What to lock down before you start
The gap between accepting an offer and your first day is the most overlooked stretch of a job move. People treat it as a formality, a few weeks to wind down. In fact it’s when you set the terms of the whole relationship. Handled well, you walk in aligned and protected. Handled carelessly, you spend your first quarter fixing things you could have settled in advance.
1. Get everything in writing, especially the variable pay
Verbal promises evaporate the moment the person who made them leaves. If it isn’t in the contract, assume it doesn’t exist. Read the offer properly and check that every number you discussed is there: base, bonus terms and how they’re measured, any guarantee for year one, pension, equity or LTIP terms, notice, and anything promised in conversation.
If something was agreed verbally and isn’t written down, ask for it to be added. This is not awkward, it’s normal, and the people you’re joining will expect a finance leader to be precise about terms.
2. Align on the first 90 days before day one
Have the expectations conversation with the CEO or board before you start, not in your first week. What does success look like at 30, 60 and 90 days? What are the two or three things they most need you to fix or build? What does the board want from finance that it isn’t getting today?
Walk in already aligned on what good looks like, and you start months ahead. Walk in guessing, and you spend the first quarter finding out, often the hard way.
3. Resign well, and prepare for the counter
Resign professionally, give a proper handover, and don’t burn bridges. Finance is a small world and you’ll meet these people again.
Expect a counter-offer, and decide how you’ll respond before it comes. A counter is flattering, but accepting one usually ends badly. The reasons you wanted to leave rarely disappear, your loyalty is now in question, and most people who accept a counter have left anyway within a year. Know that going in, so a sudden offer of more money doesn’t pull you off a decision you made carefully.
4. Use your notice and any garden leave deliberately
If you have a long notice or garden leave, don’t waste it. Rest properly, because the first 90 days in a new senior role are demanding. Read into the new company, its sector, and its competitors. Meet a few useful people. Arrive recovered and informed rather than frazzled and cold.
5. Sort the practical setup in advance
Small things slow down a strong start. Before day one, line up your access and systems, and ask who the key relationships are: the auditors, the bank, the board members, your direct reports, the budget holders. Knowing the map before you arrive means week one is spent building credibility, not chasing logins.
The honest summary
Get every term in writing. Agree what success looks like before you start. Resign cleanly and expect the counter-offer. Use your notice to rest and prepare. And sort the practical setup so your first week is about the job, not admin.
Do that and you arrive aligned, protected and ready, which is exactly the position you want to be in when the real work starts.
One thing worth checking before you sign: that the package you agreed actually stands up against the market. The Finance Pay Index shows you where it sits, by level and sector, free and anonymous.
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