The Resilience of Alpha Kappa Psi Members

Posted On October 30, 2019 By akpsi In Blog Articles /  

Here at Alpha Kappa Psi, we celebrate and champion many great characteristics. But when it comes to succeeding in the business world, few are as vital as resilience. Gaining success in a career or new business endeavor doesn’t happen overnight. Even when things are going well, there can be difficult impasses and moments when the world seems to be at odds with your dreams. Though we have countless success stories in our alumni, there are a few that we felt truly encapsulate the process of staying motivated and grounded. Here are their stories!

 

James Cash Penny, Founder of J.C. Penny

Penny began his chain of department stores in the early 1900s, primarily in the Western states of Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. By 1917, the chain had grown to nearly 200 locations, and then to nearly 1,000 by the 1920s. However, after the stock market crash of 1929, Penny found himself in financial ruin. Despite the store’s success, Penny found himself at his wits’ end and eventually checked himself into a mental health sanitarium. After his stay, Penny resumed his position and continued to travel across the country. He visited stores and locations, meeting with employees and customers alike. Such a traumatic experience may have been difficult, but Penny displayed great resilience to stay committed to his dream.

 

Bernie Marcus, Founder of Home Depot

We may not think of Alpha Kappa Psi when picking out light fixtures or sorting through paint swatches, but founder Bernie Marcus was a prominent member of our fraternity. His journey is one marked with setbacks and obstacles. He was born to Russian immigrant parents who lived in a fourth-floor walk-up.  In 1978 he was fired from the hardware store Handy Dan. In an act of resilience, he chose to pursue his love of the home improvement industry when he and a fellow coworker decided to then open their own hardware store. Though they faced stiff competition, Home Depot now has over 2,000 locations worldwide, making it the global leader in home improvement retail.

 

Alexis Ohanian, Founder of Reddit

After graduating college in 2005, this University of Virginia Alpha Kappa Psi member dreamed up a little idea. In collaboration with friend Steve Huffman, they developed the concept of “the front page of the Internet.” This would be a place where all the important links, stories, and content could be brought together in one place. However, only a few months into the process of building the site, Ohanian received extremely disconcerting news ; his girlfriend fell five stories and subsequently was in a coma. While Alexis was still reeling from this accident, he learned that his mother had an inoperable brain tumor. For many, either of these would be cause to give up. However, through the pain he persisted in his work and eventually helped Reddit to grow to over 300 million daily active users.

 

The road to success is rarely a clear one. Along the way, even the most accomplished professionals will undoubtedly encounter difficulties and setbacks. The key is not to let these diminish your dreams, but to push through them. Whether you’re starting a chain of stores, dreaming up internet sites in your dorm room, or finding your way in a new endeavor, staying motivated and pushing through obstacles is the only pathway to success. How will you showcase your resilience in business? We simply can’t wait to see what else our members can do!

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Developing Professional Resilience

Posted On October 18, 2019 By akpsi In Blog Articles /  

The working world can sometimes present challenging situations and obstacles. One of the most important aspects of success in business is the ability to overcome these stressful situations and make the best of tough experience. By doing so, you grow as a person and can even better your career. But how exactly does one develop professional resilience, especially when your job is on the line? Here are three ways to become resilient and make sure you keep moving forward, even when it feels impossible to do so.

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What Is Resilience?

Posted On October 16, 2019 By akpsi In Blog Articles /  

Actress Mary Pickford once said, “This thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.” Whether in work or personal life, resilience is one of the most important and beneficial traits a person can have. Overcoming obstacles, standing up to naysayers, and moving forward when the going gets tough requires a ton of grit and perseverance. And though we often speak about the importance of resilience, defining how it looks in daily life can be tricky. Let’s take a look at how the motivation to keep moving can play a part at work, with your friends, or at home with the family.

