Description
When you’re new to the workforce, ambition and talent aren’t enough-getting on the fast track to success requires much more. If you’re a recent college graduate or new hire, Effective Immediately shows you how to excel at your first job and jump-start your career. As an up-and-coming professional, you’ll learn how to transform yourself from entry-level employee into skilled, invaluable all-star during your first year on the job. Accomplished young professional Emily Bennington and her mentor, seasoned manager Skip Lineberg, empower you to: Establish yourself as a top performer from day one Use every task-even grunt work-as an opportunity to shine Earn the respect of your boss, colleagues, and clients Cope with conflict, mistakes, and toxic coworkers Land key assignments and gain greater responsibility Manage projects and lead teams like a pro Packed with practical advice, useful resources, and wisdom from former newbies, this savvy hand-book gives you the tools, knowledge, and confidence you need to reach your highest potential. A protge and her mentor, Emily Bennington and Skip Lineberg help recent graduates bridge the gap between college and the workforce. Motivated by the premise that free coffee shouldn’t be the sole highlight of a newbie’s workday, Emily and Skip regularly host seminars on career success. Both authors live in Charleston, West Virginia. During her first years in the workforce, Emily Bennington helped manage a successful Supreme Court Justice race and became the spokesperson for a business that was under intense public scrutiny. After navigating such sink-or-swim experiences with the guidance of her first boss, Skip Lineberg, Emily discovered that not all graduates are blessed with great mentors. Today she is a frequent speaker at universities and organizations on the topic of career success, particularly advancing the skills of young women in the workplace and volunteering as a means of leadership development. Emily also teaches a graduate course on social media and hosts a popular career blog at www.ProfessionalStudio365.com. She is a member of the CAREEREALISM team of career experts and contributes regularly to business publications and blogs on professional development issues. As a career newbie, Skip Lineberg learned the art of successful management at General Electric during the Jack Welch heyday. Today he applies those skills as the owner of Maple Creative, a marketing firm staffed with more than a few young professionals. Under Skip’s leadership, Maple has grown into a thriving business and garnered dozens of prestigious awards. Skip also hosts Maple’s Marketing Genius blog, which AdvertisingAge magazine named one of the 150 most influential business blogs on the Web. CONTENTS Acknowledgments . . . xii Introduction . . . 1 A Contract between You and ber-You . . . 3 Part One Get It Right, Right Out of the Gate . . . 5 1 / Conquer Your First Day . . . 6 Newbie to Newbie . . . 9 2 / Have Patience . . . 10 3 / Mind Your -Ilities . . . 11 4 / Prepare for the Brain Dump . . . 12 5 / Dont Expect a Lot of Hand-Holding . . . 14 6 / What You Need to Know in the First Few Weeks . . . 15 7 / A Crash Course in Professional Etiquette . . . 17 8 / Ace Your First Meetings . . . 20 9 / The Trick to Taking Notes . . . 22 10 / Get the Worm . . . 24 11 / Gen What? . . . 25 Newbie to Newbie . . . 27 12 / Put on Your Game Face . . . 28 13 / Write Makes Might . . . 29 14 / Never Be Afraid to Say I Dont Know . . . 32 15 / The Ultimate Workplace Accessory . . . 33 16 / Say Good-Bye to Casual Friday . . . 34 17 / Buy (and Display) These Books . . . 35 18 / Do More Than Youre Paid For . . . 