Career Corner: Are you a star?
You might not want to admit it, but either you are a star on the job, or you'd like to be one. Star employees get things done. They recognize opportunities, develop plans, get the right help, get excited about what needs to be done and lead the team. If you haven't thought about how to become a star, now's the time.
A star budget analyst meets impossible deadlines and creates beautiful spreadsheets. A star assistant secretary reads his or her boss's mind and solves problems before they happen. A star program manager changes direction fast to meet customer needs. A star contracting specialist buys high-quality products at the best prices, while keeping the vendors happy.
Besides being admired, respected and well-liked, a star gets new projects and promotions, because people want high performers on their team. They know that good ideas, cooperation, leadership, innovation and creativity are the keys to success.
To learn how to become a star employee, start by reading Working with Emotional Intelligence (Bantam Books) by Daniel Goleman. In the book, you will learn about the third dimension of high-performing people.
That third dimension, emotional intelligence, is more important to success than IQ or expertise, Goleman contends. Emotional intelligence includes attributes like self-control, optimism, self-motivation and friendliness.
I've always known there was something other than experience and education that got some people jobs and interviews, while other equally-qualified people received no attention at all. It was their emotional intelligence - their star qualities! A person, no matter how well-educated, who doesn't listen, doesn't care and doesn't cooperate cannot be a star. You can develop higher emotional intelligence if you want to and you really put your mind to it. But it takes some hard self-analysis.
What other qualities do stars possess? I'd like to hear your ideas. Write me at resume@ari.net.
Next week I'll write about turning your star qualities into a great federal resume.
Kathryn Kraemer Troutman has been the president of The Resume Place, Inc. for 27 years. Kathryn helps people get promoted and change jobs. She is the pioneer designer of the new "federal resume." She wrote and published the first book on federal resume writing and is a popular resume writing workshop leader in government.
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The Resume Place is a full-service job search center specializing in writing, editing and designing custom personal marketing materials, including various resume formats: Federal (including KSAs and ECQs), Resumix, Private Industry, Career Change, Marketing, and Executive Portfolios. President Kathryn Troutman has written four books on resume writing, is an expert resume-writing trainer, and is webmaster for the popular Web site: www.resume-place.com.
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