What People Wish They had Known Before Starting Their New Job

3 Smart Steps for Success in Your New Role

Developing an action plan to ensure your success in your new job might be the last thing on your mind while you are job hunting. Fact is, the act of landing a job is just the beginning. There are critical factors that kick in on Day One of your new job that will make or break your success.

The first month on your new job is filled with a new commuting schedule, learning new processes, and getting your computer to work properly (or even getting a computer at all). There’s more to onboarding successfully than making sure you have enough pens, sticky notes and understanding new software.

Professionals that miss the boat on a few important first steps into their new role often find themselves floundering months later. Your success and ultimate workplace happiness largely hinges upon how well you sync with the office culture.

Why be so concerned in the first months at your new job? First impressions matter! If you get off on the wrong foot or make a wrong impression, it can sometimes take years for that to be corrected. Unfortantely, it’s very common for professionals to have NO IDEA that they set themselves up for failure. In the end, they end up leaving to try again somewhere else.

1. Establish Expectations

30/60/90 Day Plan – Within the first 1-2 weeks at your new job, make sure that you meet with your supervisor to understand exactly what his or her expectations are of you. Get a clear picture of what your focus will be for the next 30/60/90 days. I highly recommend that you get a jump start on this in the interview. You don’t want to be caught off-guard by leaping into a role that wasn’t what you thought it was!

Performance – Another important aspect of job longevity is discovering what performance excellence looks like from your boss’s perspective. Don’t be afraid to ask! This is very important. You cannot assume you know what other people are thinking. Your idea of high performance may not be someone else’s. It’s best not to assume.

Rarely have I witnessed assumptions turn into facts.

Anonymous

Feedback – Assuming that your boss will give you timely constructive feedback isn’t always a good idea either. It is every bit as much your responsibility as it is your managers to discuss your professional progress. Make sure that you set up regular touch-points with your supervisor and establish what type of feedback you prefer to grow in your job.

Reporting – Get an idea of how often and what type of reporting your boss likes to have from you. Clear communication is essential, particularly with your manager. Again, what you think is ‘good enough’ might not be what your boss wants to see or hear. What format (written or verbal), what information (how detailed), and when (weekly, monthly) are good questions to ask.

2. Build Relationships

Take time to touch base with those that you will be interfacing with on a regular basis. This includes those that will receive work from you and those that provide inputs into your role.  Very few people do this important step right away and it serves several key functions:

Relationship Building is all about trust. It will take longer for others that you collaborate with regularly to trust you if you don’t reach out to them. You will go from just a new face to a real person a lot faster if you extend the energy to reach out to someone and get to know them.

Show You Care by asking what their roadblocks are and how you can help them in your new role. You are in the unique position to become the person you want to be. You can make the role be anything you want as long as you meet expectations. You can decide whether to innovate or just do things “the way we’ve always done them”.

Shorten Your Learning Curve by asking details about their experiences. Gain insight into the organization, culture and other perspectives by asking questions. Ask people what they like most about their job, the team they work with, and what they do. Often, you will get insights that you didn’t ask for just by opening the door to dialogue.

Tip: If you work remotely, set up a video call with those you interface with regularly.

Another great benefit from getting to know those around you is the ability to quickly spot potential toxic team members. If you notice that someone likes to gossip a lot, always complains, or is a constant negative influence – you can take steps to protect yourself from their influence!

3. Obtain a Mentor

Mentoring is finally becoming more common as more professionals wake up to realize how beneficial a mentor can be. There is a fine art to establishing a successful mentoring relationship with someone. When you are new to a job, you may evolve through several types of mentors.

Technical Training. Your first mentor in your new workplace will most likely be focused on getting you up to speed on processes and technical skills. In most cases, this type of mentoring is handled through formal training. While understanding how things work is very important, don’t stop here with your mentoring relationships.

Cultural Compatibility. Your next mentor that follows hard on the heels of your technical training must be specifically targeted to establish you as a part of the workplace culture. This may be an ‘unofficial’ mentoring relationship based on the type of environment you are working in. Ideally, this person will be fairly well-liked by most, sought out by others, and relatively well-connected with established relationships. Get to know this individual and befriend them if possible. You will accelerate your acceptance into the culture by becoming a part of their circle.

Professional Development. Once you establish yourself within the organization, see if you can connect with someone that will advance your professional development. Ideally, this person will be an experienced or senior-level professional that you can respect. This person does not have to be a technical expert in your field, but someone that can aid you in your professional maturity, evolution, and leadership abilities. This person will be able to give candid feedback and help you set developmental goals.

A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.

Bob Proctor

Mentoring is tremendously rewarding and massively impactful in your professional career! I would not be where I am today if I was not blessed with an excellent mentor in my early career. Mentoring is a process and there are best practices to ensure the ideal relationship for both you and your mentor. You can learn more about this HERE.

Connect to the Culture For Long-Term Success

Unless you unwittingly landed in a toxic work environment, you want to connect to the culture and become a part of your workplace community as quickly as possible. Just doing your job well isn’t good enough to get ahead. If you keep yourself apart or act professionally aloof – you won’t succeed in the long run.

Building relationships, understanding expectations and establishing clear lines of communication are extremely important to receive fulfillment in your new job. If you want to enjoy a fulfilling experience in your new job, this is a easy but essential process to ensuring your professional longevity.

little bit about me …. my name is Erin Urban (LSSBB, CPDC), I’m a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a keynote speaker, a certified career growth and leadership development coach with almost a decade of mentoring and coaching successful professional transformations.

I help people achieve more potential, more purpose and more passion in their careers!