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Starting in a New JobStarting in a new job is always nerve-wrecking no matter your age or experience. A new job comes with opportunities to learn new skills and a lot of new responsibilities and new cultures to adjust to. The are organizations that look interesting at a distance, pay their employees well and are leaders in their respective sectors but difficult to work for because of their organizational culture.
1. Knowledge. Get to know the organization well before you start. Attend their social and professional functions. This will enable you to form some bonds with individuals in the organization and learn more about the company culture.
Learn about the dress code. You may just end up being inappropriately dressed. Keep your dress code as decent as you can. No revealing clothes, and unless stated otherwise, no sporty clothes. Keep a professional look and you’ll be taken seriously.
2. Research. Reading and researching more on the company and the position’s role will enable you to know what to expect on your first days. Getting in the job well prepared will make the adjusting easier and shorter.
3. Employment Contracts. you will most likely get an employment contract to sign. The company human resource manager may inform you that it is a standard contract but read it carefully. Suggest amendments of phrases you are not comfortable with. Make an appointment with a person responsible to get more clarity when necessary. After signing make yourself a copy for your own records and hand the original copy in.
4. Attitude. Attitude is more important that any knowledge, experience and qualifications, especially when starting in a new job. A good attitude will take you places in any job. Have and show interest to learn new skills, to understand the culture and to listen to suggestions. Whenever you have a suggestion, introduce it in a form of a question. An example would be if you want to have access to a company vehicle. You would politely ask “can I have a copy of the company’s vehicle policy”. Your supervisor is likely to ask the reasons for your interest. You will then ask more questions to show your interest. Being polite with other colleagues will also make your stay in the company pleasant and help you grow quicker. You will get more help in learning about your job from other colleagues other than your immediate supervisor. Form some professional relationships with them.
5. Listening. Listening is an invaluable in any area of your life including in the workplace. When you are starting in a new job, everyone will most likely want to load you with a piece of advice. Some information will not be that helpful but some will be. When there are articles in the media about your new organization or its competition, listen and learn. Be interested in all related information and analyze it to be able to make a position contribution in your job. Get as much information as possible and sift what you need or not.
6. Communication. Different organizations have different channels of communication. You probably will never talk to the CEO in person in your new organization. Learn about the procedures otherwise you may embarrass yourself by using your old company’s open door policy of dropping by the manager’s office unannounced. Be approachable and try to reach out to the rest of your colleagues.
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