Creating a Professional Persona

Creating a Professional Persona

April 16, 2021 Uncategorized 38

You recently participated in the How to Get the Job seminar where you participated in workshops and one on one meetings to help you develop your professional persona. How did these help you prepare for future career endeavors? What professional skills have you developed through Bonner that will help you as you apply to internships, graduate schools, jobs, etc.?

An important part of the application and interview process for jobs is discussing your experiences working with/on a team. When have you worked on a team in Bonner? What did you learn from that experience? What have you learned about the skills of a leader?

38 Responses

  1. Tori Mangelli says:

    My vision changed because I had to lower the expectation of grades I wanted to get, haha, wish I was kidding. I made adjustments to this by still working towards my goals to get all As but also trying to give myself recognition if these grades aren’t achieved by the end of the semester. The challenging part was actually trying to accept this, which I don’t know if I have done haha. But, one thing I am proud of is my personal progress regarding fitness. I wanted to go to the gym and get in shape at the beginning of the semester, and I feel like I did a good job at doing that. If I’m being honest, Bonner was a huge stressor this semester so I don’t really know if I can say it helped. But, the Bonner family is always amazing and such a good support system from the people in the group to the admin. The admins have been very accommodating this semester and my friends in Bonner are always there to lend a helping hand, which is amazing.

  2. Tori Mangelli says:

    Bonner has given me a platform on to base my career on. Because of Bonner and my experience working GOTR’s social media I was able to get another journalism internship. I have learned many good skills such as communications, working in a team, writing skills, and marketing skills which make me more appealing to future employers. Right now Maura is actually working with the Girls on the Run team, in addition to our normal staff. Working in team-based settings has helped me effectively communicate my role and learn the role of others and be able to come together to work most efficiently while still doing work independently. I have also been leading the way for Maura to start her role at GOTR which has improved my leadership skills.

  3. Abeer Jafri says:

    I have developed so many skills through Bonner that I definitely would not have if I weren’t a part of it. The How to Get a Job seminar provides useful tools every year that help me improve resources such as LinkedIn and my resume. The seminar is a unique source of personal assistance that many students outside the program do not get to make use of. I used to be terrified of public speaking, and now am much more comfortable with it, and enjoy facilitating. I also feel like working in an office setting allowed me to learn how to interact with the people and environment professionally. From learning to dress to learning to communicate effectively, I have gained a lot of knowledge about professionalism from Bonner. I have worked on a team many times in Bonner, whether it be doing tasks or working on projects at my site, or even at different events like service days or SGU. Some skills of leadership I’ve learned are how to listen to each team member and incorporate all ideas, as well as taking initiative to advocate for myself. I am thankful to have all of these experiences, and am excited to grow more in my next two years.

  4. Ecli Vazquez says:

    The job seminar really showed me that I am on a good track in my job process. I’m really happy with the feedback I got last year on resume which pushed me to creating a better on this year and getting approved. I currently applied to become a Bilingual case manager so I’m hoping I get it. I used Dr. Kassel suggestions when it came to writing my cover letter and I was really happy with how it was written. I hope I get and I’m thankful for Bonner in how they have made think more successful.

  5. Michelle Villa says:

    The How to Get the Job Seminar helped me learn about the correct ways to create a resume and what to expect from future internships or jobs. I felt like my high school didn’t go over the resume application properly and I had to depend on using google or youtube videos to teach me. However, this Bonner Seminar has prepared and taught me how to correctly work on my application. I work with the Connect Center of Youth, so the skills I brought were researching and communication. The volunteer I have to do requires tons of researching and reaching out to resources on campus or outside to connect with the program.

  6. Maura Lynch says:

    Though I was not at the How to Get the Job seminar due to clinical, Bonner has prepared me for this process very well through resume workshops, mock interviews, and being shown how to prepare my LinkedIn account. During Summer Gear Up 2020, I had practice working with a team of fellow Bonners to put on a successful introduction to the school year. Now I am working on a team for Girls on the Run to put on a 5k and I am seeing how important it is to work as a team at jobs to make the organization run smoothly.