 

Resilience at Work

Though it can be extremely rewarding, the professional world is equally full of challenges and obstacles. A study performed by the American Institute of Stress found that 40% of workers said their jobs were very or extremely stressful. This stress can come from a variety of sources, but research from the staffing firm Accountemps revealed 33% of workplace anxiety is caused by heavy workloads and difficult deadlines, with struggling for work-life balance (22%), and unrealistic expectations from management (22%) not far behind. Beyond these consistent factors are difficult professional events that are isolated, such as:

  • Layoffs
  • Arguments with coworkers
  • Missing out on promotions
  • Relocation
  • Negative feedback from managers

 

Resilience in a workplace means learning to tune out these frustrations. Throughout your career, you will undoubtedly encounter one, if not many, of these instances.  A resilient individual uses these moments as a chance to move forward in a positive way. Consider journaling your progress in a position, and review your entries regularly to remind yourself just how far you’ve come. You may also consider asking for more frequent discussions with a manager or executive. Though it might be frightening to do so, a proactive approach can often prevent future problems.

 

Resilience with Friends

Our social circle is more than a list of folks who will help us move, or head to the local bar for our birthday. The connections we forge define us and enrich our lives for the better. In fact, a study done at Michigan State University found people who reported having supportive and good friendships had fewer chronic illnesses, as well as reduced stress and boosted overall emotional states. But how do we define “good friends?” One important way is through resilience.

 

People want to be around people who care, plain and simple. We strive to feel supported, to know that our emotions or experiences matter to our friends. When a companion is going through a difficult time, the best thing you can do let them know you’re there. Offer to cook them a meal, take them out for the night, or just listen while they vent. This will help them work through their emotions.  Your resilience may just rub off on them and help them pull themselves up, too.

 

Resilience with Family

Dr. Froma Walsh, a top research authority on family resilience, defines it as the ability to “withstand and rebound from disruptive life challenges, strengthened and more resourceful.” Certainly, all families are different, but Dr. Walsh’s studies helped her break down resilient family dynamics into the categories of beliefs, organization, and communication

 

  • Beliefs – sometimes tied to spirituality, help family members find meaning and encourage a positive outlook.
  • An organization can foster mutual support and connectedness, allow for flexibility and creates social networks
  • Communication is open and clear, allows for the expression of emotions and opinions, and is used in problem-solving

 

Resilient families provide a safe space for all members. It should be a healthy and welcoming environment, and one built on give-and-take. Just the same as you can go to a sibling or a parent for advice, you too need to offer a shoulder, an ear and helping hand.

 

Resilience is one of Alpha Kappa Psi’s most important core competencies. Life is full of wonderful and exciting opportunities, but in order to reap the benefits, we must first be able to push through the less-fun and more difficult moments. Whether it’s in the workplace, with a group of friends, or in a family meeting, resilience can help you uncover the true happiness and reward of life.

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Commonly Misused Words and Phrases

Posted On May 2, 2019 By akpsi In Blog Articles /  

There are few things more embarrassing than realizing you have been using a word or phrase incorrectly and no one ever told you. This isn’t just because we take pride in being intelligent. Errors like these, repeated over time, lessen our credibility. These mistakes can even cause us to miss out on a job or other opportunity. This list catalogs some of the most commonly misused words and phrases and describes the correct usages—as well as where you might have some wiggle room to interpret your own way.

Commonly Misused Words in English

                Are vs Our

  • Are is a verb that describes the state of something in the present. Things are
  • Our is a pronoun, meaning it stands in for a group of people in a sentence. John and I love to eat pizza. Our favorite place is around the corner.

                Effect vs Affect

  • Effect is a noun that means the result of a change. What will the effect of this merger be?
  • Affect is a verb that describes a change in progress. The merger will affect every department.

                Lay vs Lie vs Laid

  • Lay is a verb that describes an object being placed somewhere. I lay the book down on the table.
    • The past tense of this is I laid the book down on the table.
  • Lie is a verb that describes resting or reclining. I am going to lie
    • Confusingly, the past tense of this is lay. I lay down for a few hours this morning.

                Ensure vs Insure

  • Ensure is a verb that means you are going to guarantee something. I ensure you will get the results you want.
  • Insure is a verb specifically related to insurance. She decided to insure her jewelry for $100,000.