36 19 / You Put Your What on Facebook? . . . 37 20 / Dining al Desko . . . 39 21 / Flirting at Work: Yes, No, Maybe? . . . 41 Newbie to Newbie . . . 43 22 / Writing a Self-Memo . . . 44 23 / Above All, Care . . . 46 Part Two Score Major-League Points When Youre Still a Rookie . . . 47 24 / One Thing You Should Do Every Friday . . . 48 25 / Beware of Circle Talkers . . . 51 26 / Join Toastmasters . . . 52 27 / Thirteen Ways to Raise Your Profile . . . 54 Newbie to Newbie . . . 59 28 / Turn Grunt Work into Great Work . . . 60 29 / A Note about Thank-You Notes . . . 61 30 / Make Your Work Look Like a Million Bucks . . . 64 31 / Do Feared Things First . . . 66 32 / Dont Get Caught Up in Downtime . . . 67 33 / Take the Blame and Move On . . . 68 34 / Dont Let Your Emotions Hold You Back . . . 70 Newbie to Newbie . . . 71 35 / Toot Your Own Horn without Looking Like a Jerk . . . 72 36 / Keep Your Deadlines Realistic . . . 73 37 / Read Ravenously . . . 74 38 / Dont Miss Your Industrys Best Conferences . . . 75 Part Three Earn Unbridled Respect from Your Boss, Colleagues, and Clients . . . 77 39 / To Get People to Like You, Like Them . . . 78 40 / Seven Life Lessons in Fifty Words . . . 79 41 / How to Make Your Boss and Coworkers Hate You . . . 80 Newbie to Newbie . . . 81 42 / Embrace Adversity . . . 82 43 / Never Send a Nastygram . . . 84 Newbie to Newbie . . . 87 44 / The Blatant Change of Topic . . . 88 45 / When to Confront a Colleague . . . 91 46 / How to Deal with Difficult Clients . . . 92 47 / How to Handle Conflicts with Clients . . . 94 48 / Protect Yourself against Cynics and Complainers Disease . . . 97 49 / Dont Be the Slug . . . 98 50 / Ten Things Coworkers Want You to Say . . . 100 51 / If Coworkers Are Avoiding You, It Could Be Because . . . 101 Newbie to Newbie . . . 103 52 / Have a Nice Day . . . 104 53 / What to Do When Personal Tragedy Hits . . . 105 54 / How to Handle Your Boss . . . 107 55 / Things Bosses Love . . . 109 56 / Cope withand AvoidWorkload Overload . . . 113 57 / Midpoint Check-In . . . 119 Part Four Build Career Mojo . . . 121 58 / How to Land Key Projects . . . 122 59 / Expect to Be Backstabbed . . . 124 60 / How to Lead Your Own Meetings . . . 127 61 / The Best Way to Follow Up After a Meeting . . . 131 62 / How to Minimize Unnecessary Meetings . . . 132 Newbie to Newbie . . . 134 63 / How to Write a First-Class Article . . . 135 64 / How to Create a Work Plan . . . 138 65 / How to Create a Timeline . . . 140 66 / How to Create a Budget . . . 142 67 / Mega Project Management . . . 145 68 / Dont Stop at No . . . 154 69 / You Will Never Be Completely Caught Up . . . 157 70 / Plot Your Next Move . . . 158 Newbie to Newbie . . . 161 Part Five Develop a Killer Edge . . . 163 71 / You Are CEO of Y.O.U. . . . 164 72 / Specialize! . . . 167 73 / Find Your Inner Gene Kelly . . . 168 74 / Make Time for Your Power Hour . . . 170 75 / Cluttered Desk = Cluttered Mind . . . 171 76 / How to Obtain Real Business Insight . . . 172 77 / Connect the Dots . . . 176 78 / Become a Student of the World . . . 178 Newbie to Newbie . . . 179 79 / Seriously Grow Your Network . . . 181 Part Six Become a Skilled, Nontoxic Leader . . . 185 80 / Youll Never Lead People Who Dont Respect You . . . 186 81 / The Leadership Test . . . 187 82 / Avoid Decision Making by Committee . . . 189 83 / Share the Spotlight . . . 190 84 / Let People Learn for Themselves . . . 191 85 / Be Strict about Deadlines . . . 192 86 / Give Back . . . 193 87 / Exit Gracefully . . . 194 Newbie to Newbie . . . 197 88 / Final Self-Assessment . . . 199 Epilogue . . . 200 Index . . . 202 About the Authors . . . 207 About College Summit . . . 209
