10 hot tips and actions to take from the moment you land the job, through acceptance.
Doesn't it feel like magic when alllll your hard work and hustle—networking, searching, applying, interviewing, marketing and selling—pays off and you FINALLY have the job offer you've been working towards? Best. Day. Ever.
I know the feeling well.
But wait, now what?
Well, before you blast it from the rooftops, slow your roll and consider walking your fine, Grade A, highly qualified ass through the following steps so that you can make the best of your well-earned fortune like the Boss that you are.
Let's get into it.
1. CELEBRATE.
When you get the job offer you've been waiting for, it's time to pop some bubbly. Even if it feels too soon because you haven't put ink to paper...do it anyway. Grab your inner circle, and toast to how fabulous you are. You earned it.
2. READ THROUGH ALL THE FINE PRINT.
You've got to get smart on what is on the table for you, and read through your opportunity, ask initial clarifying questions, and get yourself ready for your negotiation.
I know you're excited. But now it's time to get to work and understand what you have in front of you.
3. NEGOTIATE.
Aways negotiate. Listen: I don't care if the offer in front of you is the best thing you could have ever imaged and you can't believe your good fortune, you always negotiate.
The way you negotiate best, is to:
Understand your true value first.
Understand what you're being offered in full and what's missing for you.
Understand what is negotiable (for your industry, the role, and the current times).
Ready your personal value sell.
Negotiate. And only negotiate what feels good to you.
“Know who you are. Know what you want. Know what you deserve. And don’t settle for less.” ― Tony Gaskins
PROTIP: No one wants to hire or work with a diva. If you do the good work to understand your value and the opportunity, act professionally and respectful throughout, and ask good questions to understand what's on the table, you should be able to put your big ask out there, and make the negotiation a one-conversation ask with no drama. It's business, not personal. Don't play games. You want to walk away from the negotiation feeling good about how you handled yourself and the conversation/s, so you can move on to the next big important thing: crushing your new job and over-delivering on the value you promised.
4. INITIAL ROUNDS OF GRATITUDE.
Okay! You've negotiated, and accepted the job. Congrats! Now, bring on the gratitude and thanks. No one lands a job without without the help, support, encouragement, enthusiasm and/or partnership of some key people—thank them.
Thank your network, family and friends, the HR team, the hiring team, your new manager. These moments are some of your first impressions. Make them good, and showcase the type of person that you are, and the high class human your new team just hired.
5. DO NOTHING UNTIL THE PAPERWORK CLEARS.
This is important. I know you're excited, but you must be patient and wait until all the paperwork is green-for-go, until you share your opportunity with world. If you're in a regulated industry, you'll likely need to wait for background checks and drug tests to clear.
ALSO, you may be part of a delicate and/or strategic hire, depending who you are replacing and/or the current (sensitive) state of the opening, and you'll want to clear up all of that and align on "announcement direction" from your new boss and hiring team, to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
6. GYLT.
Aka: Get Your Life Together.
Your life is about to change, and you want to set yourself up to be able to plug in and give this new opportunity 110% of you. What do you need to do—with your daily schedule, To Do List, calendar, morning/evening routines, childcare, health and wellness, mindset, industry prep etc...—to be ready for your new work life? Prioritize it. Get it done.
For me: I hammered out some major items off my To-Do List, purged and cleaned, prepped my wardrobe, reevaluated my routines and calendar, reviewed and updated my subscriptions (put a plan in place to use em and/or cancel then), changed schools for my kids which took our one-way commute time from 30 minutes one-way to 4 (not easy, so glad we did!), downshifted on the things that were taking up my time, and signed up for Daily Harvest so that I could have healthy and no-brainer workday meal options (I highly recommend checking them out; use my referral code for $25 off your first order here).
Do as much as you can before your start date.
Ask yourself: "What do I need to do for myself and my family so that I can bring my best self to my new job?
Make it happen.
7. ALL CLEAR? SHARE YOUR NEW ROLE WITH THE WORLD!
Once you've received the green light from your new employer, celebration is on order; do it loudly and proudly. It's important to share your accomplishment with the world, especially for those who have been supporting and following your journey. People look for examples of how to get to the other side of something, especially on the other side of job-loss, a layoff, a major career transition, and just on the other side of change. Plus success is inspiring. Share it, baby!
8. PREPARE & DISTRIBUTE GENUINE THANK YOUS.
It's time to thank your network. Now that your new job opportunity is public, you owe it to each and every one of the relationships you've leveraged, and the new ones that you've made along your job search journey, to deliver a thoughtful and deliberate thanks.
You guys, I made just shy of 100 new contacts and re-connections over my 7 months layoff period, and every single one of those conversations led me to the place I am today, with the opportunity that unfolded for me, and ultimately the job I have accepted. I will be forever grateful for each and every one of the people I interacted with, and I let each one of them know it.
Do what I did and write thoughtful and personal letters and emails to every single person who helped you along the way. Give thanks to give thanks, but also you want to use your thanks as closure for the people who were part of your journey, so that they don't continue to keep you on their radar for job opportunities and waste their time, resources and energy.
Thanking people is also an excellent opportunity to share you new role more personally and to offer up your network, help, and support from your new role and in your new capacity—pay it forward. Remember, your network is everything, treat it like gold.
9. UPDATE YOUR LINKEDIN.
Make it official, and update your LinkedIn. This is an important step in transitioning your mind and life into your new job; inform your extended network of your exciting next opportunity.
10. CELEBRATE!!! Yes, again, but BIGGER. You earned it.
The week I got laid-off I told myself, and all of you, that I was going to buy myself a badass bottle of Krug Champagne when I landed my next job. And here we are. (It was f*cking delicious, by the way).
I am a strong believer in viewing any closed door/s and challenge/s as opportunities. I also believe in loving your life loudly, which to me in part means celebrating the little and big parts of your life, every single day. When you work towards something, you should always celebrate BIG when you arrive at your destination. So! Buy that badass bottle of bubbly, or your celebratory equivalent, and toast to YOU.
I hope this helped.
Special shoutout to the Bubbles & Babes Branding Bundle & my purposeful efforts to up-level my LinkedIn profile—these were the tools that helped me land my dream job.
You guys, my Branding Bundle baby played a significant role in helping me land my dream job in a market that was/is extremely saturated and inundated because of all the layoffs and job-losses due to COVID-19. It helped me show up clearly, with intent, and true to myself, and enabled me to market and sell myself effectively. Also, my up-leveled LinkedIn profile—which was a product of the coaching I received and trainings I completed, and these things gave me insights on how to use it as a job searching tool—was the outlet where I was discovered by a recruiter from the company that I am now incredibly proud to work for.
Simply put: these things work. If you are interested in a 1:1 coffee date, I'd be happy to talk you through the tools I used, and offer some realtime feedback on your LinkedIn profile. You can sign up for a chat here: 1:1 Level-Up & Virtual Coffee Date with Danielle.
Let's keep doing big things.
Cheers,
Danielle
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