Student Affairs and Services Jobs

At the state college that I work at it is custom to have very large screening or interviewing committees. I was asked to be on one about a year and a half ago. As the interviewees took their turns being interviewed, there was one of my coworkers who was interviewing for the position. Honestly, I did not know her very well, excepting passing here and there. As she was answering the questions, she seemed incredibly nervous. After the interview was over, she told me that whenever she felt anxious, she would look at me and felt calmer. She was thankful for the calming presence that exhibited. After hearing this, it was quite humbling. Frankly, I now consider this one of the best compliments that I have ever received. Also, it is encouraging to know that I don’t have a scary face after all! Deep sigh. I can rest easy now. Winking face.

Working in an academic advising office for a college is trying (especially July-August), but I will say having a calming demeanor comes in extremely handy when working with students of various personalities. The students that I work with could various disabilities or disorders or they could just be anxious people in general. I work with many students who are older adults who are coming back to school and so they are typically nervous about taking college classes.

One of the nice things about how working in academic advising, after the onset of the pandemic, was that many of our services went virtual. I typically appreciate having face-to-face interaction and being able to focus on nonverbal communication ques. However, in the month of August, due to the high volume of students and their inquiries, it was nice not having jam packed lobbies, but instead we could funnel them through the virtual waiting rooms instead. Having a calming presence through zoom, or in person, I have found is foundational.

Emotions are high and students and their parents can get incredibly frustrated about not getting help soon enough. You just never know who might be calling or who they are connected to in the community. As I listen to irate or upset students and parents, I try to keep simple phrases in my mind such as, “Help one student at a time,” or “I can only do so much,” and “Keep calm – everything has a solution to some degree.” Let’s just say that I spend plenty of time thanking students for their patience and beginning my emails with, “Thank you for your patience in awaiting my response…” For me to remain calm, I sometime will keep very quiet music on in-between students.

Experiencing burnout is so easy to fall into when working in student services at a college. If you work in student services, then I would encourage you to remember the following:

1. Don’t be too hard on yourself as you really can only handle so much at one time, despite the hundreds of emails that pour into your inbox during busy times of the year.

2. Try to not skip your lunches. I cannot tell you how many times I work through lunch, but at the end of the day (for obvious reasons), this is not healthy for your body, mind, or soul to do this.

3. Be mindful of what kind of presence you exude. Is your demeanor calming?

4. Remember why you are doing what you are doing. Focus on the students that you have really been able to help make a difference for and let them be your poster children so to speak.

5. Encourage your coworkers and remind them that you are supporting them.