  7. Julia says:

    The How to Get the Job seminars helped me realize the importance of networking and connecting with people. LinkedIn can be a great tool for finding a job, asking for advice, and learning about opportunities. Networking is more than just finding a job. This realization has encouraged me to connect with people even if the conversation doesn’t align exactly with my interests. Bonner has helped me with public speaking. This will make me the ideal candidate for jobs that require presenting information to large groups. During Bonner I have worked as a team at the Boys and Girls Club. I learned that everyone brings a valuable perspective to the table. Finally, an effective leader has excellent listening and communication skills.

  8. Elizabeth MacMurray says:

    After attending the How to Get the Job seminar, a lot of my questions I had were answered. Just little ones about what a proper resume should look like and what are the best ways to search for a job in your career field. This seminar definitely helped me learn the best ways to reach for all possible opportunities in the best way. Ever since joining Bonner, I have learned a lot of different skills that will also help me reach my goals. Social and communication skills are probably the biggest two that I can think of. These skills will definitely help me because being able to converse with others and be able to have those connections with them is very important. This semester, I have been able to work with my site, Catholic Charities, and I have been able to put these skills into play. At my site, I have a small team I work with but I hope will get to work more with them in the future. I haven’t been able to do a lot with my site but so far have learned that communication is very important.

  9. Sarah Ahmed says:

    The “How to Get The Job seminars definitely taught me how much work goes into getting a job and it’s more than just having a good resume. I think that if it wasn’t for these seminars, I wouldn’t know how to write a cover letter or how to properly read a job description, but these are essential in obtaining the job you want. Also knowing how much detail goes into writing a resume, knowing that your resume is bound to change depending on the job you desire, and knowing how to put in certain keywords to grab the attention of the hirer are essential.
    I think the biggest professional skill I acquired through Bonner is public speaking which was my largest fear for the majority of my life. By participating in Wednesday meetings, working with community organizations, and being a part of a team that works to create sustainable change, we are continuously interacting and speaking in groups. As Bonners, we also learn to communicate with others and effective communication is needed in any partnership.
    As a member of the BLT, the recruitment team, and with my current site I work with, I work with a team on numerous occasions. These experiences have taught me that small people can do big things. Nonprofits and our work as Bonners can overwhelm me at times and sometimes I ask myself “how much change can I truly make?”, but working with my organization I realize that someone doesn’t need to own a large corporation to make a change, and even though its cheezy, we really can do anything if we work together.
    So far, I have learned that a leader is someone who wants to make an impact to make a positive change for all and do good. A leader is an advocate who uses the privilege they have for those who cannot stand up for themselves due to the barriers society has placed on them. A leader most of all is not someone who constantly wants to be in the spotlight but encourages their colleagues and friends to also step up and take on leadership skills.

  10. Stephanie Da Fonseca says:

    This meeting is one of my favorites, it is a privilege to have a group of experts to help us with these things. This meeting helped me prepare for future endeavors by having resume critiques which is so important because it is what makes you able to even get your foot in the door for future careers. We also learned how to develop a good Linkedin which is such a useful tool not only with connecting with peers, but to develop an online resume and platform to network for jobs, internships and opportunities. We have mock interviews where we learn how to present ourselves, body language and many other things that will show that we are a strong candidate. The skills I mentioned are all crucial for our future endeavors such as internships, graduate schools, jobs and etc, but Bonner didn’t teach me just that, it taught me discipline, time management, leadership, how to work with others and so many other things which will absolutely give me an advantage.
    Bonner as a whole is a team effort, we are a student led program so we all work together to be able to make our program what it is. We are always working on our bonding as well as working on working together, we do trainings and everything is based on us working as a team. I have learned so much by this like how to cooperate with others, being able to compromise when we have good ideas and it made me realize working in groups will always bring the best answers out.

  11. Rachel Gifford says:

    The trainings helped me think more about the future and prepare for it. Sometimes it’s easy to forget about the future because there is so much going on in the here and now, but our meeting helped me change my mindset. The seminar also reminded me to update my resume and LinkedIn (which haven’t been updated in an extremely long time) as well as how important it is to keep these things up to date. I have also never made a cover letter before and the seminar showed me how important they are for getting a job. I have learned a lot of useful skills through Bonner including communication, time management, and other skills. I have never done anything like Bonner before and I think that I have really grown over the course of a year. I think that all of the skills I have learned as well as the time I have dedicated to Bonner will help me not only in applying for a job but in succeeding at the job. Through my site Food Pantries of the Capital District, I often work and correlate my work with other people. This requires a lot of communication which I’ve gotten a lot better at over the past few months. Another thing I’m learning how to do better is creating excel spreadsheets and utilizing other forms of technology. I have learned that leaders need to be flexible, and I now understand that they don’t always have to lead the group to be a leader. Some of the most inspiring people for me in Bonner have been the ones that motivate us and push us to do better. The leader isn’t always the loudest person in the room, and I’ve learned that a good leader knows how to listen.