                Then vs Than

  • Then is a word that can be many parts of speech but is usually an adjective or adverb. Almost all its uses have to do with time or the order of events. I will be ready by Let’s go to dinner, then the show. If the client calls, then I might be late to the meeting. The decision was made by then president Adam Jones.
  • Than is a conjunction used to compare two things. I am taller than Their store is busier than ours. They have more than I have. I am less than pleased.

                Which vs That

  • Which is used when the information that follows it isn’t essential to the understanding of the sentence. The car, which seemed expensive, was attractive to Tony. (In this case, the car is attractive to Tony whether it is expensive or not.)
  • That is used when the information that follows is essential to the understanding of the sentence. The car that seemed expensive was attractive to Tony. (In this case, it is the fact that the car is expensive that makes it attractive among other options.)

Words That Don’t Actually Exist

In addition to confused words like the ones above, there are some words we might use that are rarely or never correct.

                Alot

  • This mistake is usually made when someone is trying to say there is a lot of something. You would never use “alittle” as one word trying to describe a little of something. In the same way, a lot is two words.
  • If you are trying to talk about an allotment, to allot someone a portion requires two “L’s.”
  • Alot is never correct.

Supposably

  • This isn’t exactly an imaginary word since you can find it in some dictionaries from the 1800s. But today, it’s generally regarded as incorrect.
  • Its literal meaning is “conceivable within imagination.” An aunt or uncle could supposably tell children something their parents don’t want them to learn.
  • But when most people make this mistake, they are trying to say supposedly, which means “what people accept to be true, or what is reported.” She supposedly completed the project, but I don’t know.

                Irregardless

  • This word is believed to have been created as a slang mashup of “irrespective” and “regardless.”
  • Regardless means the same thing, but avoids the double negative created by “ir-“and “-less” that causes this word to be considered incorrect.

                Inflammable

  • People often use this word to try to describe something that can’t catch on fire. However, the word for that is
  • Flammable is the word for something that can catch on fire. Inflammable means the same thing as flammable but causes unnecessary confusion. This is because we associate the prefix “in-“ with something being the opposite of what follows, like inflexible or But in this case, that rule does not apply. Instead, you might be saying the opposite of what you intend.
  • According to Merriam-Webster, this mess arose because of a Latin translation error.

                Unequivocably

  • This word is a mistaken attempt to say unequivocally, which means “plainly and without doubt.” I can tell you unequivocally that this product will be a success.
  • Unequivocably is not a word and is never grammatically correct. Since it is a piece of slang, you can still play it in Scrabble.

                Unthaw

  • Like irregardless and inflammable, this is a case of adding a prefix to a word that is already doing a fine job on its own. To thaw something already means to unfreeze it. Can you thaw the steaks for dinner? The spring thaw is coming soon.
  • If you think about the prefix “un-“meaning the opposite, like unfriendly, to unthaw something would actually mean to freeze it again.

Commonly Misused Phrases in English

                Deep-seeded

  • When people use this phrase, they mean to say deep-seated, which means established at a profound level. I have a deep-seated fear of heights.
  • Merriam-Webster does a great job of explaining how our use of “seed” in athletic tournaments has led to this confusion growing worse over time.

                Piece of mind

  • If you are trying to ease someone’s fears, you are offering them peace of mind.
  • The idea of giving someone a piece of our mind opens the door to confusion between these two.
  • Remember that peace of mind is a positive offering, while a piece of your mind usually is not.

                For all intensive purposes

  • This confusion is a case of not hearing the actual phrase correctly. For all intents and purposes is a phrase from law that has become common use. It means “in every practical sense.” For all intents and purposes, those two are dating, but they just won’t admit it. I am the dog’s owner for all intents and purposes, because I feed it and take care of it every day.
  • Often this continues to be misinterpreted by those making the mistake because we think of intensive as being “deep” or “comprehensive,” like “an intensive” This is understandable, but still incorrect.

