CEO CORNER

Georgia Nursing, Feb-Apr 2004 by Hackman, Deborah

Happy New Year . . . we send wishes that 2004 will be a healthy, joyous and prosperous year for you.

Within my article this time there are three sections 1.) Marking your calendars, 2.) How one perceives and expresses ideas and 3.) Career tip #3.

MARKING YOUR CALENDARS

It's time to mark your calendars for 2004! It is amazing how quickly calendars can be filled up with meetings and events. We want to make sure you have the following dates for yours because we hope to see you there:

The GNA Structural Units have been putting their meeting schedules together as well and if you are a member of a Commission or Committee you should be hearing from your Chair soon regarding your meeting schedules.

HOW ONE PERCEIVES AND EXPRESSES IDEAS

I was reading recently that Beloit College, a 154 year old liberal arts college, prepares a "Mindset List" each year for their faculty as a reminder of the gap that may exist between the generations. It is prepared out of a genuine concern for their first year students. It can serve as a good reminder for all of us in demonstrating how quickly gaps develop in the way we perceive and express ideas. As we struggle with how we are going to attract the next generation into nursing and to encourage them to value the importance of membership in their professional society, perhaps some of these will inform us:

Most students entering college this fall were born in 1982 so to them:

Grace Kelly, Elvis Presley, Karen Carpenter and the E.R.A. have always been dead

Somebody named George Bush has been on every national ticket, except one, since they were born.

The Kennedy tragedy was a plane crash, not an assassination

Huckleberry Finn has always been a banned book.

A 45 is a gun, not a record with a large hole in the center.

They have always bought telephones, rather than rent them from AT & T

We have always been able to reproduce DNA in the laboratory

Wars begin and end quickly; peace-keeping missions go on forever

There have always been ATM machines

We have always been able to receive television signals by direct broadcast satellite

Watergate is as relevant to their lives as the Teapot Dome scandal

Toyotas and Hondas have always been made in the United States

There has always been a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.

Around the clock coverage of Congress, public affairs, weather reports and rock videos have always been available on cable.

Women sailors have always been stationed on U.S. Navy ships.

The year they were born the New York Times announced that the "boom in video games," a fad, had come to an end.

They have always been able to afford Calvin Klein

The year they were born Dustin Hoffman wore a dress and Julie Andrews wore a tuxedo.

Woodstock is a bird or a reunion not a cultural touchstone

They have never dressed up for a plane flight

They have never used a bottle of "white out."

If they vaguely remember the night the Berlin Wall fell, they are probably not sure why it was up in the first place.

"Spam" and "cookies" are not necessarily foods.

Not on the list but a reality is that this next generation is certainly not going to "keep things the way they are" just because our generation says this is the way we have always done it. We may not be giving this next generation enough credit that perhaps they have a thing or two to teach us. If anyone has to get out of their comfort zone to attract the next generation-it isn't going to be them. It must be us.

Career Center Tip #3

On the Spot!

Tough questions are a natural part of the interview process. Employers need to ask difficult questions as part of their due diligence. Job seekers need to handle these questions adeptly in order to be considered for the job.

* Remember that tough questions are not meant to torture or intimidate you, only to reveal information. How you handle a tough question will tell the employer a lot about how you handle pressure.

* Be prepared for tough questions. Recall questions from previous interviews that you found difficult. Prepare yourself to answer confidently.

* Always answer honestly.

* If asked about a weakness, be sure it pertains to your professional skills. Try to include information on how you manage or strive to improve your weakness.

This tip is brought to you by the GNA Online Career Center. Don't forget to post your resume (free to members and non-members) and to see what new opportunities may be available to you by visiting www.georgianurses.org/careercenter