In this episode I’m diving into the 3 common mistakes we can all make when we start a new job.  In the next 6 episodes I break these mistakes down and show you how to avoid making them. I’ve learnt these lessons, so you don’t need to. I’ll be helping you every step of the way. 

If you’re too keen to ‘hit the ground running’ by leaping to deliver in a new job, project or initiative you’re in danger of landing flat on your face. In this episode, I explore this mistake and give you some practical advice on how to avoid making it.

If you’ve just started a new job, project or another big challenge, it’s likely that you’re going to meet a lot of new people and gather a ton of information in a short period of time.  How can you avoid drowning amongst all this data?  How can you stay sane in this intense period of learning and find the ‘signal in the noise’?  You’ll find lots of practical advice in this episode to help you avoid overwhelm and thrive in the first few weeks and months in your new job.

Do you ever secretly fear you’re in over your head in your new job? Are you receiving praise that you think is unwarranted?
Do you think you might get exposed as a fake? Do you often wonder why they hired you?

If this is you, you’re not alone. Over 70% of the population has experienced Imposter syndrome. I have and I’m keen to share my lessons and free exercise, so you can tame your Inner Critic and stop feeling like a fraud. 

Power Stories capture you at your best. They demonstrate what you’ve already achieved and hint at what you’re capable of. Your power stories will be different from mine and it’s important you uncover them as they can lead to great things!  Power Stories help to bolster your self-confidence and remind yourself of what you’re capable of. By telling them to others you can make sure they’re aware of what you’ve achieved and give them a more complete sense of who you are.

In this episode we move onto mistake number 3, failing to build influence. 

This is a big mistake and I’ve made it several times in my career.  I think it goes hand in hand with the mistake of 'playing it small' because when we play it small we tend to operate in a small world. We interact with those who'll help us get the job done, and those who we’re friends with.  We tend to ‘keep our head down’ and avoid the limelight.

This is episode 7 and we’ve already started to address mistake number 3 - failing to build influence. In the last episode I talked about the need to get really clear on your personal brand - what people say about you when you’re not in the room. In this episode (and the next one too) I dive into the detail of 'influence'. I explain what I think Influence is (and what it isn’t) and also why it’s so important.

This episode is about how to build influence in your new job, and this episode goes hand in hand with the previous 2.  I’m going to introduce you to a tool I created for myself about a decade ago in my corporate career. I call this tool 'Influence Radar' and I’m going to explain what it is and how it works - and pretty soon it’ll become obvious where the ‘radar’ name comes from. 

This episode is about how to be happy at work. It's a topic I was determined to include in the first season of Her Career Her Life because I feel really strongly about it and I’ve given it lots of thought throughout my 30 year career. I’m looking forward to sharing my ideas with you. I’ve not always succeeded in being happy at work - sometimes I’ve been downright miserable. But there are a number of practical steps that I'm sure will give you the best shot at happiness - or at least start to move you towards a happier frame of mind.

Starting a new job can be very stressful, but stress is a feature of every job everywhere and it’s not always a bad thing.  A healthy level of stress can help us be at our best. But in our high pressured, fast-paced world how can we keep our stress levels at a ‘healthy’ level? In this final episode of Season 1, I talk to Kirsten Goodwin, a career coach who specialises in helping professional women find positive ways of handling stress at work.  Pick up a wealth of practical tips as Kirsten talks about her experiences in tackling stress herself and with her clients.  Visit www.kirstengoodwin.co.uk to find the Success without Stress short course.