                Sneak peak

  • In this case, it’s important to remember that peek means “look,” while peak means “the top of a mountain.
  • If you got an advance look at the top of a mountain, you would get a sneak peek at the

                By in large

  • Like “for all intensive purposes,” this error is commonly caused by mishearing the phrase in speech and applying what the brain interprets in our writing.
  • By and large means considering all the aspects of a situation together. By and large, what we need is someone who can answer these questions.
  • Some people hear and use by an large, which is also incorrect.

This list is by no means comprehensive, and summaries like these don’t always drive home the nuances of using these words and phrases correctly. If you ever find yourself questioning your usage at the moment, we recommend turning to Google. A quick search for the phrase or word you are questioning will bring a lot of resources to your fingertips, including quizzes and worksheets to practice correct usage. And at the end of the day remember—everyone makes mistakes!

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Oral Communication During an Interview

Posted On May 2, 2019 By akpsi In Blog Articles /  

You’ve scoured the web for the right job listings. You’ve written and revised your cover letter a hundred times. You’ve filled out online applications and tweaked your resume to be just right. Up to this point in the employment search process, you’ve used written materials to pique the interest of potential employers. Now, it’s finally time for your interview, but are you ready to sell yourself? Whether it’s done over the phone, via video chat, or in-person, oral communication can make or break the entire deal. What goes into great oral communication during an interview, and how can you be sure to make the best possible impression?

Oral Communication During an In-Person Interview

In person-interviews allow job-seekers are able to use the interaction to show off every aspect of their personality and prove that they’re the right person for the job. However, this also means there’s a lot of pressure for interviewees to deliver at all angles. A study performed by Come Recommended found that 33 percent of bosses knew whether they would hire someone within the first 90 seconds of an interview. With that in mind, make sure you’re primed and ready to go from the moment you enter the room. Practice active listening by repeating questions back to the interviewer or summarizing their question. Speak clearly and succinctly, and don’t worry about taking your time to formulate your thoughts when answering a question. According to a study published on Career Geek 38percent of hiring officials said the quality of grammar and overall confidence had the most important impact during the interview.

Oral Communication During a Video Interview

Over the past few years, companies have made the push toward video interviews to make the process more efficient. A study published by the Aberdeen Group found that 47percent of companies prefer video conference interviews because it saves on time, and another 67percent said it cuts down on travel costs. Though you may not be in the room with the interviewer, you should do everything possible to act like you are. Eye contact is still incredibly vital during these video interviews, as it demonstrates confidence. The study published by Come Recommended found that 67percent of bosses and hiring managers cited a lack of eye contact as being a primary mistake by applicants. Don’t let yourself become distracted by going ons around you, and find a quiet, private location that will allow you to answer questions and focus your attention on the hiring party. Continue to practice active listening by asking questions and summarizing their points. Take your time in responding so you don’t trip over your words.

Oral Communication During a Phone Interview

Phone interviews can be a tricky situation. Without any visual cues, it’s tough to gauge reactions to what you say or how you say it. It’s also common to find yourself and the interviewer unintentionally interrupting or talking over one another. Still, these types of interviews are often unavoidable, particularly in the first few rounds of candidate conversations. They are an efficient and quick way for hiring managers to sift through a lot of applicants. When the call begins, make sure to greet anyone who’s announced themselves on the call. Before answering, listen to the question in its entirety so that you’re not jumping the gun or leaving anything out. It may be handy to keep a notepad nearby to jot down important ideas you want to communicate. You’ll also want to try and keep your answers succinct; without the ability to make eye contact, it can be easy to give long and rambling answers. As with any of these interview scenarios, answer with confidence.

Interviews are both exciting and nerve-wracking. It’s as though we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But, we also know that if the interview doesn’t go well, it may mean beginning the process all over again. Your written materials got you to this point, but person-to-person meetings will rely much more heavily on your oral communication skills. By remaining calm, actively listening, and showing your confidence, you’ll have a great chance to take this interview and turn it into a career.

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