Settling into your new job – your first 30 days

Starting a new job can be daunting and you need to feel as positive and confident about it as possible. Your first month as a whole will be crucial to your development and success within the business so it’s important that from your first day you make a lasting impression. Here are some hints and tips designed to help you make a strong first impression in your first 30 days, so you move forward effectively in the early stages of your new job.

Before you start

Research:  Before you start your new job, take some time to do some research and learn about your new employer. Visit their website, have a look for any news articles about them and see what you can find. Doing this background research will allow you to familiarise yourself with key members of staff and structure within the organisation.

Plan your route: The best way to deal with any new situation is to plan for all eventualities and to be prepared. You don’t want to be late - if you’re taking a new train, bus or a new route, do a practise run at the time you would be travelling every day and allow extra time for traffic.

Your first day

First impressions count:  Make sure you have a positive attitude - as you meet people, demonstrate a positive attitude, smile and try to be sincere and enthusiastic. When you are introduced to people in different areas of the business demonstrate your enthusiasm through questions and gain a clear understanding of the key stakeholders within the business.

Dress to impress: The way you dress is very important on your first day. Think about the company’s dress code when you went for interview, if you are unsure, always dress slightly smarter than you think you should or ask HR before you start.

Prepare an elevator pitch: Get ready to give a 30-second pitch of who you are and where you were before, as many new colleagues will likely ask about your previous place of employment, Be prepared to also describe what you'll be doing in this new position, since there may be people who have a vague understanding of your role or simply want to strike up a conversation.

Your first month

Clarifying Expectations – Make sure you sit down with your new manager and have a meeting to determine the full scope of the role, priorities and key targets, how can you overcome any challenges? Start identifying and mapping out the key stakeholders that you need to meet with.

Understand the culture – Within the first month you may be starting to adapt to the company’s culture. Do you need to make any changes or adjustments?

Building strong working relationships – The first 30 days are a crucial time to build relationships with colleagues and key stakeholders. You should have now started to integrate into your new team and began establishing relationships. Make sure you show an interest in their backgrounds and understand their roles within the business. Get to know other teams/departments so you can gain an overall understanding of how that business operates.

By the end of the first 30 days you should have aimed to have learnt about the organisational structure and have understood the key business objectives.

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