You’re the new kid on the block at work. For the first couple of days on the new job you have a lot of things to absorb, learn and reflect on. You may feel like you want to make a good impression by starting your job successfully on the first day, but the truth is nobody goes into a new job without learning something new. No matter how experienced you may be, each new job brings its own set of corporate culture rules and guidelines. It’s your job as a new hire to learn the ropes the first couples of weeks to adjust and fit into the office as well as your job role. Here are some tips to make your transition from new kid on the block to seasoned employee run smoothly.
When it comes to learning about the corporate culture, don’t criticize anything at first. You may not like how disorganized the kitchen cabinets are or the way your boss conducts meetings, but if you come to work complaining and pointing out what you don’t like, people will be quick to not like you. You want to absorb the corporate culture, not criticize it. You don’t know why things are done the way they are, so don’t be quick to make judgements.
The first days at work are crucial to making new friends in the office. Just like the first day of college, you want to make sure you come out of there with good connections and confident you made at least a couple of good friends to go out to lunch with the following day. Do project a friendly personality to everyone you are introduced to. Make small talk with people by taking notice of what’s on their desks like pictures of family, pets, and personal items that give hints about the hobbies and interests they have. This will help you to get to know your coworkers better and find interests with them that you can connect and converse over. Make an effort to remember names because if you remember someone’s name off the bat it shows that you’re a good listener.
Do ask how to do things before you start doing them, and make sure someone is checking up on how you’re doing. Don’t turn anything in the first weeks to your boss without having someone else take a look at it. Your boss doesn’t expect you to know everything on your first day, but they would like you to know things after going over them once. This means that the first time they show you how to do things, you need to take notes, ask every question that comes to mind, and pay good attention. This will help speed up your learning and will prevent your training from dragging out. The quicker you can settle into your work, the better.
Do maintain a positive attitude throughout your first weeks as the new hire. Absorb the corporate culture, learn what it takes to do your job right and reflect on the mistakes you’ve made because you will make mistakes, but you will learn from them after reflecting on them. Having a positive attitude will attract coworkers to see you as a friend and not a threat. Don’t feel let down by the setbacks that may come your way during the first couple of weeks, you’ll eventually find your footing and get into the full swing of things.
How was the first week or so at your job when you were a new hire? Share with us in the comments section below!
IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Will Merydith
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