America's Future Foundation | Professional Development

Distinguish Yourself: Get to the Point!

Roger Custer 02 November 2015 AFF, Career Advice, Elevator Pitch, interviews, Professional Development

Whether you are giving an elevator pitch, doing a job interview, tweeting, or answering a question, getting to the point is essential. In today’s fast-paced culture, people expect a quick

Distinguish Yourself: Use Time Wisely

Roger Custer 06 October 2015 AFF, Career Advice, organization, Professional Development, Time management

In economics, we discuss the allocation of scarce resources. Those discussions generally focus on guns and butter, labor and capital, or other economic-speak but don’t cover our personal resources. You

Distinguish Yourself: The Importance of Speaking Clearly

Roger Custer 10 August 2015 AFF, Career Advice, Communication, Professional Development, speaking clearly

Um, so, you know, um, I think…um, yes, this is a professional advice column about how you can distinguish yourself by speaking more clearly without using filler words. Most people,

Distinguish Yourself: Keep Reading

Roger Custer 14 July 2015 AFF, Career Advice, Professional Development, Reading

Education doesn’t end when you graduate from college. One way to distinguish yourself is to keep reading throughout your life. Morton Blackwell, president of the Leadership Institute, writes, “People who don’t

Avoid These Common Email Mistakes

Roger Custer 03 June 2015 AFF, Career Advice, Email etiquette, Email mistakes, networking, Professional Development

Email is today’s preferred method of communication. It often speeds delivery, simplifies projects, and saves money. However, there are common mistakes you can avoid by spending a few extra minutes

Does a Thank You Still Matter?

Laurel Buckley 15 April 2015 AFF, Professional Advice, Professional Development, thank you

The other day I got an email from my alma mater – a youngster was looking to come out to DC and wanted advice about looking for a job. Thrilled

How To Take Initiative for Career Networking

Roger Custer 01 April 2015 AFF, Career Advice, networking, Professional Development

I regularly meet job seekers and others who will search in the near future. Often they ask for help but are not specific or persistent, which causes missed opportunities. On

AFF Publishes 2014 Annual Report

Roger Custer 19 March 2015 AFF, networking, panels, Professional Development

Read about AFF’s record growth nationwide and how your support makes a difference. You can download your own PDF here, or make a gift here.

10 Things All Things Interns Should Know

Laurel Buckley 14 March 2015 AFF, Interns, Professional Development

I work in a nonprofit. And as an intern supervisor, there are certain things I assume all interns know when they start. And then there are some other things I

Skill Series: How to Moderate a Panel

Roger Custer 02 March 2015 AFF, networking, panels, Professional Development

AFF offers the opportunity to moderate a panel to younger members who have never done it before. Here is a step-by-step guide on the tacit knowledge involved in moderating a

Professional Development