  12. Dana Wakeman says:

    This seminar helped me as I have been updating my resume, Linkedin, and looking for jobs. During Sarah’s workshop, I noticed that I had a small error with tense in my resume so I was able to quickly update that, which I appreciated as all of the small things really matter with job applications. Overall, Bonner has helped me to learn a number of professional skills that will be needed in grad school and my carrer. For example, I have been able to learn how to manage my time. Specifically, this year has taught me how to handle multiple projects at once as I am working on my thesis/capstone while also completing my PA role, and this will be a helpful skill for the future.

    I have had the opportunity to work on a few teams during my time as a Bonner including as an SGU Coordinator and a PA. Both of these teams have allowed me to learn more about working with people including listening to everyone’s ideas, compromising on decisions, and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. As a leader, I am still learning about how to step back as a leader and not focus on certain things all of the time. I have found that having support systems that can tell you to stop or take a step back are incredibly helpful and remind me to maintain a balance.

  13. Mara Golden says:

    This seminar was very helpful for someone like me who is trying to find jobs suited more to my major. I was recently asked to apply for a respite position at Unity House of Troy’s Domestic Violence shelter. This seminar gave me some insight into how I should update my resume to prepare for job opportunities such as this one. Through Bonner, I can confidently say I have developed strong communication skills. I have found it easier to confront people in an appropriate manner and to also speak up and take charge when needed. These are skills needed in many workplaces. With the times we live in today, sometimes people need to be reminded what is appropriate to say in the workplace. Confrontation does not come along without good communication. Both of these are skills that will help me thrive in any jobs I take on in the future.

    The most recent team I have worked on is the PA team. I have learned a great deal from the wonderful people I get to serve alongside. They have taught me a great deal over the past couple of months and we have shared many laughs. But with those laughs come struggle. These struggles have brought challenges in communication and working with new people in a different environment than I am used to. But that is where being honest with each other being staying open-minded to new/ different ideas come into play. These skills I have learned from my team have already helped me outside of Bonner.

  14. Parker Taft says:

    Two things I learned that are really important in marketing yourself professionally are social networking through such sites as LinkedIn and the importance of a concise easy to read the resume. Previous to this experience I had always believed and been taught that your resume should include everything you have done within a certain stretch of time ( 5 years) and that social networking could only occur in a professional or semi-social ( i.e., official party, award ceremony, training seminar, etc…) setting and was rather ineffective online. In the seminar, I learned differently. One should pay close attention to the job requirements and tailor what you present on your resume accordingly, so that prospective employers don’t have to hunt and peck to find relevant experiences. While also making it easier to read and more likely that your resume will be moved to the top of the pile rather than the circular filing bin ( i.e., trash can). One can also effectively social network over the internet; although it is much preferable to do it in person, it can still have benefits. Such as connecting with alumni or professionals who live a good distance away and whom you wouldn’t have met had you confined yourself to only in-person searching.

    Bonner has definitely been effective in teaching time management, general management, teamwork, and research skills, all of which are critical both in the academic environment and in the future career environment I wish to pursue ( the law)

  15. Lulama Nyembe says:

    One of the first things I learned and one of the most impactful lessons professionally thus far in the program was centered around an elevator speech. Being able to understand how to deliver an elevator speech is crucial for networking events. The comfort and ease with which I am now able to deliver this speech have given me a template for how to go about marketing different aspects of myself professionally. Being a Bonner there is constant teamwork, be that with your site team members or classmates. I was able to work across different departments within my site with other Bonners and interns. Through this work, I was able to gain a better understanding of the organization based on the work being done by the other departments. Although we were all undergoing different pursuits academically, West Virginia also allowed us to build upon our abilities to work as a team. This experience required a lot of communication and knowing when to step up and when to step back. Through this, I was able to see the different ways one can be a leader. In as much as a leader can be the person who is at the forefront and takes charge of a situation, a leader can also be the person who spends a majority of their time observing and assessing the situation.

