“You can Google all you want to find tips and hints on how to write a dynamite resume and ace an interview but you still won’t know how to be successful in your career from day one.” So begins William J. White’s book From Day One: CEO Advice to Launch an Extraordinary Career. This how-to guide aimed at young professionals, from recent college graduates just entering the workforce to newly promoted managers, offers advice on how to handle everything from picking an industry in which to work to managing your own team.
White is a former chairman and CEO at several top-tier companies and college professor at Northwestern University. Each chapter details the different stages of a new career and includes insightful stories from White’s own experience and the experiences of several other top-level executives. White provides specific examples of the decisions that young professionals face and details how to choose the right path to take. White synopsizes the main points of each chapter with success secrets to drive home the following themes:
- What Contributions Will You Make? You can control the outcome of your career by setting goals, working hard and listening to the advice of colleagues, peers and mentors. Successful people are those who contribute not only to their own personal goals but to the overall goals of the team, group or company with which they belong.
- Your Personal Philosophy. Your own personal ethics should guide you in all areas of your life and career. It is best to find an industry and company that aligns with your beliefs and wants. In my opinion, the best piece of advice from this chapter is to treat everyone you meet with respect because you never know whose path you may cross again.
- Your Network. This chapter explores the concept that every good professor or mentor will state again and again: networking is the best way to expand your horizons and further your career. Your network should be open to everyone you meet but be sure to give back to your connections because business is not a one way street.
- Finding Your Ideal Position. Every person should find what they are passionate about and how to translate that passion into a long and fruitful career. White stresses that your first boss may be an important factor in future success and, therefore, should be chosen carefully. He encourages thorough and thoughtful research into your prospective employer in order to make the right choice.
- From Day One. The beginning of your career will shape the future. You need to have a positive attitude, be a team player, be open to new experiences and learn new things. One of the more surprising points that White makes is to pace yourself. As eager as you may be to make a good impression, your career is a marathon and you may tire yourself out if you sprint too hard in the beginning. Meet with your boss, mentor and other colleagues on a regular basis in order to track your progress.
- Is Graduate School Right for You? While this chapter may not be relevant to those in the accounting profession who plan on becoming CPAs and are obligated to obtain advanced degrees, the issues of timing, type of degree and how to handle employer expectations are pertinent to all. Be open and clear with your employer or future employer on your goals for graduate school, what the advanced degree will mean for your career and how it will benefit them as well.
- Developing Your Career. White details several steps to take in order to further your career: welcome any feedback received, be proactive with new projects and taking on the “dirty jobs” that others may not want, be willing to move horizontally within the company before moving vertically.
- The New Manager. The challenges facing a new manager center mainly around how to transition from being the delegatee to the delegator. White explains that the best managers are those who delegate effectively, encourage input from all team members, set high expectations and make their boss look good.
From Day One offers solid advice for any person starting their career. I’m sorry I found this book so long into my career as many of the earlier chapters would have helped in shaping my goals and attitudes during my first job. I highly recommend this book for undergraduates as it will assist them in determining what type of young professional they wish to become.
Kait Zech, CPA, is a Senior Accountant at Fazio, Mannuzza, Roche, Tankel, LaPilusa, LLC in Cranford, NJ. She became a CPA in 2009 and joined the NJSCPA in May 2009. Kait chose this book because she is always looking for different viewpoints on managing a successful career. When she is not counting debits and credits, Kait enjoys baking, reading and watching the Mets win a handful of games. She can be reached at kzech@fmrtl.com.