I’ve recently moved house and have been navigating the local area by foot, bike and car. I’ve figured out the good places to buy fresh meat, get my hair cut, have a pint. Also identified where the pleasant walks are and have said hello to a few of the neighbours. (As it’s not in London some people have even said hello back and been kind enough to share their supplies of recycling bags). I even received a free box of slightly unpleasant tasting tropical flavoured Fanta and a bottle of powdered milk from the Post Office as a moving in gift (all you need for a fun night in apparently).
This moving has led me to thinking about how to get the best from a new move, especially a new job. Where appropriate I’ve always begun a new PR job by sending out an email to my close contacts to tell them of my move (as I did last week to my mates in reference to my domestic move). I’ve found that the responses and encouragement have opened opportunities for conversations about the new client, led to useful meetings and enabled some ‘quick wins’ which reassure both the client and you as the newbie. Where appropriate it’s handy to send out an informal media release about your move, of course with the permission of the relevant people.
If you relocate to an office where there is no formal induction it’s still worth setting up a series of short coffee meetings with colleagues in different departments and, where possible, grabbing the chance to stand up in front of the department or company to say a bit about yourself before you lose the excuse of being new.
What else? It’s handy to find something about yourself to help people easily remember you, whether it’s because you bring in cakes on your first day, make a good cuppa or help someone out who is drowning in photocopying. Don’t let yourself be remembered for getting horrifically drunk at the end of your first week or for wearing the most revealing outfits…
Managing your own internal PR can be the foundations for a successful career move and make work a lot more motivating. It’s usually a nerve-racking time, so try and ring a good friend or former colleague the night before your first day and get them to remind you of some of your big PR successes in the recent past, which will help remind you that you absolutely can do this and wow everyone with your skills. Which you will.