Employee Insights Volume 25: You landed the job, Congratulations!
Now, the real work begins. With all the excitement in getting ready for the day, we often forget about the bigger picture and don’t plan for a successful first week. Nothing dampens your new job experience like a slow start.
Fortunately, that’s what today’s Masterclass Monday is all about! Today we go beyond getting your employee badge and dive into 5 best practices that can help you set the foundation for long term success with your new employer.
Come ready to learn:
Be comfortable about asking as many questions as you need to in order to understand the new company’s operation. Drop the mindset that asking too many questions is annoying, this is your time to learn and get clarity on your new role. You’ll only feel confident doing your new job if you thoroughly understand what is expected from you, so ask away!
Come prepared with a pen and notepad and take notes as you deem necessary. You will get an information overflow by simple fact that this will all be new to you so take the time to put it on paper so you can come back and revisit the information later on. Write down acronyms, names, roles, tools, and team practices.
Have an open mind on how the new company operates. They may have different processes that you aren’t used to and may have their reasons for doing so. You might have ideas on improvement later down the road but first be sure to understand the current system first.
Make the proper introductions
Proactively introduce yourself to your direct supervisor/manager as well as your new teammates and express your excitement in joining the team. Eventually work your rounds with other departments, and support teams like HR. Use a simple intro: “Hi, I’m [Name]. Just started as [Role]. Excited to be here—looking forward to working with you.” You will find that building rapport early on will have major benefits down the road.
Clarify expectations
If not already booked, schedule time with your manager the first week to ask about their expectations in regards to performance, communication, quality standards, and other metrics that apply to how your success is measured. It’s best to ask about now assume how your manager considers a job well done. Set up a cadence to connect with each other on a consistent basis to make sure you are both on the same page at all times.
Learn the “company way”
Every company has different norms and its important to acclimate as best you can. Are meetings casual, or formal? What is the tone people talk with in emails? How about the dress code? All these little things matter as this is the language the team communicates in.
Connect and share
As your week wraps up, send a recap email to your manager and let them know what you’ve learned the first week. This is also a great time to ask clarifying questions on things you aren’t so sure about. Close your email with a recap of things you will be focusing on next week, and any things you might need in order to do your job properly.
Closing thoughts: The first week is more than just learning, it’s about positioning yourself to learn and adapt to your role quickly. Come with a gameplan!