Congratulations! You Got The Job!

By Ford R. Myers
President, Career Potential, LLC

Let’s assume that, after a long and arduous search, you’ve landed the job of your dreams! Whew, I’ll bet you’re glad that’s over! Now you can relax, cruise a while, and “rest on your laurels.” Right?

Wrong!

The fact is, your work is just beginning – but so is your “glory!”

Once you’re “on the job,” there are many career challenges still ahead, such as:

• Assimilating into your new position
• Aligning with new company’s business priorities and culture
• Establishing professional credibility and developing productive relationships
• Avoiding “blind spots,” leveraging assets and planning steps toward advancement
• Continuing to work with your Career Coach (if you have one) as your “partner in career success”
• Other vital strategies and tips include

Don’t forget to celebrate!

Landing your new job is certainly a wonderful cause for celebration. In fact, don’t forget to celebrate because you definitely deserve it after all your hard work!

After the celebration, write to your network of contacts letting them know about your new position and thanking them for their help. In turn, you should offer them help or guidance in a similar capacity, should they ever need it (and they will, eventually).

Proactively assimilate into your new position

The first several weeks in a new job are usually both exciting and filled with a certain amount of anxiety. The challenge of new tasks and responsibilities is stimulating, but perhaps also a bit overwhelming!

You may be used to being the “top dog” or expert, and now you’re the “new kid on the block.” Or, you may suddenly be the person who knows the least about some new technology, procedures, or “the way we do things around here.” Your new relationships and the unfamiliar organizational culture can also be a source of apprehension as you figure out how best to fit into your new environment.

During your career transition process, you’ve learned a lot about yourself; your strengths, your preferences, and how you’re “wired.” You’ve put in the hours and successfully hired your new employer. Well, the good news is that now is the time and here is the place to maximize the impact of your self-discovery process! Make all those elements you’ve identified work in your favor!

Your new job is a means for you to further develop your key strengths. Start by understanding what your boss’s priorities are and what the expectations are for your new position – and for your performance specifically. But before you rush to meet these priorities and expectations, be sure that you also understand the organization’s culture and style, and its way of doing things.

Learn from the past, build toward the future

You can increase your value to your new employer and your chances of success by answering the following questions:

• Do you have skill areas that you can improve as you perform your new job?
• If so, what do you need to learn in order to work more successfully?
• If you were previously laid-off or downsized, what could you do differently to make yourself more valuable in this job? Acquire new skills? Develop a better attitude toward extra work? Take more initiative?
• How will you follow the trends in the job market, especially in your field?
• Do you know where you want to be in one year, three years and five years?
• What can you do now to help you ultimately reach those goals?

The first 90 days make all the difference

Some experts believe you have 90 days in a new job to make your impact and create the permanent impression that people in the organization will have of you and your leadership capabilities. You’ll either “cut it” or not – in terms of garnering respect, visibility and credibility in your new position. The precedents you establish in the first 90 days will last for your entire tenure at that organization. So this “thumbprint” period is critically important to your long-term success.

It’s all about relationships

Establish positive relationships with your new colleagues and develop good communication habits to maintain those relationships. Be honest, open, friendly, reliable and clear. Pay close attention to the employer’s internal politics and culture, and align yourself in the most productive ways possible.

Develop a reputation for producing tangible results

Develop a reputation for producing tangible results and for keeping commitments. Immediately start a “success file” and track your accomplishments, contributions and the positive feedback you get from clients, managers and others. Always strive to do more!

Communicate, communicate, communicate – then “deliver the goods”

Communicate plans, progress and results to your superiors and your team. Become known for developing clear goals and completing projects on-time and on-budget.

Build your own in-house contact network

Cultivate good relationships with everyone – including the employees above and below your level at the company. Get to know people’s names. Reach out to the mail guy, the security guard, the IT guru, your manager’s Executive Assistant – everyone! You want friends in a 360-degree arc around you. Why? Simple – it makes working with these folks a lot more pleasant and productive. And remember that no one achieves great things at work “all by themselves.”

Review and fine-tune your job description with your manager

In addition to reviewing and revising your job description, make sure to also sit down during those first 90 days and create an Individual Development Plan for yourself and your role, which includes your short-, mid-, and long-term goals. This is critical so that you make sure that the job you landed becomes the job you love!

Maintain a healthy balance between your work and private life

Make sure that you don’t go overboard with enthusiasm for your new job. Family time, hobbies, and “recharging your batteries” are all part of your long-term professional effectiveness and success. Indeed, true success is largely about developing and maintaining “healthy balance.”