Starting a new job. Feeling excited, uneasy, nervous? Great - it means you’re alive!
Most people experience these healthy emotions prior to starting a new job - it’s called being human. The big question is how you channel this energy. Is it conducive to your work or is it standing in your way of excellence?
Here are 5 tips from our Customer Experience Manager Geri on settling into your new role.
Be patient with yourself - You are not going to know everything from day one. Remember what it was like to finish Year 6, at the top of the school as the “Big Kid” believing you knew it all, then suddenly you start Year 7 and quickly realise you’re the newbie again. Sound familiar? As human beings we tend to put massive pressure on ourselves to know everything and know it yesterday. Reality is, you will never know everything and the more frustrated you get with yourself the less productive you will be. Be patient with yourself and in time the answers will come. One day you will understand the “why’s” and the “what’s”, you may even have an “ah - ha” moment and start actioning things without even realising. For now, just accept yourself and where you are in the learning process and know you’re doing a great job, you wouldn’t have been picked if you weren’t the right person for the role.
Listen and Learn - Spend the first couple of weeks immersing yourself into the organisation. Understand the foundations, the core values, your new team, the DNA of the business. Be that person that asks 100 questions, it’s the only way to learn. If you feel you need more time, respect your colleagues time and diarise a time to sit with them. Don’t ever feel afraid to ask a question, even if it sounds silly, no question is a silly question. Be a sponge, listen and absorb everything that is going on around you. Considering you’re trying to learn many aspects of the organisation you may feel overwhelmed, so take plenty of notes and write everything down. I found the notes app on my laptop very useful and still use it as a point of reference.
Push your own boundaries - What have you got to fear? You’ve already made the decision to accept the job, so why stop there? Next step is to challenge yourself, it’s the only way you will grow. Get involved in as much as you can, you never know when you will need to tap into that experience in the future. A good friend of mine once advised me to fail fast, learn from it and move on. Having recently starting a new position with Talent Connect Australia it’s something I’m practicing. At times it can feel terrifying moving into uncharted territory but it’s very exhilarating to see what I am capable of. There is no ceiling to what you can achieve, so why put limitations on yourself. Reach for the stars and soar, you are destined for the extraordinary.
Ask for feedback - Asking your manager for feedback is an essential part of understanding how you are preforming in your role. At the end of the day you are the driving force in how successful your career is. If you’re not asking for constructive feedback, how are you going to gage if you are meeting or excelling expectations. I highly recommend introducing feedback as part of your regular conversations with your manager. Be proactive in advocating feedback conversations because an annual review is not enough in my opinion. However, it doesn’t stop at having a conversation, you must actively follow through on what you discussed. Make sure to take notes of what your manager would like you to develop in and when you have your next meeting discuss and understand if you are on the right track. Try your best to not take it personally. This is easier said than done but regardless of how amazing you are, there is always room for improvement.
Don’t give up - I’m sure there will be days when it gets tough that you question why you made the move. This is all normal and most likely because you miss the safety blanket of your comfort zone. Just remember to ask yourself why you made the decision to move in the first place? If you are feeling overwhelmed, have a conversation with your manager and be honest with them, it’s okay to feel this way. If you fail, fail gracefully, dust yourself down and get back up. Believe in yourself and don’t lose sight of the endless possibilities in front of you remember tomorrow is another day. You have got this - Just don’t give up!
Remember everyone started somewhere. Have fun along the way and embrace the opportunity with open arms. Just go for it and soar beyond your wildest dreams.
