You’re out of graduate school and you’ve landed the career you’ve been aiming to get. All is good with the world. In order to keep this career the dream you intend it to be, here are some tips to start out strong and look like the rock star you are:

Your learning curve is not over. Don’t be shocked, but your MBA was a platform of education that got you through the door. Now it’s time to learn this business and how they do things. Keep those learning modes going strong.

Know what’s expected. Sure you read the job description, but you’re here now. You need to get specific information on what you are responsible for and how you will be measured. Get multiple opinions so you get the full scope of what is expected.

Learn the internal process. Knowledge is power and knowing how the business gets its work done, will serve you well. It will also inform you for how you do your job and how to solve problems, which are almost always internal.

Learn the people. Get yourself educated on people and positions. Knowing how things work and who to go to will help you be more effective and quickly intelligent.

Learn from the alpha dog. All groups have them and it’s good to build alliances with them.

Get along with the boss. This usually means meeting or exceeding their expectations and not trying to be a friend. They simply want the work to get done without having to hover over you.

Hold off making improvement suggestions. Not forever, just until you’ve been there long enough and have delivered well in your job. If you make suggestions prematurely, you will not have enough credibility and it could potentially label you as lacking insight and political savvy.

Pay attention to the culture. All groups and businesses form a culture or a way of interacting with each other. Each group has subtle behaviors that are valued and others that are frowned upon. These aren’t obvious, so you will do well to observe and ask questions. Although you were probably selected because it seemed you were a cultural fit, an easy way to derail your first career is to miss their expectations of how well you fit with the rest of the group.

Be aware that you are in change mode. Keep in mind that you are going through a tremendous amount of change. You were in school and now you aren’t; and you may have moved to take the job. You are in a new job with a learning curve and potentially many other things. With all change comes a certain amount of discomfort, which you may confuse as making a bad job decision. Be patient with the newness, let the dust settle and know that each day will get better.

With some well thought out actions, you can make this first post-MBA career all you intended it to be. It’s good to get a great start to your career; it fuels other dynamic moves as you go forward.

For more tips and insight, claim your Free Instant Access to the Career Makeover Newsletter AND eWorkbook “Should I Stay or Should I Go” – both dedicated to your career success, when you visit:

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From Dorothy Tannahill-Moran, your Career Change Agent from http://www.nextchapternewlife.com/ and http://mbahighway.com/