  16. Alexis D'Aloia says:

    The How to Get the Job Seminar helped me to prepare for future career endeavors as it gave me some tips and tricks for building resumes and how to look at job postings online more critically. Through Bonner, I have certainly learned how to professionally communicate with things such as email correspondences, meetings, etc. It has really helped me to best market myself to potential employers and create a professional identity for myself with things like LinkedIn profiles and how to be conscious on social media. In regard to working on a team in Bonner, I have dome this in multiple settings. I worked on my very first little Bonner team when I served at Unity House for my first two years. I then also got the opportunity to work on a team at RISSE with some other Bonners, as well as with Kiara in planning and coordinating the WV trip. Additionally I moved into the PA role where I’ve been working on a team with the other PAs! From these experiences, I learned how to manage stepping up and stepping back and how to balance workload between team members. I learned that as a leader, it is important to communicate effectively with members of a team and to serve as a reliable person for others!

  17. Jackson Regan says:

    One thing that the workshop taught me that was both new and very helpful was how to set up a Linkedin profile. I had previously heard of Linkedin but had never fully understood the intricacies of it, nor had I bothered to consider or ponder setting up an account. I also was reminded of the importance of alumni connections, which I think is critically important, especially with a alumni network as vast and extensive as Siena’s is.

  18. Nancy Rasmussen says:

    Although I could not attend the How to Get the Job seminar due to my class, I believe I have gained numerous professional skills throughout my three years in the Bonner program that will help me in the future— either in graduate school or in my career. For starters, I learned how to professionally communicate. I think this is an especially important skill to have as I will have to communicate with higher ups often. I also learned how to professionally and politely disagree with something a higher up has said to me when we are working on a project together. I think this is an important skill to have because sometimes your ideas do not align with your boss’s, and that’s completely okay. It’s important to have the necessary skills to professionally and politely discuss other options and ideas.

    As stated above, an important part of the application and interview process for jobs is discussing your experiences working with/on a team. I currently work with a team in my role as the Writing Center Coordinator. In this role, I have learned that it is extremely important to reply back to emails in a timely manner. I also learned how to professionally and politely discuss other options and ideas. In addition, I also gained the confidence to provide my inputs for the project. In terms of leadership skills, I have learned that effective and timely communication, confidence, and understanding, are three important and necessary skills to have as a leader.

  19. Nia Colon says:

    This helped me prepare for my future because it gave me a better understanding on how to build a resume. I developed skills that will allow for me to better communicate with others. When working in a team, I learned how to listen better and not justo every time someone speaks. A skill I learned about being a leader would have to be the importance on listening and making sure that everyone feels heard.

    • Dana Wakeman says:

      Nia, you make a great point, and it is definitely important that people feel heard on a team!

  20. Ava Bibisi says:

    Based on the How To Get a Job Seminar last week, the segment on how to build a resume will help me the most when preparing for my future career. I have not expanded much on my resume because I tend to always feel stuck and do not know where to begin. Sarah gave some awesome points and tips on simple starting points for a good resume that I will be able to use to better prepare for my career. From Bonner as a whole, I have been able to learn a lot more from upperclassmen and the experiences they are going through which I find very helpful. Communication skills with other professionals has been a skill that I’ve grown to be more comfortable with thanks to Bonner and a skill that is critical for the rest of my life in a career setting.

    Currently for my service site I am working alongside another Bonner student as a team to accomplish projects. We have to find times that work well for each other and combine our creative skills in order to get tasks completed. I am able to learn from my peer as well as her learn from me. I think this has been especially important as I am not always the best with online projects, but rather in person activities. Together we have been able to learn from each other as well as with each other to grow our team. I think this is really important to learn in order to fulfill a leadership role. Individuals have to be able to work with each other and be flexible which I have found easier from these experiences the past semester.

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      So glad that the resume section was helpful! I always love some good tips and tricks for them!!

