A new job comes with many changes, such as a new commute, new colleagues and a new set of expectations. The first week of being hired is very critical. It is the opportunity to present yourself and give the good impression of you.
The first week of being hired is usually about you, you are the center of attention.
You might feel lost and lonely in a way or another. In this article, I am going to share with you a set of tips to help you to adapt easily and survive the new working environment.
Familiarizing with the company policies
To avoid surprises or being given warnings for doing something against the company's policies and rules, make sure you clearly understand the company's policy.
Normally, some company policies might be included in the work contract. If not, you will get a specific training for that.
Familiarizing with the company's organization
You need to know all the teams and the main tasks assigned to each one of them; What is the role of your team within the organization and what are the relations with other teams, in which situation can other teams be contacted.
Know the specific go-to people in your company when you have to deal with tasks that require collaboration with other teams.
Familiarizing with colleagues
It can be overwhelming to go from knowing everyone and everything, to a place where you are the new person asking all the questions.
Figure out their communication style – is it email, memos, face-to-face meetings? Find out how they like to work, and how they like things done.
Be a team player, approachable, cooperative, and willing to learn and help, open to advice, suggestions. Look for things that the teams or the company will be in need for, and if you have it.
If possible, go for lunch together and have talks about the company, about your interests, previous experience etc..
While all eyes are on you, and you can feel the pressure that comes with it, it's all normal. But give it time, and remember that you are also analyzing how this new context fits you, not only the other way around.
While it is important to do your best, be flexible, approachable, adapt, do it to the extent where you still stay true to your principles , respect and don't lose yourself in the process.
Building relations with your boss
With the bosses, forget anything you have been gone through in your previous experiences. New king, new law!! . It is important to start a new relationship without any expectations or fear because a new boss means new ways of doing things.
Meeting and talking and providing feedback to your new boss is key to drawing a clear path for your career success. You have to know what it will be expected from you. In case your boss doesn’t clarify any specific goals and expectations, write your own and discuss them together to ensure you are on the same page.
Taking a training
The training is usually common for all new hires; however, it is important to find out what knowledge you lack during this process. If you see yourself lacking knowledge, ask your trainer for an extra training about that or ask to be assigned some time to train yourself for that.
Taking notes is a good way to both show initiative but also ensure you remember what you have learned. However, don't stress if you forget things, at least in this initial phase, it is actually more important to know where to find the information, so pay attention to how you organize it and make it easy to find (use online notebooks and break into categories, or use bookmarks when needed etc). It will give you a sense of control over things.
Prioritize your learning, as there will be a lot to take in when you start. Try to focus on understanding the business, who key people to build relationships with are and what your day-to-day role will be.
Asking questions
You might feel like you are annoying when asking questions, but this is the only way to make sure you cover all the basics. People will expect you to ask a lot of questions, and it doesn’t matter that you ask the same question again and again. It is better to ask a lot in the beginning than to feel embarrassed to ask basic things in a later stage.
However, what you could do, to slowly start building your sense of independence, is to take a few minutes and try to find the info on your own at first, or see if you already have it in your notes or in a database, if that is the case, and only then ask for help.
Bonding with your mentor
Your trainer or mentor will be the person that you will interact with most in the first weeks of being hired.
Building a good relation and bonding with your mentor is a key to a productive communication. However, this won't be always an easy task because the mentor might be assigned other tasks in addition to training you. When you have the chance to get in touch with your mentor , make the most of it, ask questions, share your thoughts and bring back the notes you have taken before and discuss the things which are not clear.
It's in the human nature to want to be heard, seen and valued. Show your mentor you value their time and effort. For example, when they make suggestions or an action plan for you, be receptive, listen actively and put it in practice or do your best to go in that direction. This is also a sign of respect and will surely ease your collaboration.
Understanding the new culture
This is not something that you must learn from the start, or at least not all of it. Some companies might have some rituals, events, regular meetings that. Being a part of them will help you adapt faster and get along with your colleagues.
You will also be someone with a fresh perspective, you might come with ideas to improve things from a culture perspective.
Conclusion
The first week of being hired is the most important. It can give you hints about how your career cycle will be, an indicator about what you will be expecting. It will also give an impression about you to your colleagues.
There is a set of stages you will be going through until you get used. You might miss your old job the first few weeks, even if you didn’t like it that much in the end.
You might feel like you want to go back to the old and familiar. However, you must remind yourself that you left your previous job for some reason, and try not to compare the two. This is a fresh start, and over time, your previous role will feel like a distant memory.
Remember, settling into a new job can take time and it is natural that it can feel daunting, but being new is only temporary. Be patient, take care of relationships and ask lots of questions.
How about you ? Have you been through the feeling of being stranger the first week of being hired?
