Recognize that, whatever the level of the job, there will be a "settling in" period in which you will require both extra concentration and positive support. Both your private and working lives will change. So it makes sense to discuss these changes with your family before they occur.

Discuss issues like child care, hours, commuting, etc. If you are relocating for your new job, you and your entire family will go through some major adjustments.

Research the background of a new employer.

The more you know about your new employer, the easier it will be for you during the first few months of employment. Expand on the research you will--or should--have carried out prior to your interview.

If you don't already have a copy of the new employer's annual report, obtain one. Identify:

• Your new employer's competitors.
• Their relative degree of success or failure.
• The basis on which they compete (such as price, quality, or service) or are protected from competition (because of location or access to raw materials for example).

Talk to people you know about the company. Goal: to learn all you can about the culture of the organization, the people with whom you will be working, the structure within which they work, and the reputation of the department you will be joining.

Learn about the industry if you are new to it. Search the Internet for trade journals and Web sites. You can even ask your new employer to supply you with information that you can review before you come to work for them. Most employers would be happy to provide you with these resources.

Discover the background of the job opportunity.

If you haven’t already, seek to find out if your job is newly created or if you’re replacing someone. If the former, find out whether it was created to solve a problem and if so, what problem?

For example, was it to cope with expansion in activity and if so, what caused the expansion? Find out the structural context of the newly created job, future plans for it, and, most of all, special expectations of you as the newly appointed jobholder. Is the job unique in the organization or are there others like it?

Try to identify what characteristics and skills you are bringing to the job which made you the best person for it. Remember that these characteristics and skills will be used to evaluate your performance.

Add to your existing knowledge about the job.

Learning the following information will improve your job success probability:

• The purpose of the department.
• The purpose of your new job.
• Your responsibilities.
• Your authority.
• The structure of the department and company.
• The department’s place in the organization.
• To whom you report and your boss's requirements.
• Who, if anyone, reports to you.
• As much as possible about the culture and values of the unit and of the organization.
• Whether relationships are formal or informal--does this apply to all of them?

Make sure you are clear on practical matters, such as:

• Starting and finishing times (formal and real).
• Lunch and break arrangements.
• The use of the telephone for private calls.
• Performance appraisal.
• Employee benefits.
• The position on unions.
• Dress code (formal, business casual, or informal).

What you need to know may range from the obviously important to the apparently trivial. However, if it helps you become accepted and begin to achieve the purpose of your new job more quickly, it is worth knowing. This may apply even more if you have been appointed to a newly created job.

Get ready to feel bewildered!

You will meet a lot of new people and learn many new processes, both directly related to your job or unrelated like learning to use the photocopier. Most people don't feel fully comfortable in their new job for at least six months, so be patient with yourself.