CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Charleston marketing executives Emily Bennington and Skip Lineberg started writing "Effective Immediately" in 2003.

It took them two years to find an agent, another three years to find a publisher, and 18 additional months to get the book finished, printed and distributed.

"I'm the proud owner of more than 50 rejection letters," Bennington said. "But I never once thought about quitting."

"Effective Immediately" (published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Crown Publishing) offers recent college graduates and other entry-level employees practical advice -- divided into 87 easy-to-read and insightful lessons -- on how to succeed at their first professional job.

Lineberg is the founding partner of the Maple Creative marketing firm in Charleston. Bennington worked nearly eight years at Maple Creative, where she met Lineberg. She now works marketing director for Dixon Hughes accounting firm's West Virginia office.

The book already has been featured on The Huffington Post and Monster.com websites, and on the ABC "Money Matters" television program (Bennington flew to New York for the interview.)

The Sunday Gazette-Mail recently caught up with Bennington and Lineberg, who offered this advice:

Q: In today's job market, how long do you have to prove yourself at a new job?

Emily: Less than five seconds. From the moment you show up for the interview or arrive on your first day, you're being judged. Since there's nothing you can do to change that, the trick is to be very aware of it and act accordingly.

For starters, be very intentional about the image you want to project. Initially, you're going to be judged on basic, surface things like what you're wearing or the photos you put in your office. After that, you have to come in to the workforce knowing you're going to have a lot of information thrown your way at once. Skip and I call this the 'brain dump' and it happens to every new employee. The real test is how you handle it. I've seen new hires who embrace the challenge and some who look completely overwhelmed.

Q: How can you establish your worth, fit in with co-workers and yet stand out in a positive way?

Emily: The biggest mistake I made as a new grad was trying to establish myself as "the superstar" right out of the gate. I only alienated the very colleagues I needed to succeed and it was a total rookie move. Now, I tell students to start their careers learning how to be good followers. It's not what they want to hear, but that CEO-from-day-one mindset is what got me in trouble.

Q: How can you impress your first boss?

Emily: Newbies shouldn't try to impress with grand gestures, but with an incremental edge. By this I mean they should be focusing on the "small" behaviors that build goodwill and credibility over time. One idea is to create and send a "Friday Update" each week via e-mail. This isn't fancy; it's just a quick, bulleted summary of accomplishments, areas where help or input is needed, and goals for the following week. The updates only take a few minutes to create, but they make a huge impression.

    Q: How can a new employee raise their profile at work?

    Skip: Become a truly unselfish team player. Throughout our academic experience, we are conditioned, rewarded and programmed to become great individual achievers. In 99 percent of the cases, that all goes out the window when we enter the work world, where so much involves teamwork and collaboration. To establish yourself as a team player, you have to gain the trust and respect of co-workers and proving how much you know, or how smart you are, is really not important, especially at the entry-level stage. Over time, your attitude and your work will demonstrate that for you.

"Effective Immediately" is available for purchase on Amazon.com and other book-selling websites. More information is available at http://www.professionalstudio365.com and www.facebook.com/effectiveimmediately.