Growing up is tough. We spent our high school years running full-tilt towards adulthood only to get to college and realize how dumb we were in doing so. Not saying most of us don’t currently appreciate and love the college experience, but no matter how fun a Saturday night is, Sunday always comes in like rain clouds to remind you about what you should be doing and preparing for: internships, networking, resume-building, becoming independent and working towards getting a job; in short—becoming a professional adult.
Regardless how reluctant we are to do so, no one has found a way to stop the aging process; and unless you are lucky enough to have chosen a major where you will never have to don a suit or tame your wild ways, having to act like a fully functioning adult is necessary. If you are like me, you are dragging your feet about this. It’s scary. It’s uncertain. It’s hard work. I feel you. While I cannot offer any advice on how to make it stop, I can share some small tips on how to become a professional adult while exerting the least amount of effort possible.
1. Establish a big girl email.
First impressions are key, and in today’s world, first impressions are becoming electronic as your email is now often the first thing your employer will see about you. Your email name should include your first and last name with as little add-ons as possible. What site you use also makes a difference. Avoid aol.com, leave that one to your childhood instant messaging self. Try Google’s G-mail instead.
2. Stop painting your nails with polka dots, swirls, stripes, etc.
A firm, steady handshake can do you a lot of good, but not when the employer looks down and sees the Crayola factory explosion that is your nail polish. Hands off the rainbow glitter stuff and opt for solid colors. If you can’t break your pattern of patterned nail polish, keep it subdued.
3. Manage your social media.
The idea that employers actually look at your Facebook and Twitter isn’t some scary myth. It really happens. Yet, before you jump to go delete your profile and any trace of yourself on the Internet, acknowledge the benefits of having a well-managed social media presence (less keg stand pictures, more tweets about your future field). At a media internship panel held here on campus during the fall ’12 semester, professionals and executive heads said they do check social media but could be positively swayed by an applicant’s Facebook profile if it represents them as a well-rounded and sociable adult. One woman went on to tell how after checking the twitter accounts of two women who had both just interviewed for the same internship, she chose the applicant who tweeted that she felt she could have done better in her interview as opposed to choosing the other candidate who had tweeted: “Nailed it!”
4. Update your voicemail message.
Our phones may be constantly glued to our hands, but we still manage to miss a call every now and then. Sometimes that missed call was a business call, a business call that instead got directed to your voicemail. If your voicemail is professional, no big deal. If your voicemail sounds like: “Heyyyyyyyyyyy! This is Ashley. Must have missed ya! Leave a message. Kisses!” it is a big deal. However, it is even worse not to have your voicemail set up at all. I say that since I’ve gone my entire life never having a voicemail box in order to force people to text me what they had wanted to say me. However, I don’t suppose one can force an employer to text them “Congrats, u got da job!” To sum things up, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so make a voicemail box that people will actually use instead of hanging up.
5. Be mindful of your individuality.
In 11th grade of high school, the psychedelic peace sign bumper sticker you bought at the mall hinted to everyone just how cool and groovy you really were. Now that you are older, it still makes you look far out, as in far out of your mind. Let’s hope your interviewer doesn’t look out their window as you drive away. Similarly, your pink cheetah print phone case with bedazzlement really made an impression when you pulled our your phone to exchange numbers while networking. What I’m getting at is that it is the little things that show more about ourselves than we ever realize. Make sure the items you are allowing to represent your individuality are up-to-date and are not just chosen or dragged along because of a lack of effort to do some creative, personal upkeep.
The majority of us wouldn’t trade the freedom that comes with getting older for a couple more years of childhood. Yet, that doesn’t mean we are all stoked for the responsibility that comes with it. Personally, I’m taking it slow with one small step at a time by implementing these five suggestions in my own life. Today, I’ll get a voicemail box. Tomorrow, I’ll get the corner office.
Good luck grown-ups,
Danielle Fox