DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH 1 FIRST GENERATION PROFESSIONALS

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH 1 FIRST GENERATION PROFESSIONALS KEYS TO UNLOCK AND UNLEASH YOUR FULL POTENTIAL Tinisha L. Agramonte, Director, Office of Civil Rights Department of Commerce

2 You got your foot in the door, but what now? q Understanding “What Got You Here May Not Get You There”. q Learning How to Close Gaps re: Comfort level with Social and Cultural Transitions. q Managing Self-Efficacy. CAREER ACTION PLANNING

CAREER ROADMAP 3 Where do you want to go/be? When do you want to get there? What could be roadblocks on your journey? What resources and tools do you need to get there? Who can help you get there?

4 Agramonte’s Career Guiding Principles Be Relevant…Have a platform that resonates with the mission and stakeholders’ interests. Be Credible…Give them reasons to trust you. Be Visible…Brand your program. Be a Force Multiplier…We are Better Together! Be Well…Remember to take care of yourself.

Be Relevant! 5

Be Relevant! 6 Understand how to make the business case for the work you do. What do you do? Why does what you do matter for your agency? How do your programs add strategic value?

Be Credible! 7

Credibility 8

Be Credible! 9 Be the subject matter expert: trusted and reliable. Keep your word. Act with Integrity. Get small wins that will have a big effect!

Be Approachable! 10 Model appropriate behavior …you are always on stage. Manage your unconscious/personal biases. Does your public face match your private face?

Be Visible! 11

Be Accountable! 12 Be at the table when important decisions are made. Be innovative and forward-thinking about strategically aligning your job functions with other high priority initiatives and goals. What is your brand?

Be a Force Multiplier 13 Don’t close the door after you walk through it. Be a mentor, coach, and/or sponsor. Support organizations that support the professional development of groups that experience barriers to EEO. See Something, Say Something…help eradicate workplace inequities.

Where/Who is your “help”? 14 Technical Advisor – A skilled/experienced person who can assist with on the job functions and duties that you are unfamiliar with. (i. e. advanced computer functions; new software packages, etc). Mentor – An experienced person who can lead, advise, and assist in unfamiliar and unknown career areas; helps to avoid pitfalls and seek out tools for education and advancement, etc. Sponsor – A person with the position and ability to speak to others on your behalf and helps open doors to paths that may not otherwise be readily available. Teammate(s) – Person(s) in your field who exchange practices and information that contributes to basic/daily job duties. Supervisor/Manager – Person who defines your job duties and functions; provides you with guidance on skills/abilities and training necessary to perform the job satisfactorily and pathways for advancement. Yourself – Seek out people in these categories. Be open and accepting of their help.

Your Well Being 15 Physical Emotional Psychological Social Work/Life Balance Economic

16 My Brand/Platform—Whose Hand is Being Acknowledged and Whose Hand is Being Ignored?