Month: February 2020

Engage

Meet the ENGAGE team

Getting your first professional job as an adult can be challenging.

Our ENGAGE team is here to help transitioning students, military or young adults find connections in the MHK business community, making this experience easier. We have been reaching out to key individuals within the education, military and business world to see how we can connect with people earlier and provide opportunities to learn more about work opportunities.

In December 2019, we had the opportunity to hear from a career coach from K-State’s College of Business. Their team was very interested in how hype can provide avenues for growth for their students. The idea of staying in Manhattan is not always top of mind for graduates. Many businesses come to the University to recruit soon-to-be graduates and most are from outside of the state. Engaging more local and regional businesses is very exciting to students who want to stay close to home. Some opportunities we plan to explore include: direct marketing through college/department newsletters; advertising through Wildcat Link; participating in some career accelerator courses; offering more microinternships; and joining advisory boards. If you are passionate about creating opportunities early on for college students, contact us about getting involved.

An exploratory meeting with Janet Nichols from the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce resulted in some ideas for connecting with transitioning soldiers and spouses. Each week there are welcome events and socials happening on post. The ENGAGE team is working on a specialized group of volunteers to help support these activities. In 2017, the median age of individuals living on post was 22.3 years old. With over 750 employees working on post it is important we look at Fort Riley as a major employer and greet them with people they identify with.

Among recent high school graduates age 16 to 24, the college enrollment rate was 69.1% in 2018. Amount 20 to 29 years olds who received a bachelor’s degree in 2018, 72.3% were employed. That leaves a large amount of individuals not accounted for who ARE working without secondary education. The ENGAGE team is seeking ways to reach these individuals and show them that hype can be a resource for the business community, education seminars, and career networking. We plan to reach out to smaller colleges and educational entities as well as industry specific clubs and leadership organizations. Share your connections with our team, or tell us about how your career started so we can connect with more people like you.

Play

Play Events

Even though hYPe has recently undergone a facelift, the Manhattan YP organization has a long history of FUN!

We never lack opportunities to get together. We love to provide opportunities for people with similar interests to gather together! From our informal once a month gathering, Hooray Thursdays, to our larger events like YP Trivia and Aggieville Olympics, we want to create an atmosphere that is fun and easy to get to know your fellow young professionals.

This was an event where YPs gathered at the Tasting Room of Liquid Art Winery and enjoyed tasting their wines and ciders!

Every summer, we host the YP Aggieville Olympics. No, not drinking games! We visit different bars in Aggieville and compete in Minute to Win It style games at each location. This tends to be one of our most popular events each year, and it’s a great way to meet new people!

Don’t worry – skill is not required for any of these games! Competitiveness is all up to you and your team. If you just want to be a cheerleader, that is great!

The last Thursday of each month, we get together for Hooray Thursday because it’s the start of the weekend, ya know? Hooray! This is a totally casual event that has no formal program. It is a fun time to gather for a quick drink after work, mix and mingle with new people, and reconnect with old friends.

We’re looking forward to making even more photo-worthy memories at our events in 2020!

Play

Introducing: Play

If you are already a part of the Manhattan Young Professional organization we are glad to have you with us throughout our exciting changes and as we launch new opportunities. If you are new to our organization, we hope you will connect with one or all of our new programs! We know that joining an organization like this can be intimidating at first. However, it is our mission to help young professionals emerge into their community and meet new people along the way, all the while having fun!

Tara Grubb and Grace Stanfield chose to spearhead the social efforts of hYPe, not only due to their careers as event planners, but because Manhattan YP provided environments for each of them to meet new people and make friends when they needed it.

When Tara moved to Manhattan over eight years ago, she got involved with YP after attending a Business After Hours. She wanted a better opportunity to meet people her own age as well make business connections. She felt like it was a fast track to meeting a lot of people in one setting, and it allowed her to form friendships, as well as networking with others for the sake of her business.

Grace grew up in Manhattan, and when the time came to transition from her college life into “adulthood”, the Manhattan YP provided Grace with an opportunity to simply make new friends who were in the same season of life. In addition to opportunities to be around other business people in the community, Grace always looks forward to Hooray Thursday each month as a time to get together with others and catch up on life.

hYPe is going to provide young professionals with so many amazing opportunities – networking, professional development, philanthropic activities – the list goes on. But we also realize the importance of providing young professionals with the opportunity to simply make new friends.

We are so excited to bring some great, fun and family friendly programming to the young professionals community this year. We took time to get survey feedback from people who identify as young professionals. We wanted to make sure the programming we offered was what people truly wanted to see happen. From tailgating to axe throwing, the lineup for 2020 is exciting, and we hope to see you all there! We’d love to get together and have fun with you!

#LoveMHK

Philanthropy in Manhattan? What’s all the hype?

Post author By #LoveMHK Team
Post date February 21, 2020
No Comments on Philanthropy in Manhattan? What’s all the hype?

Philanthropy? Sounds like something you put on your resume back in 2011 to get into college (or something you wrote on your resume to cover up the fact that your community service was court ordered… MIPs, we’ve all been there! But what does that word mean for a young professional?

It doesn’t all have to be stabbing empty bags of fast food on the side of the road in an orange jumpsuit or letting screaming toddlers paint your face with sharpies in 1,000 degree heat. Seeking volunteer opportunities in your town as an adult gives you the chance to really support organizations that matter to you on YOUR schedule. Maybe you want to help take shelter dogs up to Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community for a therapy visit that benefits both our elderly residents and animals that need affection and interactions to help them adjust to their new adopted families. Or maybe you are looking to participate in a car wash or join an area cleanup day hosted by the LoveMHK Team. Maybe you want to join a board and give back to your community through service to an important non-profit in our area.

