Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your
First Real Job
When you’re new to the workforce, ambition and talent aren’t enough—getting on
the fast track to success requires much more.
If you’re a recent college graduate or new hire, Effective Immediately shows you
how to excel at your first job and jump-start your career. As an up-and-coming
professional, you’ll learn how to transform yourself from entry-level employee into
skilled, invaluable all-star during your first year on the job.
Accomplished young professional Emily Bennington and her mentor, seasoned manager Skip
Lineberg, empower you to:
• Establish yourself as a top performer from day one
• Use every task—even grunt work—as an opportunity to shine
• Earn the respect of your boss, colleagues, and clients
• Cope with conflict, mistakes, and toxic coworkers
• Land key assignments and gain greater responsibility
• Manage projects and lead teams like a pro
Packed with practical advice, useful resources, and wisdom from former newbies, this
savvy hand-book gives you the tools, knowledge, and confidence you need to reach your
highest potential.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xii
Introduction 1
A Contract between You and Über-You 3
Part 1 Get It Right, Right Out of the Gate 5
1 Conquer Your First Day 6
Newbie to Newbie 9
2 Have Patience 10
3 Mind Your "-Ilities" 11
4 Prepare for the Brain Dump 12
5 Don't Expect a Lot of Hand-Holding 14
6 What You Need to Know in the First Few Weeks 15
7 A Crash Course in Professional Etiquette 17
8 Ace Your First Meetings 20
9 The Trick to Taking Notes 22
10 Get the Worm 24
11 Gen What? 25
Newbie to Newbie 27
12 Put on Your Game Face 28
13 Write Makes Might 29
14 Never Be Afraid to Say "I Don't Know" 32
15 The Ultimate Workplace Accessory 33
16 Say Good-Bye to Casual Friday 34
17 Buy (and Display) These Books 35
18 Do More Than You're Paid For 36
19 You Put Your What on Facebook? 37
20 Dining al Desko 39
21 Flirting at Work: Yes, No, Maybe? 41
Newbie to Newbie 43
22 Writing a Self-Memo 44
23 Above All, Care 46
Part 2 Score Major-League Points When You're Still a Rookie 47
24 One Thing You Should Do Every Friday 48
25 Beware of Circle Talkers 51
26 Join Toastmasters 52
27 Thirteen Ways to Raise Your Profile 54
Newbie to Newbie 59
28 Turn Grunt Work into Great Work 60
29 A Note about Thank-You Notes 61
30 Make Your Work Look Like a Million Bucks 64
31 Do Feared Things First 66
32 Don't Get Caught Up in Downtime 67
33 Take the Blame and Move On 68
34 Don't Let Your Emotions Hold You Back 70
Newbie to Newbie 71
35 Toot Your Own Horn without Looking Like a Jerk 72
36 Keep Your Deadlines Realistic 73
37 Read Ravenously 74
38 Don't Miss Your Industry's Best Conferences 75
Part 3 Earn Unbridled Respect from Your Boss, Colleagues, and Clients 77
39 To Get People to Like You, Like Them 78
40 Seven Life Lessons in Fifty Words 79
41 How to Make Your Boss and Coworkers Hate You 80
Newbie to Newbie 81
42 Embrace Adversity 82
43 Never Send a Nastygram 84
Newbie to Newbie 87
44 The Blatant Change of Topic 88
45 When to Confront a Colleague 91
46 How to Deal with Difficult Clients 92
47 How to Handle Conflicts with Clients 94
48 Protect Yourself against Cynics and Complainers Disease 97
49 Don't Be the Slug 98
50 Ten Things Coworkers Want You to Say 100
51 If Coworkers Are Avoiding You, It Could Be Because 101
Newbie to Newbie 103
52 Have a Nice Day 104
53 What to Do When Personal Tragedy Hits 105
54 How to Handle Your Boss 107
55 Things Bosses Love 109
56 Cope with-and Avoid-Workload Overload 113
57 Midpoint Check-In 119
Part 4 Build Career Mojo 121
58 How to Land Key Projects 122
59 Expect to Be Backstabbed 124
60 How to Lead Your Own Meetings 127
61 The Best Way to Follow Up After a Meeting 131
62 How to Minimize Unnecessary Meetings 132
Newbie to Newbie 134
63 How to Write a First-Class Article 135
64 How to Create a Work Plan 138
65 How to Create a Timeline 140
66 How to Create a Budget 142
67 Mega Project Management 145
68 Don't Stop at No 154
69 You Will Never Be Completely Caught Up 157
70 Plot Your Next Move 158
Newbie to Newbie 161
Part 5 Develop a Killer Edge 163
71 You Are CEO of Y.O.U. 164
72 Specialize! 167
73 Find Your Inner Gene Kelly 168
74 Make Time for Your Power Hour 170
75 Cluttered Desk = Cluttered Mind 171
76 How to Obtain Real Business Insight 172
77 Connect the Dots 176
78 Become a Student of the World 178
Newbie to Newbie 179
79 Seriously Grow Your Network 181
Part 6 Become a Skilled, Nontoxic Leader 185
80 You'll Never Lead People Who Don't Respect You 186
81 The Leadership Test 187
82 Avoid Decision Making by Committee 189
83 Share the Spotlight 190
84 Let People Learn for Themselves 191
85 Be Strict about Deadlines 192
86 Give Back 193
87 Exit Gracefully 194
Newbie to Newbie 197
88 Final Self-Assessment 199
Epilogue 200
Index 202
About the Authors 207
About College Summit 209
224 pages, Paperback