Like any positions you may have held before, the first couple of weeks can be a trying time, with a lot of adjustments to be made in the new environment. On top of all the regular tasks which will be asked of you; you also have (potentially) a brand new arena now open which entails you to market yourself. 

What? On top of my regular job, you are saying “Market myself”? Isn’t the fact that the new company is well-known and has a good reputation enough for me? If anything-they should be taking time and resources to market me and let everyone know (past and present clients) what a wise decision they made in bringing me on board. They hired me, they can promote me and guarantee the big return on investment…..

If we had a dime (inflation!) for every employee which carried that train of thought; there would be no Top-500 companies to work for; as they would be spending all their time on promotion, and very little on what it is that makes them money…….Contrary to popular belief; at the end of the day, it is all about the money. Anyone who tries to tell you different either hasn’t been in business long, or is currently a ‘yes-man’ (and we all know one or two of those) So one of the most important words of the day is…..MONEY…..The company wants it and has chosen you to make it.

 With that said, and the wind knocked from your sails as “The Next Big Thing”, where do you begin? To quote a relatively famous movie-line: “At the Beginning”. Assume that you have had absolutely no success in the past, and this is your first ground-level opportunity. Where, logically should you start?

 In the brick & mortar world, you would begin with new, shiny, business cards, to let everyone you deal with from now on, know where to find you. Besides the address and the company phone number (and cellular if you are so lucky) you will probably find a space or two for social media addresses….. WHAT!!!!….More….

 Relax, that is what will be covered over the next number of weeks, Where, Why, When and How to set yourself up in the Social Media arena so you “represent” both the company and yourself to the best of your ability!

 For now, concentrate on your ‘In-House’ marketing…check out the company web-site and familiarize yourself with all the nooks and cranny’s as you need to know the company inside and out from an outsiders perspective. Think of it this way… “I need a widget, and according to the inter-web, this company sells widgets” so thinks you and your potential client. What kind of widget? How many can I buy? , Are there limits? How many (or how few) can I order? Is there delivery, and if so how long do I need to wait doe my widgets? Who runs the company, and for how long? Is this company reliable? etc. etc. etc.

 All these things you should have a good idea about, as the new ambassador for the company- Be one with the company, or better yet, Be the company (during work hours) and the company will reward you with rock-steady employment.

 So to reinterate step one:

- As a new employee it will be your duty to represent the company to the best of your ability by knowing the company inside and out, how it operates, how it breathes, and most importantly: How it makes MONEY! 

- Look at your business card and learn it inside and out. Gone are the days of name and address; Say hello to the days of name, address, and social media addresses. Learn these inside and out as they are the doorway to the dawn of “New Business”, Where can the company find you, what is your reputation, and why should they deal with you and not someone more in tune than you. You must become the company expert- as it says so on the web-site and on your business card.

 Next time: We start looking at Social Media sites, How to make your presence felt, and how to project the best image online that is possible.

Cheers,

Daniel

What’s you’re worst first day on the job?  Leave me a comment below.