In his famous book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," author Stephen Covey advises his readers to "begin with the end in mind." In other words, you should envision where you want to be tomorrow, and act today in ways that will help get you there.
This is especially true of your career: If you want to advance later, you've got to make a good impression on the people you work with now.
That good impression must be cultivated from day one at a new job. Or preferably, even sooner than that, according to The Muse contributor Stav Ziv.
"Take a few minutes to send a simple email to your future boss," advises Ziv, who says a simple note to your new boss before you actually start will "ensure you're prepared and get you started making that great impression as a proactive go-getter before you even walk through the door."
What should the note say? Ziv suggests something like this: "Hi [Boss's Name]. I'm so excited to be joining [Company] in [Number of Weeks/Days] and can't wait to start working with you and the team! Is there anything I can read or do ahead of time that would help me hit the ground running? Have a great rest of the week and see you on the [Date]!"
"I appreciate when a new hire takes the initiative to dive into the role," Heatherlyn Nelson, office operations manager at The Muse, tells Ziv. "It makes me feel like they want to be there and are wanting to invest their personal time to do well in their new role."
Concludes Ziv, "You don't have to send a note like this … But why not get an easy head start?"
More Tips:
https://www.themuse.com/advice/email-you-shouldsend-your-new-boss-before-you-start-job
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
Contact Successful Meetings Editor in Chief Vincent Alonzo with your "How To" ideas.