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National Association of Col- leges and Employers, the job market for new graduates is improving marginally. But the Institute for College Access and Success notes that many college graduates will be saddled with around $25,000 in debt upon earn- ing their degrees. Many stu- dent loans have a six-month repayment grace period after graduation, so new grads who don't already have a job lined up may want to use some of that grace period to travel, visit distant relatives or relax and recharge before their first payment comes due. Use the time wisely, but be prepared to buckle down when the time comes to start repaying loans. ■ Join an alumni associa- tion. Regardless of the size of your school, chances are strong they have a local alumni association and sev- eral chapters across the country. Take advantage of these organizations to con- nect with fellow alumni, who can be invaluable sources of information and provide connections that may help you find a job in your field. ■ Read and learn new skills. If you have yet to land that first job, use some of your down time to reac- quaint yourself with reading for pleasure instead of read- ing as part of an assignment. You also can use extra time to explore new skills, such as learning certain software or applications that may help you stand out in a competi- tive job market. ■ Before you decide what you want to do, you may have to figure out what you don't like. Another way to use free time is to volunteer or apply for internships in fields you may want to work in. These experiences can help you determine your career options and find a career you find both chal- lenging and exciting. But such opportunities can also help you determine when a given line of work isn't for you. Oftentimes, finding the right career path takes some trial and error. Don't get too down if an opportunity does- n't pan out. Instead, keep your head up and take advantage of the next oppor- tunity that comes your way. Graduation is a time of mixed emotions. Graduates can not only use graduation season to make lasting mem- ories with friends but also to take the first steps toward the next phase of their lives. 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • April 2, 2015 Let's talk, really talk, about workplace email A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262-306-5008 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 17 • Number 29 April 2, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-542-6082 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organiza- tions of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. Keys to improving team spirit at work By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) & A Q Q. I'm trying to build more camaraderie among my team at work. We've got people of all ages and backgrounds and, while people seem well intentioned, the group isn't jelling as quickly as I'd like. What can I do to help us come together? A. Create opportunities for people to connect, but don't force it – that can have unintended con- sequences. THE INNER GAME First of all, ask yourself if there is really a problem. Does the level of team spirit interfere with getting the work done well? If it does, you also need to determine whether some other factor, say, level of knowledge or a training need, could be causing any performance shortfall. If work quality is acceptable, explore your motivation for want- ing more camaraderie. Perhaps you were once part of the "best team ever," and you're trying to recreate that experience. While this is well- meaning, it's probably not realistic. However, you may find that, while the team does well as is, there is an opportunity to unleash some creativity or have more sharing of knowledge if people were a bit closer. Or you may have received feedback that people feel isolated or are not happy at work. Under these circumstances, action would be advisable. So, what to do? Part of that will be determined by the resources you have at hand, including funds for staff events. Team preferences also must be taken into account . more on that later. OUTER GAME Before even going down the team building activity path, look at opportunities to build connections through work project collabora- tion. People forge close relation- ships when they're problem solving and co-creating. It's up to you to find ways for this to happen. Put people with complementary skills together on a task, especially if they have not had cause to spend time together.There may be a bit of foot dragging because people like their comfort zones, but without making a big deal out of it, be persistent. Soon you'll find that unlikely people have developed inside jokes and are seeking each other out as thinking partners. Now, this won't always work, so be tolerant of chemistry that is less than 100 percent – it's impor- tant to be realistic. Once people are talking a bit more, look at some team-oriented ways to broaden the relationship. This is where preferences come in. A day at a rock climbing challenge may be great for some employees, but not all will be able or willing to participate. So ask your employees; come to an agreement with them about ways to spend some time socializing with co-workers. Be very sensitive to timing, too. People are protective of their personal time, so do not create an expecta- tion for an evening or weekend event. Also, pay attention to major work deadlines. It's not going to be fun to be out for the afternoon if a major deadline is looming. Keep an eye out for insiders and outsiders to ensure that no one is being left out, and also monitor progress based on your goal for the team. THE LAST WORD Closer collaboration is the foun- dation of a more interconnected team. advice . . . from page 1 Let's talk about workplace communi- cation. You go first. Oops, sorry, this isn't the best medium for a conversation. I should've thought of that first. In fact, that's something we should all think about first before deciding how we're going to communicate with some- one at work. What's the best way to deliver information? Is it email? Skype? Face to face? A phone call? Email has certainly become our default, but while it's fast and conven- ient, I fear it's making us lazier and less- effective communicators. We reflexively send an email when we need to ask a question or share information. The thought of getting up and walking to someone's cubicle – or even just picking up the phone – barely crosses our minds. It's a bad habit, one that's likely cost- ing us more time than we realize and robbing us of the many brainstorms and positive outcomes that sprout from actual conversations. In his book "Message Not Received: Why Business Communication Is Broken and How to Fix It," Phil Simon writes: "At a micro level, communica- tion breakdowns cause myriad problems at work and exacerbate others. The inability to effectively communicate results in all sorts of inefficiencies, mis- understandings, gaffes, squabbles, missed opportunities, and outright dis- asters." With email, consider how many times the tone of a note has been misinterpret- ed. Or how a simple question has led to a lengthy back-and-forth of additional questions and clarifications. In the book, Simon asks: "How may misunderstandings could have been averted at your organization if two col- leagues had simply engaged in a five- By Rex Huppke, Chicago Tribune (TNS) see LET'S TALK . . . page 6

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