, 3…Exhale. 

We are at our best when we are refreshed, refueled, and able to think clearly about our current situations and what’s awaiting us. This isn’t novel, but sometimes we need someone or something to remind us. Yes, you still need to write that paper, read those articles, study for that exam, work that shift, prepare for that presentation, attend that meeting, and care for loved ones. But, you can also plan to attend Mason Day, watch Cochella/Beychella YouTube videos on repeat, bake treats for the office staff, grab lunch with friends or colleagues in the JC, check-in with yourself by speaking to a mental health professional, and walk around Patriot Circle feeling the sun on your skin. Let’s not sacrifice everyday experiences of joy because of our stressors. Stress is inevitable, but it’s not all that this life has for us. I’m convinced of that. Breathe. Inhale…1, 2, 3…Exhale.

Class of 2018 SRHT Graduates….We want to hear from you!

Graduation is almost here and what better way to leave your mark than to share about your time as a Mason Patriot during your Degree Celebration! Tell us about your experiences at Mason and you’ll be heard during the procession at the 2018 Degree Celebration! Not sure what you’d want to say? Consider talking about:

• Memorable experiences in your classes
• Lessons you learned through activities or internships
• Give a shutout to someone who inspired/helped you
• Talk about your accomplishments or your next steps
• Thank your faculty

There are three recording sessions to choose from, and if you cannot meet on campus, you can always record a 20 second or less blurb and email it to [email protected]. 

Monday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 4

2300 Thompson Hall, Fairfax Campus

12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Thursday, April 5

RHT Suite, Bull Run Hall, Sci-Tech Campus

9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Lastly, don’t be left out by not contributing because students who do a voiceover AND submit a speech to be the SRHT Degree Celebration student speaker, you will be put into a raffle for a George Mason Prize!

The resume is a living and breathing document that should always be updated and tailored to fit the designated opportunity for which you are applying. Whether you are trying to secure a practicum or internship experience, applying for a scholarship or assistantship, or are about to graduate and are looking for that next step in your career, you will want to feel confident that your resume will get you noticed.

Maybe you need some help preparing your resume and cover letters. I held a workshop last fall where I gave some tips around what to do and not to do to make your resume stand out. Below are a few highlights from my workshop that can help you tighten up your resumes!

1. Don’t put a picture on your resume.

Very simply put, with the exception of applying for a modeling or acting job, pictures on a resume are a no-no. Why? Implicit and explicit bias. While it’s illegal to discriminate against a job candidate because of their age, gender, religion, race, or ability, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t subconsciously happen. You do not want to enable any reason for someone to not consider you because of your appearance.

2. Do use powerful action verbs.

Why use verbs like helped, led, or worked when you can use verbs like assisted, coordinated, or maximized? Excellent communication is often a soft skill that is either explicitly or implicitly desired in most positions. A strong indicator of this will be the words you chose when describing your job functions. Career Services has a helpful Career Readiness Guide that includes a list of categorized action verbs that will best highlight why this company should hire you! See page 11 for the list.

3. Don’t use fluff adjectives or descriptors.

I always share with my students that your resume is supposed to show, and not tell. By this, nowhere on your resume should there be a line that says “strong multi-tasker,” “innovative thinker” or “works well with diverse populations.” Instead of explicitly telling that you have these traits, show the reviewer by making your bullets highlighting an example or function where those characteristics are displayed. Those strong action verbs come into play here. For example, instead of “innovative thinker” or “works well with diverse populations,” your bullet point could read like the following:

• Designed, facilitated, and assessed brand new lesson plans around reading and writing to better support the needs of the diverse student populations in the classroom.

 

4. Don’t use crazy fonts, templates, or colors.

You want your resume to standout and for the right reasons. Standing out for having impressive skills and experiences is more important and will land you that interview quicker than using crazy fonts, colors, and templates. As long as you make sure the right information is highlighted and is clear, the reviewer will find it much easier to digest the information. One way you can do that is by bolding or italicizing specific aspects of your resume, such as the company name or position title. Don’t go overboard with bolding or italicizing!

5. Do be consistent.

Your resume is a reflection of you and nothing reads “all over the place” more than a resume where dates are not aligned, random things are bolded and italicized, punctuation is erratic, or font types and sizes vary across the document. BE CONSISTENT! Make sure all your dates are aligned the same way, you bold the same aspects throughout, and your headings are all the same font. There is flexibility in how you want your resume to look, especially as it is a reflection of you, but whatever you decide you must maintain consistency.

