What Happened to Professionalism?

     I went to a job interview today. During the interview, the manager I met with told me how to dress, what fabric I should wear, how to behave professionally, what to do when I am not going to make it to work, acceptable reasons for missing work, etc. I have been told by potential employers how to dress for the interview, what to bring with me (including a specific number of resumes), how to behave, and that I should make sure I am at least 15 minutes early. Being someone who comes from a professional point of view, I feel annoyed and insulted by potential employers' need to tell me this stuff that I know it is only normal behavior. I would NEVER go to a job interview wearing jeans, flip flops, or other inappropriate attire. I wear office-appropriate clothing, as a minimum standard, to my interviews. I ALWAYS bring extra copies of my resume with me. I make sure I am clean, neat, teeth brushed, not chewing gum, etc.

     Why do employers say this stuff? Because so many people have shown up to interviews wearing flip flops. Or showed up late. Or acted in some other manner that is unprofessional. Employers don't want their time wasted any more than you or I do, so they are going to make sure the people they interview are dressed and acting appropriately. The fact that employers need to do this is a sad reflection on the values that we as a society have today. Is it a sense of entitlement? I think that's part of the problem. Is it that kids just haven't learned how to dress/act? Again, I would have to say that's part of the problem. Many people today expect to be told what to do and wear, and how to act. Parents of this generation apparently did not teach their children how to dress professionally. Or how to act professionally. I think another part of the problem is the lack of accountability. Because employers assume potential employees need to be told how to dress/act, they spell it all out in detail, and don't give the employees-to-be a chance to prove their own professionalism. This assumption takes the burden off of the would-be employee and places it on the employers' shoulders.

     The sense of entitlement that is part of the problem needs to be changed. Today's employees need to take responsibility for their own actions. If you don't know how to dress or what to say, look it up! There is a boatload of advice on the Internet detailing interview components, including: what "business casual" clothing is, how many copies of a resume to bring, what to put on the resume, how early to arrive for the interview, and how to behave during the interview. Would-be employees have to prove their worth, and not wait for employers to tell them. Every business has its own specific culture and way of doing business, but showcasing a core set of standards will help the potential employee stand out and, if enough people act appropriately, business managers will eventually come to realize that the current generation is more professional and does not need to be dictated to before they are even hired.

Veteran's Day 2015

     Today is November 11th, a.k.a. Veteran's Day. This is the day set aside for remembering our veterans; those who are alive and well (in theory, anyway), those who fought and died, and those who were captured or disappeared with no trace. Banks and governmental offices are closed. Schools and, of course, stores are open for business today. The local news channel will most likely be showcasing a list of Veteran's Day deals, bargains, and freebies that people can take advantage of today. In some cases, these deals, bargains, and freebies may even be extended through the weekend. Time to C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E!

     When did such an important holiday become so thoroughly commercialized? People complain about Christmas being commercialized. "Let's keep the Christ in Christmas!" is one slogan that is popularly displayed on the backs of cars, Facebook pages, and spoken by many. A great number of people enjoy Black Friday shopping; this has escalated to the point that some stores are open on Thanksgiving night, or even throughout the day on Thanksgiving Day. A popular vow/pledge/saying that people spout is that they will not talk or think about Christmas before Thanksgiving is over. Buying Christmas presents is, naturally, the exception to this pronouncement, as Christmas shopping must be begun in July.

     Our military men and women, (past, present, and future) get this holiday when it is deemed "acceptable" to Thank A Veteran. Having an official Veteran's Day is all well and good, but why should we only be grateful for the sacrifices made by our vets and their families on this one day each year? Parents remember it is Veteran's Day when they see the poppy being handed out at the entrance to the grocery stores. Kids barely, if at all, recognize the day; they don't get the day off, so what's the point? People who do have the day off just see it as a day off from work. Considering the employer they work for, they very likely are being paid to sit around at home or do whatever they choose to do. As I write this, I am looking around at all the traffic going past my window: people in a hurry to get somewhere. People who are thinking about what they need to buy or do today; maybe they are thinking about Thanksgiving plans. Or Christmas presents. Christmasy songs are on the music piped in on the store loudspeakers. Can this important holiday be any more commercialized? Does it hold any importance for anyone anymore?

     We should be grateful for our veterans EVERY day of the year. Our veterans joined the military for a variety of reasons, but they have fought for our new or continued freedoms in each and every war. Some of these wars have been popular and the vets who fought in these wars were treated wonderfully upon their return. Other wars have not been well-supported, and the vets who fought in those wars, treated terribly (think Vietnam). Because of of the willingness exhibited by our men and women in uniform to fight for our ideals and safety, I am proud to be an American. Regardless of who is in office, who my President is, and whether or not I like him or agree with his policies, I am still proud because I come from a country that has produced these brave people who joined the military. The only thing that makes me feel NOT proud to be an American is the shameful way that we treat our veterans. The VA is a shambles; it needs to be recreated and work for the benefit of the veterans who need its assistance. Although I was born in 1973, knowing how badly our returning Vietnam vets were treated--spit on, things thrown at them, other horrible treatment--makes me want to cringe and hang my own head in shame.

