You’ve Accepted the Offer – Now What?

Posted by on Mar 13, 2012 in Articles

I have seen, time and time again where the candidate of choice has accepted the offer, and enters on their first day with the drive and passion to change the company and in many cases, this has proven to get them off to a very rocky start.

The guidelines below will help you in identifying a strategic approach to demonstrating your value, while also building effective alliances internally within your first 30 days of employment.

1.  Be Prepared

  • Remember that you were not hired to warm a chair.  You are being hired to address and correct certain pain-points that the company may be experiencing, and you will likely be stepping into a situation that needs to be fixed.  They need you.
  • Don’t be shocked by the reality of the challenges that you will face.
  • Embrace every challenge as an opportunity to succeed.

 

2. Develop a Strategic Plan

  • Make Introductions
  • Be a self-starter who takes initiative.
  • Meet the company team leaders to gather their perspective of the company, the products and their services.  If done properly, this will allow you an opportunity to create long-term value and stability in the company.
  • If necessary, travel to meet existing clientele to facilitate and manage any transition or knowledge transfer that may be necessary.
  • Become a leading and respected authority to help drive the goals and aspirations of the company.

 

3. Establish Trust with your Peers, Colleagues and Clients

  • Share Expectations
  • Understand the executive teams vision for the future, and embrace their immediate expectations to create synergy in goal setting and objective management.
  • Examine the existing opportunities within the company and its client base and uncover the client’s expectations for the future.
  • Investigate and fully understand the revenue goals as determined by the executive leadership team.
  • Develop best practices and understand the current customer needs, expectations and service level agreements.
  • Share Methodology and Identify Resources
  • Identify existing client relationships with management team to create a plan for maximizing on-going, trusted referrals.
  • Locate and study existing marketing collateral; create useful branding techniques for use in presentations.
  • Understand the marketing structure of the company and how the organization creates brand awareness in the marketplace today.
  • Know the difference between confidence and arrogance
  • People are more likely to respect a confident leader that they can trust!

 

4. Keep your Mouth Closed and your Ears Open

  • Spend time with your new boss, but don’t camp out in his/her office!  It’s critical that you use this person as a resource, not a crutch.
  • Stay Advised and Informed
  • Consider some sort of effective networking or continuing education in order to remain on the front lines as a valuable resource to the company and your market discipline
  • Always be mindful of the direction of the company and it’s product line.
  • Do not get Involved in Petty Corporate Politics
  • If you have a respectable title, you will suddenly become everyone’s best friend and people will want to talk to you.
  • Don’t invest your personal emotions into decisions or behavioral patterns of your team or corporate leadership.
  • Remember that this is all about business and nothing is personal.

 

5. Don’t Swing for the Fences on Your First Day

  • Create Buy-In, Set Priorities
  • Partner with the management team to create attainable goals and targets for success.
  • Memorize and fully understand the mission of the company and embrace it to create a shared vision and focus for the future.
  • Prioritize existing projects and activity based on profitability and resources.
  • Reiterate management’s vision for the future and share your goals and objectives with the staff to create solid partnerships with in the organization.

 

6. Keep it Simple – Get it Done

  • Delivery & Deployment
  • Partner with the management team to identify, embrace and support the corporate “hot spots” and develop your team to live-out the company’s model and philosophies.
  • Engage with clients to develop a philosophy and expectation of being their premier cost effective solution provider.
  • Be yourself and don’t try to over-impress anyone.

 

Remember that you were hired because you are the right person to help drive the company towards success in revenues and market share.  Being able to “do the job” is easiest if you are the right person to fit within their corporate culture and professional environment.  Enjoy your job, embrace change, and remember that a challenge is nothing more than an opportunity to succeed!

 

Go Get’em!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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