Teja McDaniel

Let's be honest. Most individuals who read resumes, go through them at 120 mph, as they are not just reading yours. As I have written in my online book, How To Get A Job, you have 10 to 15 seconds to smack the reader on the nose professing, I'm relevant and really good at what I do. How? Spoon feed your reader. 1. Under your name and contact details, a heading of what you should be considered for: I.E. Sr. LEADERSHIP / ENTERPRISE SALES / SAAS / GLOBAL (If I am looking for a Director of Global SaaS Sales.. as the reader, I just hit the jackpot) 2. A short paragraph of: How Long, What Do You Do, For Whom, and What Makes You Special. 3. Up to 5 Bullet Points of Achievement: biggest deal, greatest impact, consistent performance, awards.

Show vs. Tell. In my online book How To Get A Job, I wrote about interview preparation, as so many job seekers wing it. Don’t! Prepare for an interview. This shows you are well organized vs. telling people you are organized: 1. Read, understand and evaluate your value add with the Job Description. 2. Research the company. What do they do? What’s important to them? If possible, find their mission statement and core values. 3. Research the background of those who are conducting the interview. 4. Create a list of potential questions you may be asked and write down answers. The responsibilities section of the JD is a great resource. 5. Listen to the question and answer directly. If I ask for the time, don’t tell me the history of the clock.

Any job is a job, if treated so and people will do what they need to do to get by. Why not have your organization be a career destination, with people flocking to join? If that sound appealing, how do you make it desirable. Understand what are the key motivators that inspire performance: 1. The joy of the job 2. The impact one makes 3. The potential at the organization Be an organization aimed at improving people's skills, recognizing their growth and achievements, praising their accomplishments, and encouraging and helping them when they struggle. That is a great start. Provide a career path and means to learn what they need to blossom. Have clear, easy to follow directions. Mentor people to be the best versions of themselves.

Why is the moral low? Before implementing a plan, understand the situation, the people and the why. While some organizations throw parties, have pool tables, and happy hours, those are all decorative items covering a bad situation, if the cause is not identified. As a leader, get to know your people by meeting with them one on one, if you can. Ask them the why. Listen to them. Be appreciative. It is shocking how many organizations act as if their decision-making leadership is located on the moon and mandating the use of suntan lotion, while their employees are dealing with a monsoon on Earth. Show that you care. Hear and remember what they said. Then do something about it. Many organizations spend time on surveys but fail to act.

Listening, Learning, and Leveraging. As a supervisor and leader, we can come into any situation with fantastic ideas, but become disappointed when our efforts seem to land on deaf ears. The truth is this, with time comes trust, and during that time get to understand your new environment and the people you will be working with. Hear from them directly their perspectives. They will be better partners and collaborators, if they see that you value their perspectives. You may have solutions to address needs, but most often they need to be customized. We need to take in information and adapt our solutions to directly impact the need. This is true with the people we lead, the peers we work with, the people we work for and the challenges we face.