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clean of anything that does not present you in a mature and positive light. Fair or unfair, photos from nights out on the town in college can damage your reputation and prevent hiring managers from consid- ering your resume. Clean social media profiles of any information, be it photos, blog postings or musings on Twit- ter, that may leave companies questioning your judgment and maturity level, and think twice before posting any such information in the future. • Clean up your physical presence. Shoulder-length hair and a scruffy beard might have projected your desired image on campus, but such an image will rarely score you points in the business world. First impressions go a long way, and appearance can make or break a first impression. Even if a more conservative look is not your personal style, it's the style many com- panies prefer. Men should project a polished look, including a nice suit, while women should wear appropri- ate office attire and avoid going overboard with makeup and jewelry. • Do your homework. Just because college has ended doesn't mean first-time job seekers no longer have home- work. Research the industry you want to work in, staying abreast of the latest develop- ments and predictions as to where the industry is going and which companies figure to be leading the industry in the coming years. Research also should involve learning about companies you want to work for, and that research should be kicked into overdrive if and when you are granted a job interview. Hiring managers will be more impressed by candidates who demonstrate a knowledge of the industry and their companies than they would be a candidate with a high GPA but little industry knowledge. • Work free. Lounging around Mom and Dad's house waiting for the phone to ring won't stand out on a resume. If job offers are scarce, consider working free, offering your services to companies in your industry free of charge in an attempt to get your foot in the door. This may mean applying for an unpaid internship or simply writing hiring man- agers at certain companies and offering to come in a few days each week to get a feel for the industry and help in any way you can. Many professionals began their careers working for no money. This can ingra- tiate first-time job seekers with companies while provid- ing them valuable experience that can help them stand out in a crowded pool of applicants. 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • July 9, 2015 steps . . . from page 1 Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organiza- tions of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. Striking a balance between action, consensus building By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) & A Q A. Think evolution, not bulldoz- ers, while you build a business case for change. THE INNER GAME Look at it from your col- leagues' perspectives: "Here she comes, new to the role and push- ing her way through." Even in a non-consensus-driven organiza- tion, you'd likely shut people down and limit your effective- ness. If you don't buy it, observe some overly charged people in action, and notice the body lan- guage.You probably see crossed arms, averted gazes, even pushing away from the table to create distance. Do you get these types of reactions? How do you feel about that? Even though you want action, you probably don't want that type of personal responses to your style. Then consider your strong reaction to consensus. Since you're new to this team, you really haven't had a chance to see if it's an effective strategy or not. Consider whether you're letting prior experiences with other teams have too much influence. Move on to considering your team's goals. Are they clearly articulated? It's essential that you know what you're there to achieve. And it's also important that you be in accord about these goals; otherwise, you will not be able to send a clear mes- sage to your employees or your market. If you are not in align- ment (and everyone else is), give some serious thought to whether you are in the right place. On the other hand, stylistic differences can be very valuable, so if you're different in "how" but agree on your goals, you could offer positive disruption. Consider, for example, "missed opportunities." Those may be in the eyes of the beholder; howev- er, if you can make a fact-based case that the current decision- making protocol comes at a cost, you should be able to get some buy-in for change. Factors to include may be the length of time that elapsed between opportuni- ty and decision, and the final out- come - perhaps you lost a client or saw cost increases due to the delay. Also take into account the hours of staff time that go into a consensus decision. Perhaps having a group of senior people in hours of meetings is worth the cost, but keep their hourly rate in mind when you make that assessment. THE OUTER GAME There are some strategies you can try to influence the team style. Start with low-risk decisions and move to a more individually empowered approach. Give a person or subgroup authority, and then back them. If consensus has evolved as a defensive strate- gy in the face of a risk-averse cul- ture, this will show up - and will need to be addressed. Use a cost gauge to track the cost of each individual decision. Collectively develop some "constructive consensus" ground rules that catch wheel-spinning behavior and help you move for- ward. THE LAST WORD Just be sure to remain focused on your common goals and don't let impatience get the better of you. If you remain positive and respectful, you'll be much more apt to see the changes you seek. A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262-306-5008 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 17 • Number 43 July 9, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-542-6082 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Diane Stafford: Bad attitudes can sap workers' energy and productivity Jerks at work don't just get under your skin, they damage your job performance and ultimately hurt the bottom line. Gretchen Spreitzer, a busi- ness professor at the Universi- ty of Michigan, said her research shows difficult co- workers actually "de-energize" those around them. "They leave you feeling depleted, fatigued and exhausted," Spreitzer said in an interview. Her paper – titled "Destruc- tive De-energizing Relation- ships: How Thriving Buffers their Effect on Performance" and published in the Journal of Applied Psychology – was co-written with Alexandra Gerbasi and Andrew Parker of Grenoble Ecole de Man- agement, Christine L. Porath of Georgetown University and Rob Cross of the Univer- sity of Virginia. The researchers asked infor- mation technology employees at an engineering firm to eval- uate their relationships with each other, and then they looked at each employee's per- formance reviews, controlling for prior performance. They found the more a person had to interact with so-called de- energizers, the lower that person's own job performance. In a separate study, they see BAD ATTITUDES. . . page 6 By Brian Hyslop Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS) Q. I like decisive action; I just joined a leadership team that prefers consensus. From my point of view, this style leads to paralysis and missed opportunities. How can I get things moving?

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