6. Don’t include an objective statement.

This is often up for debate. Personally, the lines you take up on an objective statement could be used to highlight more functions of your professional experience. A cover letter, whether asked for or not, should be included when applying for jobs or internships, and its function serves the purpose of an objective statement.

7. Do edit and ask for feedback.

You want to make sure your resume places you in the best light, and one way to ensure that is to make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. Review your resume and get feedback from others as they will be able to tell if the point you are trying to get across is what is actually being conveyed.

8. Don’t send your professional documents as word files, use PDFs.

Mac vs PC. Word Vs Pages. Everyone has different computers and systems that they use to open files. Word files do not always maintain formatting when opened on older software versions or through different computers. PDFs are essentially pictures of your documents. Sending your resume to employers as a PDF will ensure that formatting is not compromised and guarantee your document will be received and read in the way you intended.

I’ve offered a taste of the Dos & Don’ts for crafting your resume here. Want to learn about the others? George Mason University and the College of Education and Human Development have many resources available to help you polish your brand. Connect with Career Services, or schedule an appointment with me, the CEHD Student Engagement Coordinator, to review your resume and cover letter.  When scheduling, be sure to include your Mason email and your name in the name field. 

Best,

Brandon

As we prepare to close out and move into a new calendar year, my challenge to you, and quite frankly to myself, is to make 2018 our year of “yes”, but more specifically, the year of saying “yes” to ourselves.

Producer extraordinaire and creator of ABC’s Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes, released a book in 2015 called Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person. The book is a reflection of Shonda’s life during a time in which she challenged herself to say “yes” to everything that scared her. Shonda, an introvert in its truest form, was often criticized by her family for never saying “yes” to anything. She took the criticism to heart and decided to use it as a wakeup call to not be afraid to live, accept she doesn’t have to be in control, and to open herself up to opportunities and risks that have the potential to take her personally and professionally to places unimagined and unexplored. 

As we prepare to close out and move into a new calendar year, my challenge to you, and quite frankly to myself, is to make 2018 our year of “yes”, but more specifically, the year of saying “yes” to ourselves. I recall a few years ago when I was preparing to graduate from undergrad and was gearing up for graduate studies, I received a lesson in learning that I was not in control and that if I wanted the most for me, I needed to say “yes” to some things that were either scary or unknown. More specifically, I had been accepted to pursue graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 700 miles away from my home in Louisiana, and was considering declining the offer in order to continue working with the McNair Scholars program at my undergraduate institution, Southern University and A&M College. The irony is that I was a McNair Scholar, too, and the purpose of the program is to prepare promising first-generation, underrepresented students for doctoral studies. I was so focused on preparing “my” scholars for doctoral study that I had not given myself the attention I needed to get myself together. Further, I didn’t want to leave my friends, family, and culture. I was comfortable with life the way it was…even though I was broke! However, I soon learned that part of choosing “you” is growing comfortable with being uncomfortable. As such, with the support of my family, friends, and faculty mentors, I ultimately decided to choose me. 

I packed whatever could fit in my car, printed out directions to Illinois via MapQuest, and rode into the sunset, or rather the cornfields. Honestly, I had never heard of the University of Illinois; I had only become familiar with the University months prior when a recruiter visited my undergraduate institution and encouraged me to apply. In addition, I had no relatives in the area, had never visited the state for vacation, and had never taken a 12-hour road trip alone. Who would have known though that during my time at Illinois I would make lifelong friends turned family; meet faculty and staff who didn’t know me but wanted to pour into me encouragement and wisdom; take on leadership roles on campus and within the broader community; receive multiple assistantship opportunities along the way; and develop a blossoming personality and genuine care and compassion for others, especially students…the ones everyone loved as well as the ones who everyone had given up on and didn’t think could succeed?

Professionally, I’ve continued to say “yes” to things and opportunities that scare me, like moving to Ohio and later, Virginia. However, I’ve realized that although I’ve become more open to saying “yes” to the things that scare me or the unknown, I’m not always as good at saying “yes” to me, or rather choosing me first. At times, I become consumed by this thought of choosing me first, and it often keeps me up at night or wakes me out of my sleep (By the way, it’s 4am and I’m writing a blog because this topic was consuming my thoughts and not allowing me to sleep). During the past summer, I remember arriving home from the office late one night, and I sat on the couch fully exhausted. This happens from time to time, given that I’m really an introvert who has learned to “perform” being an extrovert over the years, and it appears and “feels” normal. As such, at the end of the day, I’m usually drained from performing and need alone time (about a 1/2 hour) to recharge my internal battery. However, on this particular occasion, I remember sitting on the couch for several hours and my internal battery was still on 10%. Needless to say, I didn’t go into the office the following day, as I had nothing to give. My cup was empty. It is typically my goal to pour into others, particularly students and staff, as often as I possibly can. But, how can one pour into others if their cup is empty or only half full? This may seem like a “selfish” act; it is, and that is okay. Just as the flight attendant instructs passengers to put their oxygen mask on first so you can breathe before helping others, the same goes for making sure you have something in your cup before trying to pour into others.

