Access tips for starting your new role

Starting a New Job

Starting a new position can be an exciting process, and also a critical one. Taking a few steps in the beginning can be helpful in setting the stage for your success. First impressions are key and your reputation with your new organization may be built, in part, on the way you are perceived during the first weeks in your new role. Setting expectations and goals upfront could also make a positive impact and get you started on the right foot. Here are a few things to consider, keeping in mind that each new job/role/employer is unique; use your best judgment given your specific situation.

Preparing for the First Day

Be well rested and prepared for your first day at your new company. You might want to pick out what you plan to wear and get your brief case, etc., ready the night before so that you are not rushed or running late. Be on time or even early. It can also a good idea to prepare mentally for the big day and write down your thoughts on the following:

What are the top three things you hope to learn or accomplish?
What is your understanding of your new role?
What projects do you perceive to be the most important?
What projects or aspects of your position are you most excited about?

The First Week

Again, you may be making your first impression on many of the people you will be working with during your first week with the organization. A good rule of thumb is to give 110% in your first weeks — this could help to set a positive tone and positively influence the way others view your work ethic, attitude and effectiveness.

In General:

Be sincere, positive, eager and energetic.
Recognize that your co-workers could be busy, so may not be able to readily devote time to you — be patient.
Do not offer your life story to new co-workers. Take time to get to know them.
Be on time to meetings or appointments, as well as to the office each day.
Carefully complete all new hire documentation for your new position.
Be open, willing, and start learning.
Ask questions and take notes on what you learn. This could prevent you from having to ask the same questions over and over.
Be positive and do not engage in negativity, even if your co-workers are.
Make an effort to establish relationships. If confronted with a personality clash with another co-worker, make every effort to find a way to work effectively with that individual. Recognize the contributions and areas for improvement that you each bring to the table.
Obtain a job description if available, if not, offer to create one.
Learn your chain of command.
Acknowledge others for the assistance and guidance that they provide you.

Regarding Your Manager:

This can be a great time to set expectations in an effort to have you and your boss on the same page moving forward. Talking through work styles and best means of communication can be helpful too. This could be a good time to help frame and mold your new position to whatever extent you can, rather than having that done for you.

If it is not done already, schedule time with your new manager to discuss and define goals and expectations of your new position.
Establish goals for your new position. Nail down expectations of the first ninety days, six months, and first year, if possible.
Using what you wrote down the night before your first day, compare notes about your goals for this week.
What general learning about your position and the company are important for you to focus on?
What projects demand your immediate attention and what are some longer-term projects you can get a head start on? Be sure to understand key deadlines and milestones as well as expected communication points.
Who are the key people you should introduce yourself to and/or schedule meetings with?
Are there discrepancies between your manager’s expectations/assumptions/perceptions/style and yours? Now would be a good time to discuss those and reach consensus.
Get to know your manager’s style by having a conversation around the following questions:
- How would you like me to update you on my work progress? Do you just like to see finished products and projects, or would you rather be updated periodically throughout a project? How often would you like to be updated?
- Would it be beneficial to schedule weekly/monthly one-on-one meetings?
- What are the top three projects I should focus on right now?
- Of all my job responsibilities, which one(s) do you feel are most important for me to master quickly?
- If I need to communicate with you, do you prefer e-mails, voicemails, phone calls or face-to-face meetings?
- Given the company culture, how can I best follow the correct “chain of command” when suggesting new ideas or taking action?
- What is your preferred style for conducting meetings?
- Are there any political issues in our department or division of which I should be aware? How will these issues affect my job?
- In addition to you and my immediate co-workers, are there other employees with whom I will be interacting on a regular basis?
- How can I contribute to a positive atmosphere in our department or team?

Staying Organized

You will likely be presented with a lot of new information during the first week of a new job. You need to get yourself organized using whatever method works best for you to help avoid becoming overwhelmed. Establish a system to manage your time, tasks, deadlines and meetings effectively. If you have not done so already, consider getting exposure to the systems used in the office voicemail, e-mail, databases or any proprietary software. These things may take time to learn and slow you down a bit initially.

