Keeping Up Appearances

As I might have mentioned before, I am a Recruitment Specialist for Alpha Gamma Delta. My Provinces are 21 and 22, which means I oversee recruitment for the 7 chapters in Michigan's lower peninsula. This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Zeta Sigma chapter at Northwood University. What an outstanding group of women! I had such fun and I think we all learned a lot.

One of the universal topics that comes up during recruitment is "image." The chapter's image, each sisters personal image and the type of reputation the group has. Of course, being visible on campus, participating in campus events and other student organizations and always being well groomed and presentable come up as ways to achieve and maintain a positive "image."

As a visiting Recruitment Specialist, I like to do a combination of observing the chapter while they have their own discussions while jumping in and facilitating where necessary. As I was listening, I was also applying this concept of "image" to my own newly-begun professional life. This is just one more place where being Greek gives us an edge up over non-Greeks - everybody hears how important it is to clean up your online presence and dress appropriately, but few can actually see in action just how important those "silly" things really are!

I am currently working for a domestic violence and sexual assault agency. I did an internship there last academic year and now am working there part time as a paid employee. I love the agency, I love my co-workers and I am passionate about our mission and philosophy. I hope to be employed there for a long time! I am grateful that I made such an impression on my supervisor who helped me get this job; without her, I would probably still be unemployed and wondering how I was going to pay for my gas and books this semester!

So how does a chapter's image during recruitment relate to my personal work life? Well, even though I would like to be employed there for a long time, it might not work out that way. A full time position that I'm qualified for may not be available when I graduate. It might not pay what I need in order to make my loan payments as well as every day expenses. In this case, I would need to find another position.

Like in Greek life, being in the field of social work, human services and mental health means being in a professional community where everybody talks and has to work together. Your reputation (or that of your agency) often precedes you. The more things you are positively involved in and the more constructive interactions you have with a variety of people, the better. This is why maintaining a professional yet friendly demeanor, appropriate dress and behavior is so important - particularly for those of us just entering the workforce. The Millennials have challenges previous generations never dreamed of: we are often over-educated, underpaid, inexperienced and vying for positions people with 20-30 years of experience are also trying to secure - all while shouldering crushing student loan debt, trying to keep our chins up and our of our parents' way (many of us are living at home well into our 30's...).

But we have one thing on these experienced (often) Baby Boomers: We have not had 30 years to get into trouble. If we can keep our image sparkling clean and our reputation spotless, it can really give us an edge. We already have a bit of a reputation (true or not) of wanting everything to be handed to us. If we can show employers that we are hard workers, professional, responsible and trustworthy, we can show them that as inexperienced but motivated employees, they can mold us to the workers they want in order to achieve the results they desire within their organizations.

So what it comes down to is this: Whether you are a Greek organization trying to attract new members, new members trying to get into a fraternity or sorority, or a new professional it is important to remember this: your reputation precedes you. If what people see and know of on the outside isn't shining, they won't take the time to get to know what great things you have to offer on the inside.

Do you have any examples of where a reputation (good or bad) really had an impact on a group or individual?* 

*If it is negative, please change the person/groups name out of courtesy!

Book Review: "Keeping the Moon" by Sarah Dessen

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble): 

"Fifteen-year-old Colie has never fit in. First, it was because she was fat. Then, after she lost the weight, it was because of a reputation that she didn't deserve. So when she's sent to stay with her eccentric aunt Mira for the summer, Colie doesn't expect too much. After all, why would anyone in Colby, North Carolina, want to bother with her when no one back home does?

But Colby turns out to be a nice surprise for Colie. Almost without trying, she lands herself a job at the Last Chance Bar and Grill. There she meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel -- two best friends who teach her what friendship is all about, and help her learn to appreciate who she really is."

My Thoughts: 

Something to keep in mind: This book is definitely written for middle to high school aged readers. There are often books that I find in this genre of "Young Adult" literature that I think, "This really could be shelved in the general 'Fiction' section - it was really good!" This, however, is not one of them. Not that it wasn't good, it just was very juvenille.

I certainly would recommend it for readers who are in 7th - 10th grade who are feeling the oh-so-common angst of that age. It might help them gain a new perspective to have a main character as relatable as Colie. It is certainly a "surface read" - that is, what you see is what you get. There isn't a whole lot of "deeper meaning" to be found within these pages, but with the target audience presumably having their own adolescent traumas occurring, that might be a good thing.

It is fairly well written, but again, very simplistic. It touches on friendships, romances, and self esteem among other popular teenage topics. My favorite character was Aunt Mira: self assured, eccentric, creative, heart of gold. But overall I felt the story was a bit cloying and I lost interest a few times. Cute gift for the misfit teen in your life...

Final Word: C+

Book Review: "A Great and Terrible Beauty" by Libba Bray

Synopsis (from GoodReads.com): 

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. 

The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. 

My Thoughts: 

This book felt familiar to me, as if I had read it before. But after I got into it a bit, I realized that it must have been a book I started at some point and then put down. I’m honestly not too sure how I did that (if that is truly the case) because I really felt myself wanting to read on and on and on! The author spent just enough time on detail and descriptions that I felt like I could get a feel for the characters, but it moved at such a pace that it kept me interested and wanting to know more.

While it is an easy read and takes place in the late 1800’s, it deals with some very real issues that are still relevant today. For example, the loss of both parent and friend are addressed as well as social issues like cliques, self-injury and bullying. There is also a theme of forgiveness and a focus on increased understanding throughout the story in regards to both family relationships and friendships. 

I’d like to share one quote I found particularly well written: 

            “But forgiveness...I’ll hold on to that fragile slice of hope and keep it close, remembering that in each of us lie good and bad, light and dark, art and pain, choice and regret, cruelty and sacrifice. We’re each of us our own chiaroscuro, our own bit of illusion fighting to emerge into something solid, something real. We’ve got to forgive ourselves that. I must remember to forgive myself. Because there’s an awful lot of gray to work with. No one can live in the light all the time.” 

I believe the target audience this author was intending this story to be for is a bit younger than me, however it is an interesting and entertaining read for teens and adults alike. I’m glad it’s a trilogy - I can’t wait to get the next installment! 

Final Word: A-