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Sometimes we think simply arriving on time for our day and keeping busy with the work in front of us is what counts. It’s the lead most of us follow when we finish up with the new hire orientation or onboarding process that comes with starting a new job. However, this is simply not the case. One of the recurring themes among my clients is, “I don’t know how this happened,” when they are handed bad news about their performance, bullied, or even fired.

How does this happen? It’s truly the difference between managing your career vs. letting someone else do it for you.

So let’s go back to the example of starting a new job. You arrive at your job day one extremely excited, highly energized and just charged about life. The world is a super sparkly place, right? The question is: What do you do in the first 30 days… 60 days… 90 days…to take charge of your career, right out the gate? Changing your outlook from, “What can you do for me, new employer?” to, “How can I start planning and managing my career from day one?” is a good place to start.

Let’s take a look at what you can do, DAY ONE, to become an active participant in your career:

• Take full advantage of the new hire orientation/onboarding process and begin developing relationships with your HR points of contact and build your relationships. HR can suddenly seem very far away and even daunting should you need something critical, or even a simple question answered down the road. Keeping a connection with HR will lessen the procrastination that comes with uncertainty about what to do when it comes to deciphering a company policy or dealing with something more serious, like a difficult colleague.
• Set 30, 60 and 90 day goals. Establishing goals right off the bat allows you to recapture some of what you talked about during your interview. During the interview process we are often full of great ideas as to how we can make something better or put something into motion based on our unique skill set. Writing down your goals early on is a great way to start strategically managing your career and it allows you to make an impact sooner than later.
• Get clarity on what is expected of you and of your team, and how it fits into the organization’s goals. Knowing this is key to successfully aligning and executing your professional goals.

Let’s discuss how you can better manage your career from Day One.

Ever wonder what your non-verbals say to others? Studies have shown that non-verbal cues outrank the actual words you say in terms of how favorably you are evaluated and the impression you leave behind. How you manage your non-verbals, and more importantly, how aware you are of what you are saying (without uttering a word) is key to getting what you want.

Have you ever shown up to an interview with sweaty palms? We’ve all been there.

What you may not realize is that your knees are also shaking, your eyes are darting around the room, and you are pulling on your collar or smoothing your skirt repetitively. All these cues allow the recipient to learn a LOT about you before you even get the chance to speak. How can you help minimize this?

For starters, it’s huge if you are able to simply notice them. It’s important to be aware that not only do your palms sweat but you also have a tendency to jiggle your right knee. Just realizing this puts you ahead of the game since you can get to work on eliminating them. Another way to end the twitches is to focus. So, for example, keeping your focus on the questions being asked by the interviewer is a great way to get your mind off the nerves galloping through your body.

And the #1 way? Be prepared.

It goes without saying that you should ALWAYS be prepared when interviewing, but preparation is critical to managing the many twists and turns that come with a career. With this preparation, interviewing for the next job will become easier and easier, but you can show up in a calm and prepared way no matter the scenario.

Coaching is about improving performance. The crux of coaching lies in helping people set specific goals and achieve them. Organizations are using professional coaches to develop future leaders, improve management behaviors, and produce better bottom line results. Individuals are hiring coaches to become more satisfied or productive at work, create a better quality of life, or fulfill a lifelong dream.

Career coaches are helping organizations and individuals produce positive, invaluable outcomes. Surveys of organizations that use coaching reveal significant improvements in productivity, retention, working relationships, and profitability. Individuals are reporting increased workplace satisfaction, enhanced quality of life, and greater accountability for their own professional development. Coaching is about getting things done – and the results are extraordinary.

Coaching is not therapy, advice, counseling or even mentoring. Instead, coaching services include values clarification, brainstorming, identifying plans of action, examining modes of operating in life, asking clarifying questions, and making empowering requests.

DO I NEED A CAREER COACH?

Are you experiencing a particular challenge at work? Could you use help clarifying your strengths and capabilities? Do you wonder why you aren’t getting greater recognition or being promoted? Do you feel stuck in the career you have chosen? If you answered yes to any of these questions, or, if you feel generally dissatisfied with your career, then enlisting the support of a career coach can help.

Career coaches offer a valuable, objective perspective by helping individuals take a step back and reevaluate where they want to go with their careers. Career coaches help individuals learn and practice consistent behaviors that yield greater career satisfaction. Career coaches also help support organizational recruitment and retention efforts by coaching employees on taking an active, participatory role in their careers instead of waiting for the organization to provide them with career success.

Whatever the reason, career coaches help individuals become more personally and professionally satisfied by overcoming obstacles and making lasting, behavioral changes.

Interested in our career management programs? Click here to learn more about our work with organizations!