Tips from the Career Coaches: Starting a New Job Advice

Starting in a new role can be exciting and daunting, especially if it’s been a while since you were the newbie. It’s natural to have concerns such as ‘Am I fully equipped to do this role? Will I fit in with my new team? How will I get along with my manager? How will I deliver on everything that’s expected of me?’ There are a few things you can do to increase your success when starting a new job…

Develop the Knowledge and Skills You Need to Excel in the Role

The organisation would not have hired you if they didn’t think you had the required skills and experience to do the job. However, there are likely to be areas you still need to develop to do the job really well. Identify what skills you need to do your new role successfully and research how to best develop those skills. Don’t wait for your new manager or organisation to offer training and development – what can you arrange for yourself to fit in around your work hours?

Someone I was coaching recently used the weeks she had before starting her new job – a management role to do courses in project management and people management. This demonstrates fantastic initiative to your new employer and equips you with the skills you need. There are numerous online courses that are accessible and flexible to fit in around our schedules. Investing in your own learning will help you in the long term and no one will drive your career development as well as you.

Understand Your New Environment

Before getting caught up in the details of starting a new job, take time to examine the broader context. You will have started this during the interview process but now is the time to really understand the business, its culture, your customers (internal and external), and how your role fits in. Discuss with your manager how you can go about finding out about these. Who should you be talking to? What questions should you prepare? What documentation should you read (e.g. organisation charts, strategic plans, customer feedback)?

If you are responsible for delivering a service can you observe or experience that service? Your first few weeks is the time for asking lots of questions, listening and observing with fresh eyes. It’s important to understand the current situation before suggesting or implementing changes.

Focus on Relationships

Identify who you will be working with and your stakeholders, which might include customers, partners, suppliers, communities etc. How can you build alliances? What will they be expecting from you?

If you want to demonstrate your enthusiasm, introduce yourself to people you will be working with before starting a new job. Establish open communication with your manager and agree on how often you will meet, what is their preferred way of working, how they like to be updated and so on.

As well as building a relationship with your manager, prioritise your team and other colleagues. If you will be managing a team, arrange one-to-ones with each individual. Meet in person if it’s possible, but if not, make sure you talk directly with people. Remember, it takes courage and perseverance to reach out and build relationships and nurturing these relationships should not be limited to your first few months.

Practice Your Introductions

First impressions count. This is the time to communicate effectively what skills, experience and ideas you bring, before others form their own assumptions of who you are based on their expectations of the role. If you have prepared an elevator pitch in the job search process, you can adapt this for your introductions. Ideally practice this out loud with someone until you feel confident and tailor your message depending on your audience.

Have a Plan for the First 30, 60 and 90 Days

What does success look like when starting a new job? Creating a plan will help you keep focused. There’s a lot of guidance available on the first few months in your new job and if you’re starting a management position, I’d recommend The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins. A good approach is to outline priorities, goals, milestones and outputs you want to achieve in the first 30, 60 and 90 days. The first month should focus on learning and developing relationships, as outlined above. Build in flexibility to your plan and make sure you’re realistic – under-promise and overdeliver.

Identify Quick Wins

Quick wins are opportunities to build credibility and momentum in the first few months. What improvements can you make that are visible, support organisational goals and can be achieved quickly? For example, can you publicise some previously unrecognised work that your team has achieved (of course, giving credit where credit’s due)? Can you recommend any efficiency improvements such as changing the frequency or delivery of meetings? However, don’t try and fix things too much until you know the lay of the land. Identify quick wins that advance your manager’s and team’s agenda, rather than those that are for personal gain.

Working Remotely When Starting a New Job

Starting a new job when you’re working from home has added challenges. For example, walking back to your desk from a meeting with a colleague is a good time to ask questions and helps to develop relationships. How can you create these same opportunities for learning and developing relationships when working remotely? Reach out to colleagues and people outside of your immediate team for informal chats, focusing on their preferred medium of communication. Sending a direct message or picking up the phone can break the monotony of continual video meetings. If your colleagues live anywhere near you, can you arrange to meet up for a walk or a coffee?

Working from home can run the risk of blurred lines between work and personal life. It’s important to establish a routine and set boundaries – make it clear when your workday starts and ends and when you will be available. Prioritise your wellbeing and build in regular breaks to your daily schedule. You will be more productive if you give yourself time to recharge.

Seek a Buddy and a Mentor

The organisation may provide you with a buddy, but if they don’t, ask around for someone who can be your go-to person that you can ask all those questions you might not want to bother your manager with. Your buddy can provide useful insights into the company culture and informal ways of getting things done.

My final piece of advice is to find yourself at least one mentor. They could be inside or outside the organisation you’re working for, and sometimes it’s helpful to have someone external who has experience in the kind of role you’ll be doing but who has more objectivity. Ask them if they’re willing to mentor you, outlining what you think you will get from the relationship, and consider how it can be mutually beneficial. Agree on how often you will meet and make sure it works for them. Check in with your mentors regularly and if they have given you some advice you have acted on, make sure you let them know and how it benefitted you. Be sure to thank anyone who helps you for their support.

In summary, first impressions last. The first few months in your new job is the time to grow supportive relationships and invest in the learning process. Have a plan in place for the first 90 days that is approved by your manager and balance this with quick wins.

Good luck in your new job! Be confident that you can do the job well - they wouldn’t have hired you otherwise!

Ready to Start a New Job?

Now you know how to impress when starting a new job, why not take the next step? Create a profile with Monster and apply for jobs in your desired field. Once you’re set up you’ll receive regular job opening notifications, application notifications and be able to connect with leading recruiters.

Ieva Eksts is an experienced Career Coach based at Randstad RiseSmart.