(ThyBlackMan.com) Starting a new job can be a scary experience to say the least. It doesn’t matter whether you are coming straight out of college or whether you have been in the workforce for 20 years because there are various steps that you need to take and sometimes it helps to prepare yourself.
Don’t Forget about your Brand
The moment you step into any office or even any kind of interview, you will be representing your personal brand. You have to make sure that you don’t downplay the importance of first impressions and that you make every interaction respectful and professional. Every conversation that you have gives you a chance to grow, so the more that you can capitalise on that, the better.
Be Careful with Early Demands
Some new hires come into the office and they make demands in their very first week. The demands could relate to how they want their schedule to be handled or it could even be how they want to work. Either way, you have to make sure that you don’t work this way. Trust is earned and when you are able to prove yourself, you will then be able to make certain demands in a respectful way. This will also improve the relationship that you have with your co-workers and employer as well, so do keep that in mind.
Take a Tour of the Premises
When you have filled out all of the paperwork, you will have to make sure that you take a tour of the building. Take note of where the office supply room is, as well as the privacy rooms and even bathrooms. If you are not familiar with the neighbourhood then now would be the time for you to ask for certain recommendations about where you can dine as well.
Take an Organisational Tour
When you roughly know where the main rooms are, you then need to take an organisational tour of the office. You need to know where the main departments are, such as where you are likely to work and even where the IT department is. You might not need to know where things like this are for a few weeks or even months, but if you are able to make yourself more comfortable early-on then this will work wonders for your confidence.
Take your Manager’s Lead
You might go into your job knowing what lies ahead, but you do still need to follow your manager’s lead. They may have you spending the whole day doing paperwork, and if this is the case then you need to make sure that you just go with it. After all, it might not have been in your job description, but it might be their way of settling you in.
Confirm Communication
One question that you need to make sure that you ask very early-on is how the manager would like to communicate. Would they like you to drop into the office? Email? Call? Either way, you should never assume that your manager would want to communicate with you in the same way that your previous managers have.
Tell them Your Experience
Sure, your boss will have seen your CV and they will also be aware of how much experience you have as well, but when you get into the office, things might change, and you may find yourself doing jobs that are below, or sometimes above your skillset. So talk to your manager if you have experience in accounting, such as issues and rewards, or even if you know your way around spreadsheets. The more useful you can make yourself in the first few days, the better you will be overall.
Check-In with your Manager
Your manager might not specify a schedule for meetings, so take it upon yourself from time to time to check in. You also need to make sure that you ask for feedback as well so that you can make any adjustments for future tasks. This will show your manager that you are willing to improve, and it will also help you to make the most out of the position you have.
Ask for Introductions
You also need to make sure that you check in with your boss to ask for introductions. Ask who you are going to be working with and also find out if there is anyone who you are going to be relying on for certain tasks. When you have a list of people, you can then proceed to try and meet up with them to find out how they work and if there is anything that you can do to try and better your communication with them. For example, some people might prefer to talk via email, whereas others might prefer to chat over the phone depending on the work environment and how busy things get.
Judge your Working Capacity
Another thing that you need to talk about with your manager is the pace of the work you’re doing. Your manager won’t know how quickly you will be able to get things done, or even the extent of your knowledge. It may be that you are getting assignments that are too easy, or deadlines that are too tight. Of course, if you struggle through and if you push yourself far too hard, then you may end up experiencing burnout and this won’t do you any favours at all. One way for you to get around this would be for you to be open with your manager about how you are coping so that you can adjust your workload accordingly. At the end of the day, things are going to be difficult at first but if you are able to take everything in your stride, then things will eventually become easier.
So, there are plenty of things that you can do to try and make your working week easier, and if you follow these tips then you’ll soon find that you can settle into any new job without having to worry about a thing.
Staff Writer; Doug Short
