When I began working as an Acquisition Specialist at Virtucom Group, it was easy for me to pick up the sense of how important team work is to this company. Every person involved must work together to ensure each product has the best content possible -- in short, we all need to strive to be the MVP. Acquisition, often referred to as procurement, is the first stage that a product has to work its way through, which means that communication is key for specialists like me. Below are 5 simple practices that I live by everyday when I come to work to better myself as a team player.
Communication: Make Sure Everyone is on the Same Page, Literally
All the information that is used to build incredible content comes through the acquisition stage first. It is our job to compile valuable source material. However, even though there are specific rules, there are also exceptions. It is crucial that these unique exceptions are translated to each additional member who will be working on that specific task. Everyone needs to be on the same page. We accomplish this by carefully documenting our strategies and working to understand any idiosyncrasies that exist between clients. This way it's easy to pass alone information and ensure that everyone is armed with the same knowledge.
Listening: And if You Don’t Understand, Ask!
Throughout your time at any work place, you’re going to ask questions, and probably a lot of them. Listen to the answers, write them down, make memos and do whatever you have to do to remember them. Chances are these questions will pop up again at some point, and now you should be fully equipped to answer them on your own. Don’t understand something once it’s been explained? Ask! Your team is an amazing resource, so make sure you take full advantage of its knowledge base!
Patience: It’s a Virtue
E-mails are constantly arriving your inbox, the phone is ringing off the hook, stacks of paperwork are piling up on your desk, and you are still waiting on that one task from last week. Be patient and respect everyone's schedule as much as you can. It’s important to be great at time managing in a field that is constantly fast paced. How can you be patient while still getting what you need fast? Send a friendly email reminder and see if there is anything you can do to help move the process along. Patience and a good attitude promote fast results.
Take Notes: The More Sticky Notes the Better…Well, Maybe
Acquisition can get extremely complicated, and there are still instances where I wished I wrote better or more extensive notes (yes, this includes the obnoxious amounts of sticky notes and notebooks on my desk). You can never write too much. By writing things down, you can remind yourself of what you did in past situations and get back to business quickly. These notes will be beneficial in the future not only for you, but in creating documentation for the whole team.
Go Above and Beyond: Don’t Wait to be Asked
As busy as acquisition can get, we have our down time as well. But don’t take this for granted. Use this time to get ahead of the game. Make documentation for future acquisition specialists, so that they will have an up-to-date handbook for guidance. Reach out to others and see if there is anything they need your assistance on. Get yourself organized so that when the next busy time comes, you will be ready to hit the ground running. Brainstorm ways that will benefit the acquisition process. The more productive thinking you do, the better it will be in the long run. Not only are you helping future employees and yourself, but you’re helping your managers by keeping up-to-date documentation.
Have any other useful teamwork tips you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear from you! To keep up with Virtucom Group, you can check us out on LinkedIn or visit our Instagram profile.
About Virtucom Group
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