By: Joy Carter Crosby, AAEA-ACN Awards Committee Chairwoman, Association Communications SIG Co-Chairperson
College graduation is upon you! You may be excited about graduation, nervous about your next job interview or unsure about moving to a new city and starting work with the organization or company you have dreamed about your entire life. Even though you may have many life changes headed your way, do not fear, you have hundreds of AAEA – The Ag Communicators Network members rooting for you! We are here to help, guide, mentor, listen and most importantly be your friend and associate.
You are not alone in the wide-open world. Your new friends and colleagues with AAEA want you to succeed. Here are a few tips to help you as you strive for success in today’s workplace.
Continue to learn – in and out of the office. Be sure to stay up-to-date with news and information by reading. Whether you are reading the local newspaper, a variety of agricultural publications, news on the Internet or more, try to stay abreast of the latest news and advancements in agriculture. Having this knowledge will provide you some talking points for a variety of industry meetings or dinners where you are meeting new people and need to find something to talk about.
Become a member of professional development organizations. AAEA offers you a wide variety of educational opportunities through their newsletter, podcasts, webinars and more. By becoming a member, you can meet more individuals with common interests, learn from speakers, workshops and industry meetings, such as the annual Ag Media Summit. Also, look for a variety of organizations that may be local within your city or state to join. Don’t just join organizations to add to your resume! Look for ways you can be involved by joining committees, helping with events and more. The more you are involved, the more you will learn and grow!
So, you have landed that dream job but want to make a good first impression. You may think, the first impression at the job interview was all you needed to achieve, but in reality, you need to make a good first impression when you actually start the job. There may be co-workers who you didn’t meet during the interview, so be sure to maintain that excellent first impression as you meet and begin working with your new team.
There are a variety of jobs available. Some may be set up with an orientation program or training supervisor, while in other situations, you may be on your own and hired to manage your program area for the company or organization. You may only answer to the supervisor who hired you, but in most cases, you will be working with a team where everyone has a role. It’s important to be friendly to everyone, ask a lot of questions and take the time to learn from others.
Lastly, here are a few other quick tips to ensure success as you begin your career in agricultural communications.
- Be ready for anything on your first day.
- Remember names and retain personal information for conversation starters.
- Accept a lunch invitation from a co-worker.
- Mind your own business. Don’t be part of a clique or gossip.
- Create good time management skills at work from the start.
- Ask a lot of questions (most of the time).
- Accept constructive criticism.
If you are planning to attend the Ag Media Summit this summer, be sure to look for me or find me on Facebook. I would love to meet you and learn about your future career aspirations!
Joy Crosby currently serves as assistant executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission. Previously she served as director of communications for 21 years. Crosby is also editor of the Southeastern Peanut Farmer magazine which is distributed to peanut farmers throughout the Southeast.
Crosby currently serves as chair of the AAEA-ACN Awards Committee and co-chair of the Association Communications SIG. In the past she has served on the partner advisory, MarComm Awards, membership and digital taskforce committees. She has been the recipient of various awards related to writing, photography and design, as well as receiving the 2009 Andy Markwart Award.
She is a graduate of ABAC and the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in ag communications and a master’s degree in ag leadership. Crosby has served on the alumni boards for ABAC, University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Georgia FFA Alumni and the National FFA Alumni. In her spare time, Crosby manages her own photography and website design business. She is married to Charles and they have two children, Eli and Lauren.