Step One, Step Two…

How well do you follow instructions? I was on a grant proposal review committee for a local foundation, reviewing letters of intent for the distribution of about $500,000 in federal stimulus monies. It was an eye opening experience.

It’s not just a cliché to say that we wish we could have funded them all. But that said, one of the biggest distinctions between those we passed to the next round and others we did not was their ability to follow instructions. Those that “passed” gave us what we needed exactly per the instructions provided — the same instructions that were on papers they received and in the mandatory seminar they attended.

Well, at least one career move here is that if you want to have a career in proposal writing, learn to follow instructions! But beyond the obvious, the real career point is to ask yourself, how well do I follow instructions? Following instructions does not squelch creativity, nor hamper your ability to show what’s unique in you. But it does tell someone that you meet the minimum requirements so that you can be passed along to the next level.

So when you’re asked to send samples of your work, send the samples. When you’re told not to call, don’t call. And when you’re asked to put in specific information into your next proposal -— put it in. You might just get the money and the job!