     I make it a point to thank a veteran for his or her sacrifice every day of the year. Especially our Vietnam vets, although I suspect gratitude is now too little, too late. But it is important to me to share my gratitude with these brave men and women. I find myself hesitant to say anything, however, on or just before/after Veteran's Day, for fear the veteran will think I'm only saying thanks because it is the holiday, and I have been reminded to do so. Our veterans (and current military members) need to know that they and their sacrifices are valued. That we care about them, and appreciate all they are willing to do on our behalf. That they are supported and valued, even if the governmental policies or war they are fighting (or did fight) in is not supported. If asked what it means to be patriotic, I would have to say that a main characteristic of patriotism is supporting our military personnel. Past, present, and future.

     Instead of simply letting the meaning of Veteran's Day flit through your head for all of 5-10 seconds today, instead of simply focusing on what must be done today, how about making a conscious effort to remember our veterans, even if in a generally grateful way, all year long? Use today to participate in an activity that will benefit our veterans. By all means, take the poppy being handed to you. Wear it proudly. Thank a veteran for his or her service. But also do it tomorrow, and the next day, and the next... All year long. Let your actions speak more loudly than your words if you say you agree with the sentiment that our vets must be appreciated. Because they need that. They need to know that their lost leg or arm, their sense of personal security, their patriotism is appreciated. Truly and sincerely.

   

Minimum Wage?

So  I was just looking through FaceBook, and came across a set of two pictures. In the first picture, you see a girl closing a to-go bag of food, presumably from McDonald's. In the next set, you see three EMS personnel moving a stretcher with a person on it towards the ambulance. The caption: "$15 Per Hour Because We're the Same."

I get that fast food workers have evolved into being working parents who can't get another job, regardless of the reason, and depend on their income for the care of their  children. I understand wanting to raise minimum wage in that instance to take care of one's family. However, I don't agree with this. These types of jobs used to be for kids who were in high school, and maybe the first year or two of college. The jobs *should* teach customer service skills, adherence to workplace policies, and provide an entry point into the world of work. These jobs were NEVER designed to be careers. I don't think these types of jobs are "lesser than" or "not as worthy as" other jobs; people sometimes need to eat on the go, and getting their food from places like McDonald's might be the only or easiest option at the moment. Personally, I question the healthiness of food from these places, but that's a whole other issue.

The set of pictures I mentioned above brings up an excellent point. EMS personnel--fire fighters, police officers, EMTs and paramedics, and others--work in dangerous conditions more often than not. Sometimes the danger comes from the environment, such as when a person has fallen off of a cliff and must be rescued. Or the person is standing at an open window, screaming for help as flames from the house fire reach ever closer to his or her location. Other times, the danger comes from people nearby. The drunk parent who is trying to hurt his or her child. The person who is high on whatever drugs he or she took is either trying to hurt herself or throwing rocks, knives, tomatoes--or shooting bullets--at the EMTs and paramedics who are trying to get to the injured person. There are many other scenarios that make a situation dangerous. Yet, the EMS personnel go in and do their best to help the people involved anyway. Considering all this, why is it fair for someone who works inside, preparing food according to specific instructions, to be paid the same as these people, who not only work in less-controlled atmospheres, but also have had to obtain significantly more education and training?

The issues with such a high minimum wage transcend many different levels; the type/race of the people involved in working at fast food places is only one of those levels. Whether or not you are legally allowed to work in the US is another level. I am not commenting on these or any of the myriad other levels involved in the "raise the minimum wage" argument. I am saying that I do not believe it is appropriate for fast food jobs to be given the same wages as the career positions that EMS personnel obtain education and experience to get into. Our EMS personnel are frequently abused and unappreciated. To many people, they are simply another uniform, and to some of those people, the uniform itself represents what they don't like. This is something we need to change, although it is another issue for another time. When I first got certified as an EMT, the starting wage was $8 per hour. Fire fighters, police officers, and paramedics made more, but they had more education, experience, and more and higher-level training. With that said, EMS is not a field that people get into for the money. In most cases, it is because they are interested in the field, they have a genuine desire to help others, or some other reason known only to themselves. Yes, some are "bad apples." Those pop up in any and every type of job, including food service. Again, a whole other issue for another time. The wage provided to those working in food service needs to reflect their job. If the workers want more money, they should find a better paying job, doing something else. Yes, this can be difficult, especially with little or no education. I don't claim to have all the answers here. But I don't think it is fair to pay someone who slaps a burger onto the bun, with or without cheese, the same amount as someone who has provided medical assistance to a man with severe bleeding while dodging a hail of bullets.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day. Today is the one day of the year that is specifically set aside for remembering our servicemen and women who gave their lives for our country. These brave men and women should be remembered and thought about. However, there is more to this than just setting aside a moment of silence at 3 pm to think about them. We should remember them all year round. We should consider the servicemen and women who saw their friends/teammates die; the families who lost their father/brother/uncle/son/daughter/sister/niece/mother... in the name of our country's freedom.

