Tiffani Reneau Conner

I attribute my success to sheer determination and being in the right place at the right time. But honestly, networking has been huge for me. As an undergrad, I was incredibly, shy. All my friends were shy too, so that didn't help me. When I turned 25, I looked around and saw all these people who had graduated and were doing things, and I was just working customer service, not knowing what I wanted to do. I said to myself, 'Tiffany, being shy is not gonna get you anywhere. So, you're gonna have to get over it.' So I started focusing very much on talking to people, trying to meet them, trying to make small talk. It was a whole lot of trial and error, and basically open mouth, insert foot. I tripped over everything, always said the wrong thing, and people looked at me like I had two heads. But ever since I was 25, I worked on getting over being shy. I started being better when I was about 40, but it took me 15 years to get a little bit over the open mouth insert foot. I still do it on occasion, especially when I get nervous, but just putting myself out there and meeting people has made all the difference. In fact, the majority of my jobs and the majority of the opportunities have come from a recommendation and knowing someone.

The best career advice came from one of my dissertation committee members.

We were sitting in a coffee shop talking about my research topic. It was really detailed and involved. He looked at me and said, “Do you know how many people have ever asked me about my dissertation topic? … None. This is just a hoop, so get it done, graduate and use that idea as your research agenda.”

To me that was eye opening. It told me to not get mired in the mud and to keep moving forward.

You can follow your dreams in, many different fields. In every job I've had I found ways to be creative, such as through ideas or design, ways to contribute that felt good. Two, volunteer and network. For example, I volunteered for a local Arts Festival. Sometimes I sold stuff, sometimes I was the information person, and sometimes I ran programs and secured donors. The key is to just go do stuff, get to know people, you'll be amazed who knows who and working in a volunteer position gives you excellent character references- they have seen your work and spirit - it goes a long way! Just try something. It may not work, and you may not like it, but you can always get another job or go in a different direction.

One additional piece of advice. Too often people ask “what do you want to do with your life”. For someone like me who is still not sure what I want to do, that is an impossible question to answer. So for any person who is unable to answer that question, follow your curiosity, just take a chance on yourself. I have had many types of jobs from high school to now. By trying new things and following my curiosity, I discovered what I liked and what I didn't. I'm still curious and love a challenge because I always learn something, I always enjoy succeeding, and I know I'll have a great story to tell.

Fairness, teamwork, and collaboration are most important to me. I also believe strongly in taking responsibility for your own actions. I'm very willing to help anybody and offer training and suggestions.

I look for, and often find, people with potential to succeed. I like to hire and work with those people. I feel like I was given opportunities, and I want to pay that forward. If you look like you have the drive and the inclination, and I know you have some of the skill, I can teach you the other skills. I love to be a mentor, I love training people, because I see their growth.