Lately, I feel like I’m the go-to resource for new hires at the Firm. Every project I’ve been on for the past year has had a new person on the team and at every level. While a new campus hire is different than a new direct-admit partner, there are a few universal rules that I want to impart based on my experience. Some of these made the list because I have seen people do it really well and it left a really positive impression on me. Others made the list because I have experienced firsthand what it looks like and how problematic it is when you don’t do these things.

So without further ado, below is my take on the things you must do to knock your new job out of the park:

1. Get your act together

Maybe it’s just the Firm, but there are a lot of things you need to do before you’re a fully functioning new hire – order a cell phone, pick up your computer, apply for a credit card, get your email on your phone, order business cards, get a headshot, etc. The list is long.

Do these things as soon as you can!

If you can’t do it before you start, the first couple of weeks is really the only time you can get away with it not having them done and even then there is a rapidly expiring grace period.

For me this is in the category of “lesson learned the hard way”. When I first start consulting a few years ago, I did not put together a bio (work history description) even though they strongly recommended it. A few months later a Partner sent me an email asking for my bio for a proposal that was going out that day. I had to scramble to produce something on time and it wasn’t up to my normal standards because I felt rushed.

After that fire drill, I took the time to update my resume, internal long bio, and short bio just in case. A couple of days ago someone asked me for short bio and I was able to reply right away with exactly what they needed and without any additional stress.

2. Dress for the next level

If you are serious about your career, you need to invest time and energy figuring out your wardrobe. It does not have to be expensive. It just needs to be what works best for you in light of what you want to accomplish and where you see yourself going. What does your mentor, boss, or someone you admire wear to work?

Emulate them.

Your clothes, hair, and overall style are a strong part of your brand. It is the first thing coworkers and clients see when you meet them. It subtly communicates who you are and what you value.

n.b. Choosing to not paying attention to how you dress because you don’t think it matter is a risk. Just because you don’t care does not mean that your superiors are as nonchalant about it as you are. You don’t have to be obsessed with it and need to be cutting edge, but you do need to know that you are making a choice by choosing to opt out.

Case in point, I interned in an office while I was an undergrad. I went out and bought my first suit for this job even though it was on campus and a suit was not required. As a result, I was invited to join a meeting with a client that I didn’t know anything about because they said “I dressed the part”. The other intern, who was more knowledgeable about the client, was overlooked because he dressed in wrinkled khakis and a button down.

I was able to capitalize on the invitation because I dressed for the job I wanted, not the job I had.

3. Don’t make plans

Until you spend a couple of weeks learning the culture of the company you’ve joined, you need to be as flexible as possible because you want to build the reputation as someone that does what’s needed. Once you’ve figured out the lay of the land and proven your commitment to excellence you can figure out how to work with the structure to achieve your personal goals. In general, it’s hard to know you can compromise unless you understand the culture you’re working with.

Comparably, when I start a new engagement I take this same approach. Each project can have a different partner, client, ask, and timeline. I give myself a week or so to figure out the flow of things before I try to adjust it to suit my lifestyle. The project where everyone got in at 9am? I started working out before work. The project where we were behind and needed to catch up? I mentally committed myself to a season of working more than usual. The project where everyone would grab their lunch individually? I brought mine from home and saved money. In consulting you need to be really adaptable, and I try to weight the circumstances against my values and then capitalize on it where I can.

4. Take notes

This one is meant for more junior folks and yet it’s on the universal list because it’s not a given and it should be! No matter your level, you should be able to take notes when you need to. This should be a life-long skill that you might not use at more senior levels, but should come back to you like riding a bike.

Whether you’re starting a new role, project or employer, you will likely not remember as much as you think you will in the moment when things are being explained to you. One of my go-to’s is to take more notes than feels natural early on. Once I progress more in the project I can go back and reread them to learn even more about the project or client as a result.

5. Ask questions

Asking questions is a double-edged sword, which is why I think people often eschew this piece of advice. On one hand, it means you know enough to be able to confirm or clarify your understanding. On the other hand, it could reveal that you have no idea what they’re talking about. The fear of the latter usually wins out over the former, but I want to encourage you to power through the awkwardness and fear!

From a managerial perspective, being able to ask a question means that you are attempting to comprehend. This is essential for getting anything done because, fundamentally, you cannot do what is being asked of you if you do not understand the context or content.

There is certainly an intellectual investment that is needed before you ask your question that implies you are processing the information you receive. What I mean by this is that I think the phrase “there is no stupid question” is not particularly helpful. There are certainly questions that do not come off as intelligent and those are the ones that make it clear to the recipient that you were not paying attention or that you did not understand previous conversations but did not seek clarification in the moment.

