how to survive and succeed in a new job
TRANSCRIPT
How To Survive in Your Job and Succeed in a New Job
WORKING IN A COMPANY OR ORGANIZATION IS COMPETITIVE AND
SCARY
WHAT’S SO SCARY?
It’s The Unknown. The information you don’t have access to.
Access to information about how to perform your job, as well as about the state of your
company is necessary for survival.
I love to read the business section.If I were an investor, I could make a lot of money
by seeing what people who have inside information are doing with their careers and
money.
Every week in the paper there is a story about a CFO resigning from some
company.
If a CFO resigns without a job lined up, there is probably trouble.
Indication that the company is in trouble.
The company in question usually declares bankruptcy, holds massive layoffs, or worse after the CFO Resigns…
CFO’s are usually saving themselves from layoffs or responsibility when the
company goes down.
OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE NOTICED SOME COMMONALITIES AMONG PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO GET VERY, VERY GOOD JOBS.
FIRSTLY, IT’S NOT INTELLIGENCE I have seen people who scored in the 50th percentile on
standardized tests to be among the top students in colleges.
I know tons of happy successful people who never even finished high school!
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE VERY GOOD LISTENERS.
Listeners find the right people.
They ask the right questions.
They know exactly what they should be doing, who they should stay close to, and who they should stay away from.
IN SCHOOL, GOOD LISTENERS LISTEN TO THEIR TEACHERS SO THEY KNOW WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THEM AND WHAT INFO IS MOST IMPORTANT.
IN BUSINESS, THESE LISTENERS WILL KNOW WHAT WORK IS EXPECTED OF THEM, WHO TO AVOID AND WHAT THE PEOPLE THEY ARE WORKING FOR LIKE BEST.
LISTENING AND GETTING INFORMATION FROM YOUR EMPLOYER OR POTENTIAL EMPLOYER ARE CRUCIAL!
HOW CAN YOU USE THIS KNOWLEDGE? When you are researching a firm, you should
know exactly what the firm is looking for. The company has a job, and in order for you to do
the job, you need to understand what it is.
WHEN YOU INTERVIEW, BE CLEAR THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO DO THE JOB IN QUESTION.
Simple, Right?
Not really.
I was interviewing a senior copywriter for a marketing position.
The copywriter had a perfect resume and did well in interviews with other people in the corporation.
After the interviews, I took him to lunch. I was prepared to make him an offer.
Although he had excessive experience for the job we needed, he came off as arrogant during lunch; I
got the impression he would be difficult to manage.
Still, I was ready to hire him.
Until… He said… those fateful words:
“I have so much experience that I am not really as interested in writing anymore. Instead, I see myself more as someone who will walk around, supervise and oversee the younger writers in the company, and provide them with solid management and input on their copywriting.”
This was the last thing that I needed someone to do. I needed someone who would sit down and write emails and lettersnothing less and nothing more.
With this statement the man immediately painted himself as someone who wanted to be a manager and did not want to do the work he was being interviewed for.
He didn’t get the job.
When you interview, be clear that you are willing to do the job in question!
TIPS FOR INTERVIEWS… Ask questions early on in the interview. Tell the interviewer exactly what they want to
hear. Avoid what they do not want to hear.
REMEMBER: GOOD LISTENERS ALWAYS END UP DOING THE BEST AND GETTING AHEAD. EXCELLENT LISTENING IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL.
ONCE YOU ARE HIRED Continue getting access to information.
Know what each employer requires.
Be on the ball!
A BRIEF STORY…
My first job as an attorney was with a law firm that has since gone out of business in New York City.
Disclaimer: Never say anything negative about a past employer if they are still in business!
I was given various types of assignments and then needed to bill my time for each of these to the firm’s clients by writing down the client number and the hours I worked on each task.
I had worked very hard on my tasks but none of them took very much time.
When the partners and others who assigned me tasks received my work, they were almost always pleased with the quality. However, when I got into my review, it went terribly. I was told I was not working hard enough on tasks. I was told that I did not produce enough work and so forth.
I knew an attorney in the law firm who had been practicing for around four years and was a really nice guy.
He told me, “You have nothing to worry about… All you need to do is start turning in your time sheets and working at least 1215 hours every day. Just bill whatever you possibly can and they will beg you to come to the firm. This is 10 times more important here than even your work quality.”
I followed this information and at the end of the job I received a stunning review, with a future at the company.
If I had not had access to this information about what the job required, I would have failed.
I am 100% confident of this.
Your job (no matter where you work) also has a set of rules that can result in you succeeding or failing.
You need to understand every piece of information about your job that you can.
You need information to get a job and to succeed in your current job. Be information conscious!