Job Success in 90 Days

Navigating a Successful Job Transition

Cheryl Gowdie

• Publisher: Total Publishing
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781633021112
• Topic: Desarrollo personal
• Subtopic: Superación personal

Job Success in 90 Days: Navigating a Successful Job Transition will provide you with insights, skills and confidence to navigate a successful job transition, ideally within the first 90 days. As you move through the chapters you will observe the unfolding of our intentional transition strategy.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

PART A

1. Sink or Swim

2. Setting up Yourself For a Successful Job Transition

PART B

3. Potential Barriers to Your Success

3.1 Change and your response to change

3.2 Influence of mindset

3.3 Inability to relinquish links with previous employer / manager

3.4 Company culture

3.5 Your expectations

3.6 Access to information

PART C

4. Overview of Your First 90 Days

5. Phase 1 (0-30 days): Observe, Learn and Connect

6. Phase 2 (31-60 days): Strategise and Evolve Your Plan

7. Phase 3 (61-90 days): Execute, Execute, Execute

PART D

8. Assumptions That Should Inform Your Transition

8.1 Difference in organisational structure

8.2 You are under the microscope

8.3 You are in transition and will experience frustrations

8.4 There are opportunities to be maximised

8.5 You have solutions to problems, but some may not be welcomed

8.6 Think and act like a consultant

8.7 Change is the only constant

8.8 Organisational politics exists

8.9 Your manager’s priorities may be different to yours

8.10 You have no influence until you earn it

8.11 Not everyone is happy to see you succeed

8.12 You have unknown supporters in influential jobs

8.13 Some of your employees may not be up to par

8.14 Get into your ‘manager’s head’ – get to know what makes him or her tick.

9. Rising Star

10. Resource

10.1 90-day Job Transition Template

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To David, my husband, best friend and business partner for being one of the best companions I could ever have on this journey called life. You are a constant source of encouragement, always believing in me and staying awake during the long nights of writing and rewriting. Thank you, David. I could not have achieved this milestone without you.

To Althea, my sister, for taking time out of the busiest holiday weekend of the year to edit the first public copy of my manuscript.

To my two sons and siblings for being a continued source of artistic inspiration.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this book is to provide you with insights, skills and confidence to navigate a successful job transition, ideally within the first 90 days.

This book is divided into four parts, the first section provides insight into two scenarios; an unsuccessful and a successful transition. The second section looks at potential barriers and how to overcome them. The third section presents an in-depth discussion of the factors you should consider during your first 90 days. The final section looks at some of the assumptions which may influence your transition and how to leverage them to facilitate a successful integration into your new job.

As you move through the chapters you will observe the unfolding of our intentional transition strategy.

PART A

Chapter 1

SINK OR SWIM

Karen Rose is an ambitious thirty something with extensive experience in the financial services sector. She is keen to move ahead in her career and dreams of becoming a chief operating officer of a Fortune 500 company before she turns forty-five. She has been working for the same employer for over five years and discontented with the progress she is making towards her professional goal. After months of thought and reflection Karen decides to apply for a job posted online. She feels the job is an excellent match for her skills, experience and an ideal stepping stone to her dream job. To her excitement, she is shortlisted for an interview and shortly thereafter receives the call she is waiting for - she is the candidate of choice.

Karen is ecstatic and cannot wait for the day to come to start her new job. She dreams about where she will sit, the interactions she will have with her colleagues and the impact she will make on the performance of the company. From Karen’s perspective, the future looks bright.

Within the first week of starting her new job, Karen’s enthusiasm begins to turn to apprehension. She feels unwelcome and on some days a little bored. Karen is of the view no prior arrangements were made to support her or integrate her into the new job or the company. For example, after two reminders the announcement of her arrival is still not forthcoming. In addition, after three days her telephone is still not connected and now in her second week she is still unable to access the company’s network. By the end of the second week she feels frustrated and wonders if she made the right decision to move to the new company.

Moving into the third week Karen knows she must make several decisions. Should she wait for others to create opportunities for her to succeed? Should she throw in the towel and find another job? Alternatively, she could facilitate her progress by playing a proactive role in her transition to the new job.

Many of you reading this book have experienced this situation or know someone who has. The early weeks are critical in an employee’s transition and integration into a new job. You could equate this scenario to a plant being uprooted from one location in which it was well established and replanted into another. If the conditions in which the plant is relocated are not similar to, or better than its previous environment, there is every chance it will not survive and even if it does it will not reach its full potential. The same can be said when individuals transition from one job to the next. This might be within the same company or a move to another company. The new environment must be equipped to enable you to excel - otherwise there is every chance you will not effectively integrate into the new company and even if you do, it is likely to take longer than necessary.

Taking account of the fact a decision will be made about your ongoing employment during the first 90 days; a substandard transition is likely to put your employment at risk. This risk can be eliminated by pursuing the intentional transition strategy outlined in this book.

CHAPTER 2

SETTING UP YOURSELF FOR A SUCCESSFUL JOB TRANSITION

Jose Munroe is a senior marketing executive with significant experience in writing content for companies of various sizes. He is very ambitious, works hard and has been attending night school to earn a master’s degree in marketing and communications. His professional goal is to become vice president of communications in an international pharmaceutical company.

Jose recently interviewed for the role of director of communications at a well-known pharmaceutical company which is expanding into Asia and Europe. The company is very stable; it has a strong brand in the marketplace, a good reputation for creativity, innovation and employee retention. Jose believes his skills and experience are a good match for the job and is very optimistic about future prospects with the company.

Jose knows, from prior experience, good planning and preparation are essential to his successful transition into a new job. He remembers the interviewers telling him the role is new in the company’s structure and the primary focus would be to assist the company to expand its market into Asia and Europe. In addition to ensuring his biography and headshot are up to date; Jose starts to make a note of what he would like to achieve within his first 90 days - if he were offered the role. In the absence of proprietary information about the new markets, he expands his research into understanding the cultural differences and preferred communication medium for customers in the new markets. He prepares a list of tasks he would undertake in his first 30, 60 and 90 days as well as the measures of success for each. This is with the knowledge the information is likely to change as he acquires more specific information about the company.

To Jose’s delight he receives the call he is waiting for; he is the candidate of choice and the company wants him to start as soon as possible. Jose is keen to hit the ground running; therefore, rather than waiting for Human Resources to complete their formalities, he immediately requests their non-disclosure agreement. As soon as he signs and returns the non-disclosure agreement he requests a range of proprietary information. The primary purpose for this information is to provide him with a better understanding of the company’s structure, its business processes, strategic objectives and the business case for the company’s expansion into Asia and Europe.

Shortly afterwards Jose requests a new hire schedule to help him plan and prepare for an effective transition. This document is critical, it sets out a timetable of the content he is likely to cover during his early weeks. It also provides Jose with an idea of who he will be meeting. This enables him to use tools like LinkedIn, to research the background and experience of some of the key stakeholders prior to meeting them.

Within a few days of starting the new job Jose puts together a packet containing the following:

1. A most recent professional headshot. Jose recognises the power of first impression; therefore, he wants to present himself in the most professional manner - and he appreciates the security badge photograph is unlikely to achieve this image.

2. An up to date job profile or biography. He appreciates a well w...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• Notes
• About the Book
• About the Author