This six-part series of daily pearls is designed to give the job seeker an edge in the highly competitive job market.  We have talked about the basics – preparation, removing distractions, Constant Messaging®.  We have gone through the interview process.  You have now been offered a position at your company of choice (a large accomplishment in itself!) and now you are entering your probationary period.  The company wants to see you perform before a final decision is made on your permanent employment.

Now is the time to move to the next phase of job security.  Today we are going to focus on your inspired performance.  An inspired performance requires a little more emotion, a little more sacrifice, a little more effort, and a little more focus on the needs of others.

Emotion.  As we reviewed earlier in this series, controlled emotion is good.  Uncontrolled emotion can be unsettling for those around you.  The type of emotion a new employee wants to display is keen interest in every aspect of the job, a strong desire to learn, a helpful attitude to everyone in the company, a suppressed ego.

Sacrifice.  Alert your family and friends that you may not be as available to them as usual for a while.  Your new job may require more of your time initially as you learn the totality of its requirements.

Effort.  Every employer prizes a self-starter.  An employer notices the employee who anticipates the company’s needs and prepares to meet them.  Satisfied customers drive company growth.  Work hard to let customers know they are valued.

Others-Focus.  Awareness of silent communication will enable you to recognize unusual stress within fellow employees or within customers.  Communicate with them.  Help them if you can.  Pay attention to little things – people appreciate it.  For example, if you work in a grocery store and one of your jobs is to manage the shopping carts, be aware of shoppers who are transferring their groceries from a cart to a vehicle.  Offer to return the cart to the store for them.  It saves them a few steps and it delivers the silent message that you care, that you are willing to go the extra mile for them.

Every job has its uniqueness.  The nature of the inspired performance you bring to your job will involve the examples I have given you in today’s Pearl and much more.  Outfluence coaches can help you identify the unique aspects of your job and design a plan of inspired performance with you.

Networking is an important component of doing business.  We will focus on the business of connection in tomorrow’s edition of The Job Seeker series of the Pearl of the Day.