If you don’t take anything away from this book, pocket the following tidbit of wisdom. Neglect your references and helpers and you are committing future career suicide. Do you remember how hard it was to develop this newly found network? Why would you spend all this time, money and energy putting it together and then just dump it?

     OK, you have finished all the required tasks and you have your job. Putting this book on your bookshelf is one of the greatest mistakes you will ever make unless you do the following things.

     This chapter is mainly a quick list of the do’s you need to implement for future success. It addresses network obligations, certain performance task guidelines and general tips for career success.

     The first order of business is to ensure your long-range future with your new company by clarifying management expectations for your individual performance and implementing the following rules.

1. The very first thing you do before you report to work, or no later than the first month of work in your new job, is to rewrite your resume! The only thing you can't fill out fully is the quantifiable accomplishments section. Please give them excellent performance and constantly update your resume as you climb each step of your career mountain. These you may add each quarter.
2. We are all human. All humans have buyer's remorse. If you turned down a "seemingly great" job offer, you'll probably wish you hadn't done so. If you accepted a "seemingly great" job and now, in retrospect, you start over-analyzing it and wish you hadn't, don't. Indulging yourself in this is wasting two precious luxuries, time and energy. Live with your decision and stay in your new position for at least 3-5 years.
3. Write thank-you and update letters to everyone with whom you came into contact during your search within the first month. This is so easy to say and so boring to do, but it is essential in maintaining your future referral base. Listen people, everyone needs to be told that their efforts, no matter how small, helped someone. Who do you know who doesn't like to feel good about themselves? It's very boring, but do it!
4. Every three or four months, take 25% of your referral and contact list and write them an update on your progress at your new company that they helped or encouraged you to find. Use the Ready Aim Hired Activity Tracking System™ to keep track of your activity in this area. This is one of the critical things you must do to make your next move easier. Not planning on a next move? Ha Ha, whom do you think you're fooling?
5. Before you report to your new job, take one hour and review interview notes, gleaning from them what you are expected to do in your job function.
6. Look at your new boss’ answers to your questions about the job, the company, the people and any other relevant information.
7. On the first day at work, go ahead and schedule a meeting with your new manager. Things shift in the hiring process and you need to know where you stand and what might have changed. One of my clients reported and his manager had been assigned to manage another department. Luckily the new manager was nice, but it could have been a disaster.
8. In your meeting with the manager, re-confirm all performance goals, expectations, and time schedules. These change, too. What are your immediate assignments? What is the priority for these duties in the mind of your immediate supervisor or manager?
9. Utilize a schedule and planning system to properly manage your time and efforts.
10. Secure a Palm system, a Franklin or DayTimer schedule management system and use it!
11. Lay out your priorities from the previous day. Don't lose sight of them by getting bogged down in day-to-day minutia.
12. Figure out who the movers and shakers are and get to know them. It is amazing what you can find out about your boss and others in the company by listening instead of talking about yourself.
13. Be friendly, courteous, but never familiar. This is a cardinal sin and it will come back and bite you where you don't want it to.
14. Figure out who the strongest secretary or administrative person is and get to know them. They will help guide you through the minefields everyone experiences early on in a new position.

The rest of this chapter is available on the CD-ROM and Web versions.