6 things to consider when starting a new job

Starting a new job may be daunting and you need to feel as positive and confident about it as possible. Creating a positive and strong first impression will help you move forward effectively in the early stages of your new job.  Your first few months will give you the opportunity to impress your manager and build new relationships with fellow employees.

The first 30 days are extremely important, here are our tips on how to settle in to the organisation.

Create a positive first impression

Coming across as too eager could put people off. If you are new at an office, do not try too hard or you may come across as having an agenda or considered to be pushy. Get a feel for the people around you and listen to what others say. As you start to work more closely with them look for things you may have in common to build a rapport.

Actively listen and ask questions

You may be paired up with a colleague or mentor as part of an induction process. They will be your “go to” to answer questions and to ensure you have everything you need. This could be a peer or someone senior to you such as your manager. You are likely to be given a lot of information throughout your first week. You will need to be able to take on board this information by actively listening and ensuring you ask questions where necessary.

Understand the organisation’s culture

Take time to learn about the existing culture. Before starting a new job, you could use online resources such as www.glassdoor.co.uk to research and get some initial information on this topic. Read reviews from previous employees about the culture of the organisation or research on LinkedIn.  Once you start the role, ask questions and try not to compare your new company to your old company.

Establish quick wins

It can be useful to set yourself some targets that you can hit easily and to quickly be able to demonstrate where you add value. Adding value quickly will help you to develop your reputation, build confidence and credibility. Choose your quick wins wisely: ensure they are relevant to what you were hired to do and are linked to the overall objectives of the business.

Manage and meet expectations

Starting a new job is an opportunity for you to establish rapport with your new manager so ensure that you communicate regularly and set up times to review your progress. Identify any developmental areas you may have: these could include skills, competencies, personal values, work life balance, networking or managing emotions. Keep a record of the areas you plan to work on and set yourself objectives that you can review on a quarterly basis. Your objectives must relate in some way to the objectives of the role and the organisation.

Set goals

When your role becomes more demanding, e.g. increase in workload and meeting tighter deadlines, it can be very easy to forget what you want to gain and achieve from your job. Goal setting will motivate you to keep on track and achieve your longer and shorter term objectives. Review your goals regularly and check they reflect what you want and are in line with your values. By setting clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. It also allows you to stay focused on a track that may seem like a long road at the start. Setting goals gives you long term vision and short term motivation. Goal setting is used by achievers in all fields such as Top level athletes and successful business people
The achievements you make in the first year will assist you in creating a positive impression for your future with the company. Get to know your new company, establish good relationships and show your commitment to the on-going success of the organisation.

Renovo is one of the UK’s leading providers of outplacement and career transition support. We work with both organisations and individuals to support all their career transition requirements. If you would like to understand how Renovo can help you please call 0800 612 2011 or email info@renovo.co.uk