With that being said, I’m excited for the next couple weeks. I need to recharge my internal battery and hydrate so I can continue to pour into others, especially students and staff. I encourage you to do the same this winter break, so you can be prepared to not only pour into others in the new year but to also get ready to say “yes” to experiences and opportunities that scare you, including saying “yes” to YOU because you are worth it. 

Joyous holiday season to all. 

Writing is an intense and vulnerable process that can conjure up feelings from relief to self-doubt, leading one to question: “When will I have time to write this?” “Do I have to share this with someone?” “Will the reader like my ideas?” “Is that sentence perfect enough?”

A few weekends ago I was privileged to witness 30 master’s and doctoral students, currently pursuing degrees in various CEHD programs, publicly commit to achieving short-term writing goals at the CEHD Writer’s Retreat. This was the second time the CEHD Office of Student and Academic Affairs (SAA) hosted a Writer’s Retreat for our graduate students. During this 8-hour retreat, attendees participated in two interactive mini workshops around goal setting and navigating databases and did some extensive writing. The retreat was ideal for students needing accountability, dedicated space, minimized distraction, and assistance from writing consultants to receive feedback on their writing and to help get unstuck.

Writing comes easy for some people, while others struggle to generate written products of high quality. As the saying goes, “the struggle is real.” Although waking up at 6:00am to ensure an arrival on campus by 7:00am and staffing an event until 5:00pm isn’t my ideal way to spend a Saturday, it’s warming, inspiring, and affirming to be in the company of students publicly declaring with their physical and mental presence and words, “I need help.”

Writing is an intense and vulnerable process that can conjure up feelings from relief to self-doubt, leading one to question: “When will I have time to write this?” “Do I have to share this with someone?” “Will the reader like my ideas?” “Is that sentence perfect enough?”

While staffing the Writer’s Retreat check-in, a young lady walked up to the table to find her nametag amongst the sea of nametags and noticed other recognizable names. She expressed with joy, “I’m so happy to see that there are other PhD students who signed up to be here! I thought I was going to be the only one.” In that moment, she reminded me of the courage it took for her and others to fill out the registration form to attend the retreat, to actually show up, and to also sign up to meet with a writing consultant for additional help.

I want you to know that we see you and understand the vulnerability and courage it takes to ask for help, particularly with your writing, from getting started to finding accountability partners and receiving feedback on your product. These recurring thoughts, feelings, and actions are all part of the process of learning, growing, and developing into scholars and professionals.

Here are three tips to reducing writing anxiety:

1. Give yourself permission to be a student. Sometimes we are so focused on presenting ourselves as a scholar who has it all together. Thus, we get stuck on writing the perfect sentence(s), share only what we self-determine as a written “masterpiece” for initial review, and express difficulty in being receptive to any critical feedback. Give yourself permission to spend time in the “lab” being a student: an inquisitive learner and becoming scholar.

2. Accept feedback as a sign of respect. Learning that the masterpiece you’ve written has flaws can crush your spirit. Page after page you see heavy track changes or red ink spewed all over your document. In that moment, you can ignore the feedback, defend your product, or choose to be receptive to the reviewer’s suggestions for improvements. It’s is so easy to write off a reviewer as “out to get you” because they ripped your paper to shreds. However, I would argue that the more feedback you receive the better. It’s not very often that you’ll meet someone who is willing to invest their time, especially if it’s at no charge, in giving you extensive feedback. Critical feedback is necessary to strengthening your scholarship. Find a few good colleagues, mentors, or advisors who are willing to invest in you. Give them your writing projects and let them have at it! You’ll greatly benefit in the end.

3. Keep showing up. We will continue to provide spaces and opportunities, such as the Writer’s Retreat, to aid in your writing process and, more broadly, your scholarly development. We ask that you keep showing up, not just to our retreats but to your own “retreats”. When you’re feeling knocked down, defeated, rejected, incompetent, and/or unmotivated, tap into your inner champion and get back up and go back at it one more time. Don’t stop showing up for yourself and the folks who are invested in you!

That’s all for now.

Peace and blessings.