Memorial Day is NOT just a day to briefly think, "Oh, yeah, military guys died on this day. Well, time to break out the BBQ!" Memorial Day is NOT the only day on which we lose/have lost heroes who willingly sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Memorial Day is NOT simply the day that begins a summer full of vacations and fun at the beach or the one day of the year that we should remember those brave military personnel.

Memorial Day is the OFFICIAL day of remembrance. Memorial Day is ONE of the 365 days of the year that we should take at least a few minutes to think about the servicemen and women who have died in the cause of freedom. Not just as people in military uniforms, but as PEOPLE who lived, who had families and friends and in many cases, children, who loved them and miss them greatly. People who stood for the principles of their country, whether they agreed with the current President or not.

Consider also the loss suffered by these military men's and women's families. The loved one they can no longer hold onto. Or share with. Or enjoy holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, or other religious holidays with.  Or, in some cases, whose graves they cannot even visit because the military relative died in a foreign country and was tossed into an unmarked grave somewhere to rot.

I beseech all of you to spend more than just a couple of minutes today thinking about all this. But also, and more importantly, think about it throughout the year. Be grateful for these heroes willing to fight for what is right in all wars. And for those of you who have children, instill in them the patriotic sense of duty that President Kennedy described when he said, "Ask NOT what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." We will need more heroes throughout the coming generations who are willing to fight for our country's ideals, even to the point of death. And we need to ALWAYS be grateful for them.

Multiple Income Streams

     Multiple income streams. This phrase conjures up images of Internet scams, and people trying to get rich quick. It is not a phrase that makes one think of "honest work" or legitimate income. In some cases, people are trying to create multiple avenues of getting rich quickly. In other cases, the income streams may very well be dishonest (think of telephone scams, illegal drugs, and ATM skimmers, to name a few). However, if you look around, you can find examples of people creating/maintaining multiple income streams on a daily basis.

     One income stream comes from a daily job. If two people in a household have a daily job and are both contributing to the household, those would be an example of dual income streams. A single mom who is holding down three jobs is also maintaining multiple income streams.

     Other income stream sources may be a 401K or Roth IRA, mutual fund or stock investments, savings accounts and CDs, etc. I am currently generating two income streams, both of which stem from direct sales. I am an Independent Consultant for Arbonne and for LaBella Baskets. These income streams are not easy to maintain. I am learning how to successfully market online for both of these income streams. In the near future, I will be creating more income streams for myself through investments, a savings account, and CDs. I am also actively looking for more potential income streams, so I can remain at a comfortable income level should one or more of my income sources stop generating income.

     Creating and maintaining multiple income streams is not an easy task, or one that will occur overnight. As Robert G. Allen states in his book, "Multiple Streams of Income," multiple streams of income are necessary today, and will become more so as time marches on. We can no longer afford to live on one income stream as people have in years past.

There are many sources of income that one can tap into as their own multiple income streams. You just need to do your research, learn what you don't know to be successful, and keep adding to your income streams. It is essential to diversify your own income streams, and pay attention to each one so none of these income streams suddenly ceases to exist.



Source:  Allen, R. (2000). Multiple streams of income. New York, NY: Wiley.

There IS an i in TEAM!

The “i” in team refers to the people who make up the team. A team is not made up of robots; it is made up of people who bring their unique “stuff,” good and bad, to the group. Each position within the team must be filled by the appropriate person for it to be effective as a whole. If even one position on the team is unfilled, the team cannot function fully. This means that each person is an integral part of the team’s function. However, “I” cannot be a member of any team, because “I” do on my own. For example, “I” am a volunteer with the American Red Cross. “I” have served various functions: Health and Safety Instructor, Disaster Services Caseworker, and now a part of the Community Partnerships team. Any person with my qualifications can take my place in these positions; however, regardless of who is in these positions, “i” bring unique abilities to the benefit of the team. The most important part of being a team member is remembering that “I” am not dominating the team. Instead, “i” am contributing to the value and effectiveness of the team as a whole.

“I” am the representative face of the team that “I” am involved in. This means that “i” need to reflect the team’s values and ethics. This principle is important thing to keep in mind, irrespective of the size of your team, group, or company. If “I” act the way “I” want to, my actions can be detrimental to the group as a whole. If “i” am careful to act in a way that leaves a good impression on others, my team will gain esteem from others.

The “i” in TEAM is an important component regardless of the type of team involved. It can be a company, small group, or even family. Always strive to be the best “i” for your team!

About Me

Hi! I'm Melanie. Welcome to my blog! I am a mom of two; one girl and one boy. My daughter, who is embarking on her adult life, currently lives in Colorado, as does my son. I live in Texas with my cat, Bacon.

My children's father was paranoid-schizophrenic, but undiagnosed until after his death in 2011. Prior to his death, he was abusive toward me and the kids; we divorced because of this abusiveness. He died as a result of a successful suicide attempt. Suicide and mental illness are important topics that need to be addressed, and I will do so periodically.

In this blog, I will be sharing my thoughts, views on issues, life experiences and my reactions to them, and many other subjects. Some will be funny, some serious. Sit back, read, enjoy, and hopefully, you will find some of my posts thought provoking!