Last Thursday we held our first HAPPO chat of 2012. The topic: Tips for the first 90 days on the job. It was a great conversation punctuated by tips and advice from more than 15 HAPPO champs across the country. Smart PR counselors like Anne Buchanan, Abbie Fink, Richie Escovedo and Shonali Burke weighed in. As did more HAPPO champs and supporters like Mike Schaffer and Kasey Skala.

Here’s a few tips I thought were particularly interesting–and smart–from some of our champs and other participants last Thursday evening.

Question #1:  What is the hardest thing about being the newest employee in your company/department?

Question #2:  Should you use social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook) to connect with new colleagues? Leadership?

Question #3:  What steps should you take to manage your image/brand internally?

Question #4:  What do you do if the reality of the job you took doesn’t match the position you applied for?

Question #5:  What are some “red flags” that may signal the job is not working out?

Question #6: What steps can YOU take to “help out” the new guy/gal on the team?

Look for more information soon about our next HAPPO chat this spring–and our second-annual HAPPO Hour event in May.