Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job »

A protégée and her mentor, Emily Bennington and Skip Lineberg help recent graduates bridge the gap between college and the workforce. Motivated by the premise that free coffee shouldn’t be the sole highlight of a newbie’s workday, Emily and Skip regularly host seminars on career success. Both authors live in Charleston, West Virginia.

During her first years in the workforce, Emily Bennington helped manage a successful Supreme Court Justice race and became the spokesperson for a business that was under intense public scrutiny. After navigating such sink-or-swim experiences with the guidance of her first boss, Skip Lineberg, Emily discovered that not all graduates are blessed with great mentors. Today she is a frequent speaker at universities and organizations on the topic of career success, particularly advancing the skills of young women in the workplace and volunteering as a means of leadership development. Emily also teaches a graduate course on social media and hosts a popular career blog at www.ProfessionalStudio365.com. She is a member of the CAREEREALISM team of career experts and contributes regularly to business publications and blogs on professional development issues. 

As a career newbie, Skip Lineberg learned the art of successful management at General Electric during the Jack Welch heyday. Today he applies those skills as the owner of Maple Creative, a marketing firm staffed with more than a few young professionals. Under Skip’s leadership, Maple has grown into a thriving business and garnered dozens of prestigious awards. Skip also hosts Maple’s Marketing Genius blog, which AdvertisingAge magazine named one of the 150 most influential business blogs on the Web.

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.

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