The art and science of starting a new job. (In the Trenches).

You've accepted a job with an out-of-town group and you're due to report in six weeks. Don't make the mistake of focusing exclusively on the housing, schools, lifestyle, and culture of your home-to-be. Even without the hassles of the physical move, you'll be ill-prepared to succeed in your new job unless you develop a plan for a smooth transition into the organization. You won't expire if you don't find a good Thai restaurant, but if you start off on the wrong foot with your new boss, medical staff, and other coworkers, your job will be in jeopardy. Here's a checklist.

1. Update your research

Once you've given notice on your old job and delegated unfinished work, hit the library. The amount of organizational research needed before interviewing is minimal compared to what you need to know once you've cast your lot with the organization. You should explore these issues:

* What the local business community says about the organization. Update yourself with the daily newspaper, not just the Sunday edition.

* What has changed since your last research? Check websites and professional publications.

* What former employees say--especially those who've been laid off.

Since technically you're already an employee, what difference can this Information make? It can help you make sense of the organizational culture once you're on the job. Are your new peers paranoid and unfriendly? It could be your arrival, but their behavior probably has a historical explanation. If management has been caught in a revolving door, peers may be eyeing you as a clue to the CEO's latest enthusiasm.

Has the organization suffered a body blow--a widely reported failure or high turnover with disgruntled employees telling all as they exit? Or perhaps the organization's torpor has sapped employee enthusiasm and resilience. It's unlikely the recruiter or interviewer would have raised these issues. It's up to you to dig for the facts. Otherwise, you may think certain behaviors are personal attacks.

2. Stay in close contact with your new boss

Even if you schedule a vacation before you report, or you plan to take several months to transition, chat at least weekly with your new boss. You'll reinforce commitment on both sides. The most common transition sob story we hear is from new hires who turn up prepared to work for a boss who--guess what?--is leaving the scene. If you had been in regular contact with the boss, you would have picked up hints that all might not be as advertised. You need to know. Much as you'd hate to start interviewing again, how would you feel about moving cross-country to work for someone who didn't hire you? Be wary if all you ever get is voice mail and no return calls.

The person with the greatest stake in your success is your boss. Even if he or she takes off on a month-long business trip the minute you're on site, keep in touch via every electronic bell and whistle available. Headhunters have told us that bosses make up their minds within the first 30 days whether a new hire will work out. That's an excellent reason to stay close. The troops will see a united stand.

3. Visit the office

Even if it means taking a break from house hunting, call ahead and see if you can arrange breakfast or lunch with soon-to-be coworkers or direct reports. Everyone who's done this reports positive results. If you think you're living in suspended animation, how do you suppose they feel? Ask about their projects, successes and/or failures, anything they care to talk about.

Ask for copies of the office software. If you're unfamiliar with it, get training now or arrange to get it the first week on the job. Don't expect to depend on the support staff any longer than absolutely necessary. You'll be at their mercy--a decided political disadvantage.

4. Hire your own support person

Your predecessor's secretary or assistant may have been perfect--for him or her. If you and the former don't click instantly, find a replacement. In this market, nobody goes to waste. You need an assistant who's loyal to you, not someone with a web of relationships in the organization that doesn't include you. More bosses have been sabotaged by disgruntled assistants than by peers and predatory subordinates alike.

5. Plan the first week

Schedule time with your boss for Day One. Send your agenda ahead. Success on the job means knowing expectations in advance. You may think you know what's expected of you but confirmation is vital. Many things may have happened since you signed the offer letter.

Talk with your new boss about your desire to meet with each direct report the first week. Your goal is twofold: To mark the end of the old regime and the beginning of the new and to uncover any lurking time bombs. Email each future subordinate asking for a status report on current projects and goals and a list of the resources needed from you to complete those projects and achieve those goals.

6. Tell the troops how to manage you

Were Dante writing now, he'd have a special circle in Hell for new bosses who expect subordinates to morph into mind readers. Spell out your hot buttons. If you are time-compulsive, avid for research, need to see a conclusion justified, or have other peculiarities, you'll be accepted as long as you give everyone who needs to know the details. Nothing wins support for a boss more quickly than speaking plainly. It also defuses the political games people--those who think they'll gain an advantage because they're good at reading people--play. Openness is a rare trait. We don't know if some managers just enjoy playing "gotcha" games or are so unprofessional they don't know better.

7. Early decisions are a must

Keeping an open mind doesn't mean you can take months to decide who stays and who goes. If you are ambivalent about one or more workers, interview them as if they were candidates for their jobs. Then decide whether or not to keep them or let them go. Your peers are watching. They are deciding whether you are a leader or a wimp. They're also testing to find out if you know what's going on. If you do, you win. If not, it will take months to convince them you deserve to be treated as an equal.

8. Meet your peers

Don't get so involved in cleanups or fire-fighting that you neglect to build a support system of peers. We see this all the time. A month has passed and the new manager is not even sure who his or her peers are. Balance your time commitments so that you do some meeting and greeting every day. You can hide in your office closet later.

Conclusion

Don't let all your efforts to excel in a new job block any messages that the new job may not work. Your contacts are warm--for now. If the job isn't going to work, wouldn't you rather know in the first month than suffer for six before reopening your search? The good news is that fewer than 15 percent of candidates are faced with the prospect of cutting their losses. The bad news is that only 1 percent are prepared for the possibility.

Marilyn Moats Kennedy is Managing Partner, Career Strategies, Inc., Wilmette, Illinois, and a long-time member of the ACPE faculty She can be reached at 1150 Wilmette Avenue, Wilmette. Illinois 60091, 847/251-1661, via fax at 847/251-5191, and via email at MMKCareer@aol. com.