Once the celebration over landing a new job ends, the tough part begins. Your journey to success depends on how hard and how efficiently you are willing to work. It is important to be conscientious and diligent in your work. Know your company's goals, your department goals and your personal goals. Find out from your boss exactly what is expected of you and always do your best to fulfill these expectations. Try to obtain direct feedback on how you can improve. Be willing to arrive to work early and stay late, if that is what it takes to complete your project. Putting in extra time shows that you take your job seriously.

Taking initiative is another great way to succeed on the job. If you are done with your own projects, ask others if they need help with theirs. Volunteer to take on more difficult tasks. Show your boss that you are capable of performing duties other than those you are assigned. Self-motivation is essential to success.

One way to motivate is to keep your job skills current. Acquiring new skills that are useful to your job will definitely put you ahead of the game. Although you will learn a variety of skills at your new job, it is always to your benefit to expand your expertise and knowledge outside the workplace as well. Taking a computer class on a weekend or enrolling in a language course at a local college may make you more of an asset on the job. Keeping up with current trends and broadening your knowledge makes you a more valuable employee.

An intelligent way to meet other valuable employees and find out "who's who" in the company is to network. Knowing who does what for who increases your list of resources to go to when you need help. If you meet and get to know at least one person in your department each day for one month, you will be able to obtain enough information on how the company is run and who the key players are.

On-the-job success is especially important if you want to grow with your company. Impressing your boss, complying with office politics, and networking are essential to success in a new job. Above all, remember to stay calm and think clearly at all times. Handling stressful situations with dignity and poise is key to succeeding in a new environment. Although you may be overwhelmed with phone calls, faxes and deadlines, remember to calm down and relax before dealing with stressful situations. When you think before you react, you increase your chances of making the right decision and ultimately succeeding on the job.