Manhattan Young Professionals resoundingly stated that they wanted MORE opportunities for civic engagement and volunteerism when reaching out to the Chamber to help grow the YP program. So, no matter how you envision your involvement, it is guaranteed that other Hype members have that same vision for themselves and will be there with you. Send us your ideas. Shout out on a facebook group to see if anyone else wants to join you in your quest to give back. Because when it comes to showing love for Manhattan, this group is definitely hyped!

#LoveMHK

Do you LoveMHK?

When the Hype Steering Committee first polled the membership about what type of events they wanted to see in their Young Professionals organization, we couldn’t believe the demand for programming that encouraged civic and service-minded engagement with the community. Young professionals really LOVE Manhattan! And they really want to show it by helping organizations that matter.

The #LoveMHK team was born of this outcry for more opportunities for philanthropy, civic opportunities and activities that celebrate what makes Manhattan such a wonderful place to work and live. The team has put together events to help young professionals give back, through planned area clean-ups and trips to the animal shelter. We are also helping guide our members to leadership opportunities in the community with a Board Member 101 Training Session next fall. Our members can also show their love for Manhattan by attending “A Trip to the Beach” next month to get involved with the local art scene.

Our team plans to help every Hype member celebrate their city with updates about volunteer opportunities as well as fun events that promote community engagement with local businesses and outdoor attractions, whether it’s gathering to walk the vendor strip at a Third Thursday on Poyntz or a trip to Wildwood for some ziplining. We want to keep everyone loving MHK!

Develop

Upcoming Event: How to negotiate salary

Post author By Develop Team
Post date February 18, 2020
No Comments on Upcoming Event: How to negotiate salary

Negotiating salary can feel like navigating treacherous territory. What if you don’t get what you ask for? What if sharpening your salary-negotiating skills could help land your next job? When do you negotiate salary in your current job? Take a few deep breaths and learn how to negotiate salary the right way.

A panel of participants will be discussing the how and when of negotiation, setting you up for success! Learn from some of the top HR professionals in the Manhattan area as they walk young professionals through negotiating during job offers, during performance management cycles and your upcoming promotion.

Additional details regarding this event will be announced soon. Be sure to keep an eye on our website; don’t miss an opportunity to learn how to navigate your next pay increase discussion.

Play

It’s time to emerge.

If you are already a part of the Manhattan Young Professionals organization, we are glad to have you with us as we make changes and launch new opportunities. If you are new to our organization, we hope you will connect with one or all of our new programs! Joining an organization like this can be intimidating at first. However, it is Hype’s mission to help young professionals emerge into their community and meet new people along the way, all while having fun!

Tara Grubb and Grace Stanfield chose to spearhead the social efforts of Hype, not only due to their careers as event planners but because Manhattan YPs provided environments for both of them to meet new people and make friends when they needed it.

When Tara moved to Manhattan over eight years ago, she got involved with YP after attending a Business After Hours. She wanted a better opportunity to meet people her own age as well as make business connections. She felt like it was a fast track to meeting a lot of people in one setting, and it allowed her to form friendships and network.

Grace grew up in Manhattan, and when the time came to transition from her college life into adulthood, the Manhattan YPs provided Grace with an opportunity to simply make new friends who were in the same season of life. In addition to the opportunities to network, Grace always looks forward to Hooray Thursday each month as a time to get together with others and catch up on life.

Hype’s new programming, which was heavily informed by feedback from YPs, will provide YPs with many great opportunities like networking, professional development, philanthropic activities and more, while also allowing YPs the opportunity to simply make new friends. From tailgating to axe throwing, the fun, family-friendly lineup for 2020 is exciting, and we hope to see you all there!

Develop

Personal Development vs Professional Development

Post author By Develop Team
Post date February 18, 2020
No Comments on Personal Development vs Professional Development

When people think of personal development and professional development, some may compare the two areas. Which one is more important? Professional development is personal development. Both are equally important. Both are equally important and you can apply growth in those areas to all aspects of your life.

Professional development allows individuals to enhance their skillset and improve performance in the workplace. Personal development focuses on skills to improve and boost life skills. The most effective and inspiring professionals and leaders are individuals who make personal development a priority and see it as an essential component of their professional excellence. One cannot exist without the other.

Whether it’s personal development or professional development, you don’t need to pick between the two. Personal development plans might have many aspects of professional development, too. Instead of seeing it as personal development vs professional development, consider them two sides of the same coin. You need to carry them both with you.

#LoveMHK

A Trip to the Beach

If you find yourself land-locked this spring break, worry not, Hype has the cure for your winter woes with A Trip to the Beach! Please join us on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. at the Beach Museum of Art for a gallery quest of their recent exhibits.

Ok, so you may not be traveling to an exotic destination, but how much “culture” did you really absorb at the swim-up bar in South Padre sophomore year? At the Beach Museum, you can soak up plenty of culture through their traveling exhibits and through a custom travel log they will prepare for each guest as a memento. And, hey, it’s Kansas, so you might even get to soak up a little sun if we get a surprise summer day mid-March! We plan to keep the spring break #goodvibes going with an after-party at the Bluemont Hotel for some live music in their cocktail lounge. Hopefully, the scheduled band knows the same five Bob Marley songs we all played on loop that one summer abroad in the islands.

Whether you love art or just need an excuse to give yourself a much-needed staycation for the night, please relax with us at the Beach. Sadly, shoes and shirts required.

Join the team!