  21. Samantha Lunt says:

    Bonner has taught me a lot and prepared me for the future in a lot of different ways. Skills I have learned is the importance of time management and planning, how to stay organized using different tools like a planner or google calendar, communication, and leadership skills. All of these skills are things that will help me in my future career. Teamwork is a key part of bonner and the importance of knowing how to work with a team is something that we get to learn throughout our time in Bonner. One team I am currently a part of is the recruitment team, from being on this team I have learned the importance of being prepared and planning to be able to help out and working as a team so the interviews go smoothly. Also, professional skills from doing interviews on zoom. Another team I am part of is the SGU coordinators, as one of the coordinators I have realized the importance of making sure everyones voice is heard and how to work with other people, and it is only the beginning for this team so I can’t wait to learn so much more. I have learned that being a leader doesn’t mean that you have to have the loudest voice in the room, it means making sure everyones voice is heard.

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      Teamwork makes the dream work!! So excited to see you kill it as an SGU coordinator!!

  22. Chandler Edbauer says:

    I think a lot of these meetings have helped me become a better professional. A large portion of these are time management and creating a professional character. Skills I have learned are being a better leader, time management, and confidence in speaking. I think working on the team with capital roots has helped me be a team leader as well as working on teams in Bonner during service days. I have learned to be open and give all of myself to the task at hand. I have learned that helping others during my free time is helpful to both myself and others. I have learned that the skills of a leader have to be adaptable. Being a leader is important because you need to work with others and plan as much as you can.

  23. Amanda Molloy says:

    One really useful thing in the how to get a job seminar was the parts about editing our resumes and writing a cover letter. I think both of these skills are very important in applying for future jobs. I think through Bonner I have developed a lot of communication skills, both in-person and virtually with email etiquette and zoom, which will be very helpful in future internships and jobs.
    Right now, I am working with a fellow Bonner at our site in a teammate way where we have to communicate and figure out what times work best for us to collaborate on service. Also, I joined the Recruitment Team this year. I think from both of these experiences one of the most important things I learned is that working together and everyone putting in their best effort and communicating what that they can accomplish, is one of the most important aspects of working in a team and also being a leader involves many of the same qualities.

  24. Nicole Pazarecki says:

    Bonner has certainly prepared me for after graduation for my professional skills. Working at TRIP has given me a sense of what it would be like working in an office and with people. I have learned to do work independently and with teams. I have also gained communication skills and leadership skills through being the site team leader. The week pasts training has helped me be more careful and detailed orientated through my resume and linked, which is super important. Overall, Bonner was a great program to help me grow in my professional development

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      Bonner has certainly helped me become more detail-oriented as well! It’s amazing how much it has taught us in how to be little working professionals.

  25. Nora Diede says:

    Within the past few months I have learned a great deal from the Bonner Program. This training, focusing on how to get a job was yet another activity that I feel will definitely be helpful for me in the future. I far better understand Linkedin and how to interact with others through it, which will help me as I start looking for internship opportunities and jobs. I also got advice on forming a successful resume, which will obviously be very helpful for my future and my ability to get internships, jobs and possibly further education. Although I have only been a part of the Bonner program since September, I definitely think I have learned a good amount about teamwork. I worked as a team within Bonner at my site. I learned the importance of communication, and also people skills. I have also learned a lot about how to be comfortable speaking to others, even if it only be through zoom, and how to make connections with people. This also relates to the skills of a leader. I have been able to work as a leader within my site this semester and am constantly learning and employing new techniques of making positive connections with those that I am working with.

  26. Kayla McKay says:

    From this seminar and the different workshops that I participated in, I learned a lot about professionalism that I was unaware of. From the workshops, I learned a lot about how the little stuff on resumes matters from formatting to font size. Something that I took away from the workshops also was the importance of consistantance. I learned that hiring mangers really look to see if the resume is consistent and neat because if they find an error or if it’s unorganized, they assume that you will reflect this behavior if they hire you. Some professional skills that I have acquired from bonner is time communication and working with a team. My site is birthnet and it is fully remote. A responsibility I have is to interview people for the podcast I produce, so communicating with intervees are important so that everything can run smoothly and efficiently. Also working with a team is a skill that I acquired as well. This skill is important because people bring different perspectives to the table and it is important to collaborate on ideas. Something I learned about being a leader is if they can be flexible or not. Good leaders are flexible because it shows how openminded they are about collaborating on ideas.

