(MONEY Magazine) – Plenty of dotcommers know the cycle. A website announces layoffs, the talent pool lands at another site, then that company goes belly up, leaving employees back on the street. Now with companies in virtually every industry announcing layoffs--sometimes even a second or third round--serial layoffs can happen to anyone. So say good-bye to those easy first few weeks of get-to-know-you lunches and softball assignments. These days you've got to make a great impression fast. Here's how.

Get started before your first day. Check out the company's website, read recent press accounts and talk to friends you may know at the company to find out what projects are high priority. Then when you get to work, do your best to get attached to those high-profile assignments. Steve Zales, president of executive search firm Spencer Stuart Talent Network, remembers when former General Electric CEO Jack Welch mentioned the importance of putting internal systems online in nearly every speech he gave in the two years before his retirement. "If you knew that, you would've been very smart to volunteer to help the company do that," Zales says.

Build a track record--fast. Start scheduling review meetings with your new manager almost immediately, says Zales, setting quarterly rather than annual goals, and requesting periodic critiques of long-term projects. The sooner you can fatten your personnel file with good reviews, the better.

Find a guide. It can take months to figure out the political landscape, especially if your job doesn't normally involve a lot of teamwork. But a strong ally can shortcut that process. "Ideally, this person should be someone a level above you in the same department," says Greg Pettenon of outplacement firm Drake Beam Morin. "That way, this person can also act as your advocate, putting forth your name when the opportunity presents itself."

Stay flexible. Turmoil can lead to opportunity. If you notice that a department is struggling, roll up your sleeves and help. One of Zales' clients joined an Internet start-up as head of marketing after being laid off from his financial services job. When he noticed that results in the sales department were lagging, he decided to pitch in, despite having little previous experience with direct sales. He proved to be so useful that the company eventually fired the head of the division and appointed him instead.

--CYBELE WEISSER