Starting A New Job In A Week

How To Succeed In Your New Role In Seven Simple Steps

Christine Harvey

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781473609358
• eBook ISBN: 9781471801136
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

Succeeding in your new job just got easier
Why is it that we don't learn at school some of the most important things we'll need for life? These are things like how to succeed in relationships, how to read a contract for buying a home - and how to start a new job successfully. These are things we eventually glean from other people, through observation or through trial and error. The purpose of this book is to cut out the trial and error and to give you the experiences of highly successful people so that you can succeed now.This book covers the essential ingredients you'll need for succeeding in your new job. They include:
- Preparing before you start
- Handling day one with ease
- Having great success with your boss and colleagues
- Using the right attitudes (ones that get you promoted not demoted)
- Planning your leadership future by halting failure
- Promoting loyalty and leading change
- Succeeding as a leader (handling difficult situations head on)
- Reaching your goals with proper monitors and controlsKeep pen and paper to hand as you read each day's chapter so that you can make notes when prompted. Your notes will build up into a useful set of prompts for you as youmake your mark in the new job.

Do you ever wonder why some people get promoted while others don’t? This happens even when they have the same background and education. Often there are attitude issues that hold people back – and often they are unaware of them.

Conversely, having winning attitudes can reduce stress and increase your chances of success and promotion.

Today you will learn how to rate yourself in the ten key areas of attitude that could propel your career or hold you back. Then you will find out how to focus on improvements where necessary. These attitudes are:

• your openness to suggestions

• how you view your importance to your company’s success

• your motivation to do what needs to be done

• your willingness to train yourself

• how you deal with authority

• your honesty and integrity

• your level of self-control

• your attitude to fear and intimidation

• your level of arrogance

• your view of back-stabbing.

Test your attitudes

Whether you are just starting out or aspiring to senior management, your attitudes are always going to be of paramount importance. While your education, skills and abilities are all clearly valuable assets, your career will be severely limited if your attitudes are not top-notch.

Let’s start with a self-assessment. Rate yourself in the following areas before you read on. Then read ahead and see what tips you can pick up from the expert advice of managers and business owners. By examining these areas of your personality and improving them where necessary, you will be able to start off on the right foot and increase your chances of career promotion and satisfaction.

On a scale of 1–10, assess your answers to the following questions and check whether you think there is room for improvement:

• Are you open to suggestions from others?

• Do you consider yourself vital to your company’s success?

• Are you willing to do what needs to be done?

• Do you have a ‘train yourself’ attitude?

• Do you have a positive attitude towards authority?

• Are honesty and integrity important to you?

• Is your level of self-control high?

• Do you handle fear and intimidation well?

• Do you try to show respect rather than arrogance?

• Do you reject back-stabbing?

Keep your ratings in mind as you read ahead and plan ways to increase them.

Are you open to suggestions from others?

Elizabeth Carter was managing director of several successful businesses with international clients. When she hired Roger, she had high expectations. He appeared professional and had experience in preparing bids, which was to be his job. All looked rosy in the beginning. She didn’t micro-manage; after all, he was a professional. However, after a few months, things looked less optimistic. When they had won only one bid instead of the dozen her company had expected, she spoke with him about it. His reaction was one of push back.

After seeing his presentations and bids, she realized that he had no understanding of sales or how to present the benefits of their services. When she tried to advise him, his attitude was one of arrogance rather than being open to suggestions. Before long, he was fired. ‘It’s a pity,’ she said. ‘Had he been open to suggestions, open to understanding the sales process, or had he even read a book about sales, he would still be here today.’

Contrast that to the attitude of Sharon, one of Elizabeth’s best employees. Sharon was hired as a personal assistant and quickly moved up the ranks. She was always on the lookout for ways she could contribute. When her assignments were finished, she would ask, ‘How else can I help?’

‘She was always willing to change things to get them right, no matter how many versions of reports were necessary,’ says Elizabeth. Compare that to Rog...

Table of contents

• Cover 
• Title
• About the Author
• Contents 
• Introduction
• Sunday: What to do before you start
• Monday: Handling day one with ease
• Tuesday: Succeeding with your boss
• Wednesday: The ten attitudes that can get you promoted
• Thursday: When you’re hired to lead
• Friday: Leadership dos and don’ts
• Saturday: Reaching your goals
• 7 × 7
• Answers
• Copyright