Accentuate the Positive!

“They seem to be charmed by my Southern accent.” ~Actress Cleo Moore

A very wise Southern Belle once told me that you can get away with saying anything about anyone by tacking the phrase, “Bless your heart” on the end. For example, “You just must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, bless your heart!” could translate to “You are being such a [insert favorite expletive here].”

Now, I’m not suggesting that your interview technique should literally include frequent use of “bless your heart,” but it is an interesting illustration of the power of positive language over negative. It is a subtle thing, and one that your listener may not even notice overtly, but training yourself away from negative words can make your written and spoken communications sound brighter, more enthusiastic and more constructive.

Some examples: “I don’t know anything about tax law, “ vs. “I am looking forward to learning about tax law.” OR “I hate potatoes,” vs. “I prefer rice as a side dish” OR “This building is so ugly,” vs. “There is some real potential for renovation here!”

Some words to train yourself away from:
No, Not, any word with n’t
Negative adjectives, like bad, ugly, horrible, etc.
Negative verbs like hate, dislike, oppose, fight, etc.

Try it sometime! Whether it’s in a cover letter, interview, networking situation, negotiation, professional meeting or even an argument with a friend, you’ll see that it works like magic. And if you find it too challenging to manage, then bless your heart.

Dr. Strangelaw or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Law School

“Pride is a personal commitment. It is an attitude that separates excellence from mediocrity.” ~Unknown

This spring, amid all the rankings-rancor, a Facebook group popped up called Proud to be a UB Law Student! Today it has 146 members. In the midst of a situation that many used as an excuse to gripe in public forum (they bit off their noses to spite their faces, you know), these 146 stood up and spoke for all that is great and wonderful about our school. Bravo to them!

I don't understand those people who decided to use the WSJ blog to air all their pent up law school frustration! If you find good things to say to the world about UB Law, you make yourself look better, too. I’m not trying to be Big Brother, saying that people can’t voice opinions and give criticism. Our Ideas Day was a fantastic outlet for all kinds of feedback, positive, negative and innovative. Everyone complains about stuff in school, especially in a discipline that trains you to think critically. I wish everyone would also just think critically about their audience, and the impression they’re giving...that they would find sensible outlets for all their comments. Don’t you think that being at a school with really amazing Vault-survey student comments is going to be better than being at a school with snarky ones?

Since this is a career blog, let me tie this all in with interviewing and networking. In the real world, it boils down to this. Browse the Law School website—look at all the great stuff that goes on here. Make that part of your interview and networking material. Want an example of how to do that? Our own Vice Dean Alan Carrel recently addressed a reunion luncheon. I’m not a fan of rankings, but Dean Carrel would rank #1 if we measured pride among UB Law Alumni. Here is a link to his speech. I hope you will take the time to read it, not only for its content, but also because it is an ideal example of how a proud alumnus talks about UB Law.

So here’s my takeaway. Join the UB Believers. Be proud. Be proud as heck. Not just of your law school, but of your college, your high school, or any other group that you may represent. They had a part in getting you to where you are today. But remember that the relationship is symbiotic. A school only looks as good as the person representing it at that moment. The reputation of any school lives and dies by the actions and character of its students and graduates. You are our ambassador forever. You have the power to move the school forward, or hold it back, just by how you perform, behave, speak. If you excel in your summer job, your employer will come back to hire students again. If you burn bridges, you have potentially burned them for years of students to follow you. You, yes YOU. One person can make a difference.

Life After buffalo.edu...

"The moving cursor writes, and having written, blinks on." ~Dave Barry

Guilt. It's the main reason we fall out of touch. Maybe you have a friend from college that you forgot to email back...three years ago. Now it's just awkward. Or, you haven't had time to keep in touch with that professor who wrote your recommendation for law school, and now you'd like to ask her advice again.

Soon, you will have the perfect excuse to send that procrastinated email! Several people have asked me what happens to the buffalo.edu email addresses after graduation. The CIT help desk informs me that they will still be active for six months, and will continue to forward to a new address for another six months. You can also sign up for a free lifetime forwarding address through the UB Alumni Association. There's a pretty clear explanation of the policy here.

The bottom line is that you will have a year to phase out your buffalo.edu address. It's great excuse to recontact old friends, family, professional contacts, and even pending job applications. "Here's my new email address," can be a wonderful ice-breaker to rekindle all kinds of communications! I think you'll find the guilt was unwarranted, and that people will be delighted to hear from you.