Your primary objective for the first 30 days in your new job - BUILD TRUST

Congratulations on landing your new job! You have beaten out the competition and if you are like most you are filled with some mixed emotions:

• Elation at finding and accepting a new position


• Nervousness that accompanies any new job or assignment


• Worry that the job and the people are as advertised

Believe me, your new employer has these very same emotions. Your first 30 days are very important. During this time initial impressions and judgments will be formed about your performance as an employee, your reliability, and the outlook for your long-term employment. If these initial assessments are negative, they can result in termination, being put on a performance plan, or at the very least serve as an obstacle to be overcome.

My recommendation to all professionals when beginning a new work endeavor is to consciously work to build TRUST during your first 30 days. This TRUST needs to extend to your management, co-workers, peers, internal clients, and vendors. Here are some tips and pointers:

• Work with your manager to establish goals and objectives for your first 30-60-90 days. These goals and objectives should be tangible and measurable.


• Establish a dedicated time every week for a one-on-one review with your manager. This is especially important during the first 30 days when you are both learning how best to work with each other.


• Treat your manager as a customer that needs to be satisfied. Having this orientation will build your awareness and sensitivity to your manager's level of satisfaction. Besides your 30-60-90 day goals and objectives what other conditions of satisfaction does your manager have? Be sure to ask if there is anything else that you could be doing to have your manager more satisfied with your performance.


• Follow a "No Surprises" policy during your first 30 days. If deadlines are in jeopardy, communicate them as soon as you know so that other actions can be considered.


• Eliminate any potential drama...no car trouble, latenesses, bursting water pipes, illnesses, etc. Anything and everything that occurs in the first 30 days are magnified.

Each of these pointers will support you in building TRUST with your new employer and will help in validating their hiring decision. These pointers when implemented long-term will also support you in continually meeting your employers expectations and will help greatly in leading to a long and productive relationship.

Hey...Wake Up!

I have written several times in the past about the importance of protecting your online identity. You have to assume that prospective employers will be searching the Internet and reviewing any results that show up. This pertains to both full-time employment and consulting opportunities and includes Twitter tweets, Facebook postings, personal/professional web site content, and the like.

I have come to realize that even well skilled and experienced professionals can be blind to the importance of protecting their public identity. Please note that I used the words well skilled and experienced and not top-tier or best.

There is no distinction between posts on the Internet that are business-related or ones that are personal or private. They are all reviewed and factored when assessments and judgments are formed and a decision is made to hire or to move on to another candidate. Most importantly, these online references can have a lasting impact for years to come and play a significant factor in your career growth and development.

This article needs to serve as a wake-up call and cause a moment of reflection.

1. Do your online postings support your personal and professional identities?
2. Are you considering how these postings may be viewed or interpreted by prospective employers or clients?

Here are some actual examples that we have uncovered over the years. My intention in citing these examples is not to make a judgment about the events that unfolded but instead to illustrate how the online posting could be factored into the hiring decision:

1. We were recruiting for a position with a progressive e-learning development firm. The company has built an impressive reputation for the caliber of their elearning solutions and the high moral and ethical standards that they set for their business. After presenting a very impressive candidate, we were informed by the client that a Google search revealed that the candidate was involved in a home business that dealt in adult themed products. The client decided not to pursue this candidate.
2. After interviewing a talented candidate, a review of their Facebook page revealed several inappropriate references to their partying days in college and excessive use of foul language.
3. A recent Google search of a candidate revealed their personal Twitter page which showed numerous tweets every day throughout the day and raised real questions about the candidate's focus and dedication to their full-time employment. Were they working or tweeting?
4. One client told me that they had decided not to offer a position to a candidate because their Facebook page indicated frequent illnesses and sick days.
5. A Google search of another candidate uncovered the candidate’s political blog. The blog, while well written, was decidedly partisan. A prospective hiring manger with opposing political views could react negatively to the blog.
6. Another candidate's Twitter page showed several references to drinking, beer and alcohol. How could this be interpreted by a prospective employer or client?

There is no way to know for sure how thorough prospective employers will be in their screening of potential employees or consultants. There is, however no question that more and more are using a simple Google search to see what they may be able to learn before they make the decision to interview or hire a candidate.

The strong advice here is to THINK before posting and consider: How might this posting be viewed by others - peers, current and future employers and clients?