Every Day is a Job Interview

Wherever I have worked, coworkers have asked me why I tend to dress up so much for work, even when the position I had didn’t necessarily require it. My answer was always the same, “I’m dressing for my next job.” Twenty-five shirts, same brand, same style, same color (white) were my uniform. My motto – “you only have one chance to make a first impression.”

Sidebar: When I was a Director of Accounting and getting my Masters degree in Business Administration, my goal statement at the beginning of my MBA program was “to be a vice president for finance in a university in San Diego County.” Twelve years and four positions later, my dream came true. It wasn’t an accident.

So much for outward appearance – it’s really the behavior that counts – our everyday interactions with people. Especially, how we handle challenging situations, because easy situations are…well, easy. Be professional with everyone; you never know who might be your boss someday – another reason to make sure that we treat our student assistants with dignity and respect – we may be sitting on the other side of the interview table from them in a few years.

Recall from our Finance and Administrative Services values and our FAS Leadership Culture, that professionalism is one of the “beliefs that are the foundation of our culture which guide our actions and affirm our future.” Breaking this down a bit – our actions affirm our future – how we behave now leads us to our destination in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. That is our own responsibility, no one else’s.

In our FAS Leadership Culture, we define professionalism as follows – we apply our best skills, knowledge, and experience as we serve the campus community. Then we further refine what that means:
* Assume a "University-First" perspective.
* Embrace the CSUSM values: intellectual engagement, community, integrity, innovation, inclusiveness, and respect for lifelong learning.
* Embrace change positively with imagination and creativity.
* Project professionalism through presentation of self, and oral and written communication.
* Directly resolve differences with colleagues.
* Arrive to meetings prepared and on time. When unable to attend a meeting, advise the meeting organizer in advance and provide the name of an alternate when appropriate.
* Encourage, help define, and provide appropriate training and professional development to staff to ensure success and growth.
* Become a "learning organization".

People that work with us, know us, live with us believe that what they see is what they get…and what they will get in the future – our competence, our dedication, our positive attitude – everything. Every day really is a job interview.