Most people are not speaking just to hear their own voices. They are communicating something they want you to understand. Honor them by asking questions to help achieve that mutual goal.

6. Under sell and over deliver

The key with this recommendation is that you need to confirm that you can get done what they’re asking but learn to multiply the estimated level of effort or time by 1.2. While this is more an art than a science – or math problem, in this case – the point here is to agree to something reasonable that includes space for a hiccup or two along the way. I would say give yourself even more leeway if you’ve never done what’s being asked of you before.

Once you’ve decided upon a thoughtful and realistic goal, aim to do it better than you have to. The goal here is to agree on good and give them great. Either way you’re meeting the ask, but when you’re looking to go above and beyond it gets your creative juices flowing. In my work-life, this could be taking extra time to make the deliverable more visually appealing or getting the project done by Thursday instead of Friday. You are not trying to give them less than they deserve or is fair but rather try to find ways to show your value add in a way that exceeds expectations.

7. Learn the culture

This one is a big one. If you miss this you might act a certain way that is harmful for your career and not even know it. This is more thematic than what we talked about in #3. How does the collective “we” at your company work? Is there an open-door policy? Do people share their knowledge with one another? Is it a boy’s club with heavy joking that borderline’s on inappropriate? Do people work on the weekends every weekend?

In my experience, there is a large part of culture that you can learn straight off the bat, if not before you decide to take the job, and there is a subtle layer that reveals itself overtime. Typically, you can figure out the overt culture by researching the company’s mission and talking about why your coworkers picked your firm. The subtle culture is how colleagues collectively respond to the firm’s culture.

For me, during the interview process I repeatedly heard the phrase “own your career”, which means that it’s up to each employee to decide the direction, intensity, and speed of their work experience. This was a big cultural element and I acted on it until proven otherwise. As it turns out, this is a real thing that people at the Firm embody every day. As long as you get your work done, you can work the hours you want, work from home, take two or three week vacations, etc. You own the consequences of your decisions but more importantly you have autonomy over your schedule.

8. Connect the dots

Maybe this tenet is on this list because it is essential for consulting, but I think recommending it for everyone is a no-brainer. My main job, as a consultant, is to solve other people’s problems. Being able to do that requires hearing conversations or reading documentation and, subsequently, observing patterns: cause and effect, repetition, etc.

Likewise, the same could be said for being a PA trying to figure out a patient’s diagnosis, a social media coordinator picking up on the newest Instagram filter, a nutritionist looking to broaden her clientele, or an educator trying to empower students. Each of these people are looking at the world and asking the question: what is happening here? What do I see? How can I respond to it in a way that benefits me and my client? I would say every job should have the descriptor “problem solver” on it because at the end of the day even (or maybe, especially) lowly assistant, Andy Sachs, needed to figure out how to get stuff done.

9. Be polite and friendly

“What does your personality have to do with getting your job done?”, you might be wondering. A lot. Have you ever walked into a Starbucks and interacted with an employee that was unapproachable or unhelpful? How did that interaction impact your customer experience? Strongly, and not in a good way, if I had to guess.

Now think about your workplace. Can you think of the Debbie Downers that either don’t like what they do or feel like the world is against them?

Don’t be that person!

As believers, we are meant to love others and I think best way to bring our faith to work is through our personalities. I try to serve others by holding doors, saying thank you, smiling at people in the halls, etc. I also attempt to lighten the mood when we’re feeling stressed by genuinely getting to know my coworkers on a personal level.  

10. Build your brand

This takes what we talked about in #2 Dress for the Next Level and brings that introspection to your entire career. What you wear is certainly a part of it, but you also need to think about for what work ethic you want to be known, in what extracurricular activities and initiatives you want to get involved, and how you want to build your network, both internally and externally.

If you’re having trouble figuring out what you want your brand to be, I would start with the people you admire. What do they do? How do they do it? For me, I wanted to be known as a good manager. As such, I paid close attention to how the people that managed me acted, i.e. what did they do that I liked or disliked. From there, I would practice imitating their style and adjusting it so it felt natural and true to who I am.

Secondly, I would focus on capitalizing on your strengths. One of the things I know about myself is that I have a high attention to detail when it comes to presentations and I like to know how to do things quickly. I was able to incorporate those things into my brand because they were coveted qualities that were largely a natural extension of my current skillset. Bottom line, leverage what you already do well!

If you incorporate any or all of the items on this list, I guarantee the season of transition in your new job will be improved. Of course, it’s not foolproof because each situation is unique and requires discernment. However, I hope taking the time to think about these recommendations proves to be helpful and you knock your new job out of the park!