Assert yourself! The crazy, hustle-bustle holiday season is approaching.  By learning how to occasionally say “no” and treating each other with respect, you can take control of the demands at work and home you are facing.   You must learn how to not fret over your own feelings of guilt, fears of rejection or possible repercussions.  You can still be helpful and considerate of others, but you must take care of yourself first.  Before you respond to someone, ask yourself, “What would make me most happy and fulfilled?”  Once you develop assertive communication skills, you will be able to effectively handle difficult people and awkward situations.

Aggressive Communication Looks Like This:

“This is what you’re going to do and you have no say in the matter.”  Too many dominating, overbearing behaviors surface and push people away or into submission.   The aggressive person lacks self-esteem and acts out of fear to control people and situations.  Unfortunately, most people get turned off and don’t want to be around this type of person because they are too disrespectful and demanding.
Passive Communication Looks Like This:
“Whatever you ask, I’ll do it whether I want to or not.”  Too many unwanted yes’s build up resentment and passive-aggressive behaviors can surface.  The passive person lacks self-worth and self-respect.  Unfortunately, the word of a passive person cannot be trusted because they are not open and honest about their feelings, needs or opinions.
Assertive Communication Looks Like This:
“I know that this is important to you. This is also important to me.  Let’s talk about some options that are fair to both of us.”  Respectful, healthy behaviors evolve. This healthy, mature style says, “I hear you. You matter, and I matter too.”
7 Tips to Say “No” and Assert Yourself Today

1. Become self-aware of your communication and behavior patterns.  What is consistently happening in your life? How do these patterns affect you?
2. Evaluate the reasons you feel the need to please or control everyone.
3. Realize the goal of assertive communication is to express your thoughts and boundaries while being direct, honest and respectful of others.
4. Realize it is necessary and okay to say “no” sometimes and to ask questions.
5. Example for Anyone: “I see why this is important to you.  I am unable to help this time.  Let’s try to figure out some other possible solutions that could work.”
6. Example for Boss: “This is what is on my plate right now.  Which one of these priorities would you prefer I remove to accommodate your request?”
7. Example for Anyone: “I’d love to join you but my schedule is already full that week.  Please keep me in mind the next time. Have fun.”

If you do not address your own unique needs, your frustrations will build, you will feel taken for granted and your performances and relationships will suffer.  As Dr. Phil says, “We teach people how to treat us.” It is up to you to face the fears and guilt you carry from your disease to please. Find your courage to change and grow.  When you stop feeling guilty and seeking approval of others, your days will be fueled by positive energy, confidence and self-respect.  You will feel empowered and in control of your life because you utilized your power of choice. You hold the power.  Enjoy the season and assert yourself today!

Candidates for professional and managerial positions tend to be part of a national or even international labor market. Large employers in particular are likely to cast as wide a net as possible to find top talent. A portion of the regional employers participating in the national/international competition for professional and managerial top talent report having difficulty attracting this talent to SWPA. Attracting and retaining young, diverse talent appears to be especially challenging.

This is why the RIC was created to help employers looking to recruit for all types of positions cast their net wider.

Small and mid-sized employers don’t always have the resources to recruit nationally for top talent. Being in an area that has advanced education grads nearby may be an advantage for them, but the employers’ connection to local colleges is often weak or non-existent.

This is why the RIC is here to help. Moreover, their hiring needs tend not to be as predictable as large employers and do not necessarily coincide with the recruiting season of local schools.  This is why internships are so valuable to build a top talent pool from which to hire so when you are ready to hire, you’ve built relationships, but also, you can hire your intern when you know you’ve found the right person.  Often employers will wait for the student to graduate.

In contrast, jobs requiring high school or technical degrees are filled primarily from the local labor market. Individuals in these positions are less likely to move for a job and more likely to have ties to the region. So if an employer cannot find an adequate number of job applicants with high school or technical degrees locally, it is likely to impede the employer’s operations. Building a solid core of this technical labor is critical to any region’s efforts to sustain and grow an industry cluster.

“Perceived lack of jobs, a negative image of the region, and a lack of diversity contribute to the difficulty some southwestern Pennsylvania employers have in attracting and retaining young professional talent to the region.”  By connecting students to employers, we help employers increase diversity, but we also help students connect to employers and a network to see that there truly are jobs here in the region.  The Interns Summer Program also connects students to the community outside of their internship to show them the many things to do here outside of work and internships–the region has lots to do for live, work and play.

The RIC is also sited as an solution to helping employers recruit talented in the PA Economy League report.  Many employers don’t recruit at volumes high enough to afford the price and time to recruit at large universities, so their companies go unknown to many students.