Building New Relationships

Based on discussions with your manager and some of the exposure you have already gotten, make a list of some of those key people you have identified who you should begin to meet with. Start getting those meetings scheduled. There could be multiple benefits to this: First, it can begin to establish relationships and possibly friendships with your co-workers. Second, it may show your initiative and desire to be successful. Third, it will hopefully provide you with some key information that will serve you well in your new role. Fourth, it can help you in forming your internal network, which can be invaluable throughout your tenure with the organization and even beyond. Here are a few ideas of things to cover:

How does your role interface with their role and what expectations should be discussed?
What can they share with you regarding the culture of your function/division, their function/division and the company as a whole?
What key advice can they share with you that will help you to be successful?
What should you know about your boss and ways to best be successful with him/her? What is the best way to approach your boss for feedback or assistance (hopefully this was covered to some degree during your previous meeting with your boss, but it can be helpful to get another perspective).

Key Company Information

If you are not well versed in some of the office logistics yet, now could be a good time to make sure you are familiar with key processes and systems.

Who do you need to contact regarding benefits, W2, 401K, etc.?
Is there required training you need to be aware of?
How do you obtain any required items such as a cell phone, calling card, corporate credit card, etc.?
How do you make travel arrangements? Who is the key contact and what are the key policies tied to that process?
Where do you go when you have an IT issue?
What’s the procedure for ordering office supplies or requesting expense reimbursements?
Anticipate individuals/departments you will need to work with and understand how best to facilitate that. Contact them and ask questions.

Regrouping with your Supervisor

Now that you are about to finish your first week with your new organization, it could be a good time to reconvene with your manager to fill him/her on what you have accomplished this week and to see how you are doing in meeting his or her expectations. If there is a breakdown, it is usually best to understand it and remedy it as soon as possible. Your efforts may also show your boss how proactive you are and how seriously you are committed to being successful in your role. Be sure to take notes on specific ideas and feedback that you receive, especially for areas of improvement.

How are you doing compared to the goals that you and your manager established earlier in the week?
What other key actions can your boss think of that you have not already accomplished?
If it was not covered during the interviewing process, are there any informal evaluation points that are standard practice (e.g., a 30-day review)? When are the formal review points (e.g., Mid-Year and Annual Reviews)? Are there key competencies that you are evaluated against and what is the best way to learn about them? (This could also be covered at a slightly earlier or later point, depending on what makes sense for your situation.)

The First Month

As you near the completion of your first month, here are a few more ideas to consider:

Know the organizational structure and strategy.
Discover the needs of your function.
Know your manager, peers, and subordinates. Volunteer for business related extracurricular activities. Join the department for social events or business associates for lunch.
Evaluate the personalities of those with whom you work. Discover how they work together and what makes them a successful team.
Study other successful individuals – what do they do right? Identify what makes them successful and how you can do the same.
Learn the various modes of communication within the organization. For instance, does everyone communicate via IM, e-mails, or verbally?
If it has not been discussed already, what form of communication does your manager prefer?
Make your best attempt to understand strategic initiatives and vision well in terms of capabilities, finance, budgeting, existing strategies and priorities.
Know the vision, mission, and values of the firm or department/function/service line. Discover how much these concepts are followed.
Be sure to stay in contact with key individuals within your network that you communicated with prior to starting your new position – let them know how things are going and ask them if there is anything you can do for them.

Many of the action steps you have taken thus far will be activities you should continue over the next two months. Be sure to revisit the questions and steps above, as many of them will take time to complete.

The First Year

Draw on your past experiences, look at your successes to help plan for your future.
Discover obstacles in your way and come up with an action plan to overcome and tackle those obstacles.
With the help of your manager, create a personal development process. What types of training or additional education might you need to be more productive?
Always be prepared for changes within the industry and train yourself for your next position.
Create and maintain a development journal. List areas for self-improvement, evaluate accomplishments and develop networking contacts. Ask yourself how you might address any areas for development.
Continually assess your strengths and weaknesses within the position.
Apply active listening skills and questioning techniques to observe and gather information from subordinates and colleagues.
Develop relationships with other supervisors or executives besides your direct boss or manager.
Achieve results that are important to your company and ensure that the accomplishments are known to key decision makers.
Continually work on improving critical skills such as: communication, leadership, teaming taking initiative, networking, etc.
Remain disciplined in your work habits by setting goals and consistently achieving or revising them to fit your situation.

Manage your time as well as you can. If you do not seem to accomplish what you believe you should seek development in these areas.

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