EDI Staffing Monthly Newsletter: April
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Company News: A mentor's perspective…
Dean Anderson is our Vice President of Sales and has been with EDI Staffing for well over two decades. We consider him a mentor in the workplace.?When asked about his experience being a mentor in the workplace, this was his response:
"I started off with this company in recruiting and shifted very quickly to sales. It was evident to me very early on in life that Sales was the area I loved and wanted to grow. The idea of helping people and adding value to their busy and overwhelming lives appealed to me. Getting to take some of that burden off of them and provide a service that could help them is where I wanted to be.?So I never sought out being a mentor. I was willing to mentor whoever needed assistance or guidance, but I never had mentorship as a career goal.?
When I was placed in that position, I wouldn’t say it came naturally. But I’d say I always had the ability in me and never knew it. Sales came naturally to me, so I imagined being a mentor would as well. It’s easier to serve as a mentor when you have extreme confidence in what you do but also have an open mind to learn more as you go. That comes in all forms of learning. In the spirit of full transparency, I probably caught the right rhythm and process as a mentor after about a year or 18 months in the role.
I find being a mentor to be very rewarding, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy or I love every part of the role. There are always going to be hardships or picking up people when they fail. The hardest part is coming to the realization that no matter how much you expose someone to a successful process or transfer knowledge to them about a sales role, they may simply never be cut out for it. Those are the situations that are difficult. I’ve had a few of them in my years here as Vice President of Sales.?I find it easier, to be honest, and 100% transparent with that individual and let them know the solid attributes they do possess so they can use that information to go find a role that better suits them elsewhere.
But the truly rewarding part is seeing someone start to really thrive in a role to the point that they are not only succeeding but they actually like what they do every day.
I try to teach people on our team everything that I know that works successfully in this industry and also pass on information on industry trends that I see working for others in our business across the country. It’s my job to guide them on how to shift and sell something different as the times change. The best salespeople in the business are those that can adapt to change while also bringing some ideas to the table of their own. Ideas are great, but we all (myself included), need to know when to walk away from an idea if it truly doesn’t work well in our sales process.?
I think any business can benefit from having open-minded mentors on their team.?As long as a mentor is honest, has an open mind, and is willing to help others while also transferring their knowledge of the years they’ve had success in the business, it will always help the company. Honesty is necessary to have a decent dialogue and for all to grow. It’s necessary because this honesty transfers to how you handle your clients. Being transparent creates trust and value for your customers, where your clients eventually become your friends and stay with you for years. The open mind comes in as a crucial point when learning new things and trends in the industry. I tell anyone that I train that I know what works well in this business. But that doesn’t mean I’m not open to new ideas. I suggest they bring those ideas to me and I’ll consider them or even try them out in the sales process for a while to see if they’re effective.?
We often need to get out of our comfort zones to find real growth.
The willingness is important to always do what is best for the company while also creating value for the client. Always be willing to go the extra mile for someone and also pay it forward when you can. The act of giving your time is so important in life as well as the act of truly listening. I’ve learned over the years, that I can’t solve everyone’s issues. However, I can fully listen to them and hear out their problem. If I truly listen to them and feel their pain points, two things can happen. I can help solve their problem with what our service provides or I can introduce them to another company or colleague that I know can solve their problem better than me. This is what I meant by paying it forward. Always be bringing value to the client whether that means you get the business or not. It’s the right thing to do. It took me quite a few years in this business to come to that truth. So I pass that on to whom I mentor because it builds the best relationships one can find. Relationships are built on honesty and trust.
My mentor has been and always will be my father. He owned his own company for many years and he was the most honest businessman I’ve ever known. His customers always got the truth from him whether they chose to work with him or not. His ethics in business were second to none and he based his life and career on those principles. He also was extremely efficient in managing money and knowing where every dollar went while also volunteering his time and money to philanthropic causes.?I’m lucky to have been raised by this man and he laid the groundwork for how I carry myself in business now and in the future.?
I’m grateful to have become a mentor both in business and in my personal life. It is so important to pass on what we know to help others coming up behind us in life. However, it’s even more important to keep learning and to keep growing ourselves. Be honest. Be Kind. If you put the work in, the rewards will come and you’ll get to help so many people along the way. Helping others brings humility, creates empathy, and changes your perspective in so many ways. I feel everyone has some specific knowledge that they acquired along the way that they can now transfer to someone else in life. What we've learned through our experiences can truly help others. In some aspects, I think everyone can and should be a mentor to make the world a better place."
– Dean Anderson, VP of Sales at EDI Staffing
Read about more of the benefits of mentors in the workplace in our recent blog here.
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Helpful Tips: 5 Red flags to avoid on your resume...
?? Lack of supporting details. Don’t just list your experiences, explain what your tasks were with keywords that correspond to the company’s job description. In addition, mention your accomplishments with numbers that measure your success.
?? Poor spelling and grammar. Your attention to grammar reflects your attention to detail. When an employer is deciding between your resume and someone else’s, a lack of fluency could be the deal-breaker. Avoid minor mistakes by going beyond your basic spell check and get another pair of eyes to help you revise your resume.?
?? Too many pages. Your resume should be 1-2 pages of relevant job experience. Your resume should rarely exceed 2 pages. Shoot for quality rather than quantity, including only the most important and pertinent details. Prioritize information that supports you being a qualified candidate for this specific role.?
?? Lying. Whether it’s about your experiences, your skills, or your previous terminations, do NOT lie. Hiring managers often run background checks and screenings to uncover embellishments like these. If they catch you, they’ll deem you dishonest and potentially disqualify you as a prospect for other jobs within the organization.?
?? Difficult to read. Keep your formatting simple. Choose a plain font and separate your resume into sections. Don’t worry about color or pizazz, let the content do the shining. Highlight information on your resume effectively to help managers read it quickly and clearly. Proper formatting shows your ability to be organized, a quality that all hiring managers look for in a candidate.?
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