This month hundreds of thousands of careerists--from those carrying freshly minted diplomas through veterans in the workplace--start new jobs.

Survival, to say nothing of success, is far from guaranteed.

One-fourth of those in their first career jobs don't survive the first year, according to a study by The Employment Foundation. Nearly half are out the door in 18 months, reports Leadership IQ, a training firm.

The message is clear: recognize the extreme importance of getting off on the right foot from day one on a new job. Performance in the early days will often provide strong and lasting indicators for both employee and employer as to how a new hire will perform. Fair or unfair, first impressions have a lasting effect on success.

Nine Basic Guidelines

There are nine basic guidelines that can be helpful in making the most of the first job.

1. Work, work, work and then work some more. No substitute, no short cut will replace work. This means more than working diligently from eight to five. Take work home for nights and on weekends. Near total immersion in the job is recommended.

2. Arrive early on the job and stay late. Get to work at least 30 minutes before the specified starting time for the first several months. This is a good time, before the interruptions of the day start, to take care of routine chores and get a head start on the day.

Often, the boss is also in early. (That may have something to do with his being boss.) It's a great time to get better acquainted with him. Demonstrate interest in the job. Ask for extra information and guidance.

Stay a while after the regular hours. Clean up the personal work place. Collect the files and reading materials to take home for review that night. Make a list of actions to be taken the next day.

3. Don't expect to conquer the world in six months. But realize the scoreboard is operating from day one.

4. Don't be afraid to ask questions and seek help when needed. To do so is a sign of strength not an admission of weakness, as is often assumed. Seeking assistance, intelligently, shows confidence and desire to do the job. Acquire a mentor as soon as possible. Find someone who has been around the track to provide coaching and share experiences. This will not be difficult to do; most people like to be asked for advice.

5. Observe how things "really get done." Learn how the machinery of the organization works. (This is likely to be quite different from what's spelled out in the policy and training manuals.) Absorb the folklore.

6. Don't join cliques or deal in office politics. Leave the gossip to others.

7. Respect the hierarchy. The organization is bigger and stronger than any one person. The new boy in the neighborhood can't change it in the beginning. Recognize and respect there's a chain of command; everybody has a boss. Rebels rarely survive for the long haul.

8. Know the business of the business... the mission of the organization, what it does and what values it represents. Learn how the job fits into the overall picture.

9. Adapt to the environment. Observe the style of dress casual or more buttoned down? and be guided by it. Is business done in an informal manner or strictly by the rules? By memos and formal meetings or by face-to-face discussions and chance meetings in the hallway?

It just makes common sense to recognize that those who go contrary to these guidelines make life difficult for themselves and raise the odds against their success. Who needs that?

Ramon Greenwood

RAMON GREENWOOD

Ramon Greenwood produces a free semi-monthly newsletter providing career advice to those who want to accelerate their careers. Contact him at ramon@commonsenseatwork.com to subscribe.

Those who know Ramon Greenwood and seek his counsel likely to describe him in such terms as "realistic" and"down-to- earth." Most agree with one of his clients who recently said, "He puts his rich and varied lode of experiences to work with an eye to results. He has the ability to make even the most complicated and formidable issues seem less forbidding and more manageable."

Another client declares: "Greenwood has been in the game, in the major leagues, for a long time. He's seen the winners and the losers up close. He knows what makes the difference between the players."

Greenwood's experiences include serving as:

• Senior Career Counselor, Common Sense At Work curently. • Senior vice president for worldwide communications at American Express; member of the board of directors of American Express Publishing Company, American Express International, Inc. and American Express Foundation. • Vice president-public affairs Consolidated Foods Corporation (now Sara Lee Corporation).

• Senior public affairs officer, U. S. Department of Transporation, during President Gerald Ford's Administration.

• Author of HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD OF WORK WORK FOR YOU and HOW TO LAND YOUR FIRST JOB. He is co-author of THE NAME OF THE GAME IS LIFE. His writings also have included a syndicated newspaper column, "Common Sense At Work"

• Wave 9 Enterprises, Inc., CEO and director ; Children On The Go, Inc., (chairman of the board and co-founder of this Chicago- based juvenile products company) ; Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, Inc. (marketing and advertising agency), director; Simmons First National (Banking) Corporation, director and member of the corporate executive committee.

• Management consultant who counsels, speaks and writes on a variety of subjects related to career and business strategies and organizational dynamics.