  27. Cody Romani says:

    Bonner has taught me many things that can help me in the future. Bonner has taught me professionalism and has helped me to grow in my communication skills with a variety of people. It really has been so beneficial to serve out in the community with non profit organizations. The How to Get the Job Seminar taught me how important a resume really is and how I can structure my resume. Bonner has taught me how to send professional emails and how to manage my time effectively. These are very important skills to have when I apply to be a mathematics teacher in the future. Teamwork is also an important skill to have. I have worked on a team at my service site and have learned how important communication really is. I look forward to working as a team this summer to coordinate Summer Gear Up 2021. I am excited to continue to improve my leadership skills and to continue working on my professional skills.

    • Sydney Maughan says:

      I have developed so many professional skills through Bonner that have helped me while applying to internships, jobs, and to present myself in a professional manner with professors and other people of importance. I learned email etiquette with Bonner as well as how to dress the part.
      Before COVID when I had TRIP as a site, I would work with the other Bonners at the site during projects and Bonner meetings. From these experiences I learned the importance of hearing everyone’s ideas and opinions because we all bring different skills and abilities to the plate. I also learned the importance of making sure everyone is participating and held accountable for something because no one person should be doing more work than the rest. As for being a leader, I’ve learned that it’s up to bring the initiative for the group and to make sure everyone is given a responsibility and that they contribute. It’s up to a leader to check in with everyone in the group to answer any of their questions and to make sure things are going smoothly.

  28. Marlie Frisco says:

    Being a Bonner Service Leader has exposed me to countless situations that I would have not experienced otherwise. From the moment I stepped on campus Freshman year, I was shown how to act professionally. Similarly, I have had the opportunity to interact and serve with two different community partners extensively, exposing me to different fields, populations, and professionals. In reflecting on applying to graduate school and in interviews, I recall discussing leadership opportunities I have had at my sites and within Bonner. Through Bonner, I have practiced the much needed skills of communication, teamwork, professionalism, leadership, and time management, among many others. An effective leader possesses the skills necessary to highlight the various qualities and personalities of each team member and integrate them into a cohesive working group of individuals.

  29. Jonathan Limey says:

    The training and all of my time in Bonner have taught me a great deal about myself. As a freshman, I haven’t put much thought into what I want to do after college. This training comfortably gave me the uncomfortable realization that those decisions are ahead of me and not as far away as I would like to think. Regardless, the training also made me realize all of the opportunities Bonner and Siena have given me. Just this semester alone I have had a meeting with non-profits and Albany City Hall. That is an achievement I didn’t label as an achievement for one reason or another. Thanks to the training I’m starting to realize what I have been able to do and how I can communicate it in the future with job applications.

    Through my active work through Bonner, I am working in a NExT team and learning a lot about communication and catering to each other’s skills. In the team, we split up the work based on what we are each good at. This was something we were able to do only because of the work of Tosin who is leading the team and making sure we all have good communication. If that wasn’t the case we as a team would all be working ineffectively and unable to do the best work we can.

  30. Samantha Gisleson says:

    This training was really helpful for someone who is getting ready to transition from college to the “real world.” It forced (in a good way) me to make a checklist of all of the updates I need to make in terms of resumes and LinkedIn. Moreover, it helped me to recognize all of the experience and skills that I have gained as a member of this program. With that being said, Bonner has helped me to develop so many professional skills that will help me beyond graduation. I am currently applying for internships for the summer and jobs for January, and so much of what I am including in my resume and cover letters was learned through Bonner. Additionally, Bonner has taught me how to be punctual, compassionate, organized, and so much more. There is so much that this program and its members have taught me that will translate to my life beyond Siena!

    I have worked on many teams throughout my time as a Bonner, but the most impactful has been working with the Accreditation team at Castle Island. This team has sometimes just been Diane (my site supervisor) and I, and other times it has included multiple people. This has meant being flexible, and also being willing to switch gears if the team need me to work on something else even if I am in the middle of another project. This experience has taught me that to be a leader you have to flexible, dependable, and organized. You must be able to step up but also able to delegate. I’ve learned so much during my time as a Bonner and at Castle Island and am truly blessed to have had both of these experiences

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