The Halfway Point: Six Months into My AmeriCorps Term

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On May 18th, I will have reached the half-way point of my AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) term with Connections to Success, a non-profit that seeks to break the cycle of poverty through training, mentorship, support and hope. I have really enjoyed what I have learned so far, but there are a few things I wish I had known when I had started.

1. Don’t be afraid to take initiative.
Yes, it’s always important to run things by your supervisor when working on a project. But your department’s team may be looking to someone with fresh new ideas who’s willing to make new connections with new individuals. And if you sometimes overstep your bounds and mess up, learn from your mistakes and head back on the right track.

2. You don’t have to like everyone that you work with, but you should respect them and perceive them as your ally.
So you may be an extrovert, and your colleague may be an introvert. You may not see eye to eye on everything or may not laugh at the same jokes or share the same cultural background. That doesn’t change that you are both in the same work that you are both passionate about, so why not work as allies?

3. Don’t always say yes, but be willing to be flexible.
If you are new to a job or are in entry-level work, you may be just excited to just have the opportunity to work at “x” organization or corporation. That doesn’t mean that you should always be saying “yes” to every project and task, knowing that tasks do add up and can overwhelm you. Sometimes there needs to be an individual who just jumps in the moment to help out on a busy day, but if you can see another curve ball of projects coming your way, pick and choose which tasks really relate to your focus and mission at the organization and what you would like to work on as well.

4. Keep growing and learning.
There won’t always be a mentor or coach on the sidelines looking out for your next best interests or training for the job. If you see something that would benefit and improve your work at your job, research it and go after it. Be sure to tell your supervisor/boss about the opportunity before you pursue it to not conflict any interests. There are also personal passions for careers that you can look into after work as well.

For example, I really enjoy the work that I do for Connections to Success when it comes to data entry and building the newsletter, but I am really passionate about diplomacy as a career. So, I spend time researching training opportunities related to database management as well as I invest my time outside of work attending international relations topic specific lectures, festivals and more outside of work as provided by local universities and public libraries.

5. Give praise first and then offer constructive criticism.
No matter the mistakes that happen with an event or project, high five your team member first and congratulate him or her on a job well done before adding suggestions for the next time. It’s really important to offer praise where praise is due, regardless of the outcome, and there needs to be a waiting period (sometimes even a day or two) before the assessment. This builds healthy colleague relationships and trust that you care about the worker as much as you do about the work that he or she completes.

Location: St. Louis, MO, USA

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