Beginning a new job brings a variety of emotions: excitement, fear, and everything in between. Not only are you adjusting to the new demands of your job, but you’re also adjusting your personal life to fit those demands. It’s important to expect challenges and be prepared to learn from them as you transition.
Here are five tips to help you succeed when starting a new job.
The worst thing you can do in a new job is to only step halfway into the role. Just like getting into a swimming pool, it’s better to dive in the deep end than to wade in the water from the steps.
The quicker you can throw your whole body into the water, the faster your body will adjust to the temperature. The same is true in your new place of work. When you immerse yourself entirely in your new role, you are more likely to get the hang of things and fit in much faster. Do not be afraid to jump right in and begin building your expertise.
If there’s anything I’ve learned after six weeks in my new role, it’s that I must give myself grace when I mess up. Beginning a new job always comes with a learning curves: from learning to adapt to your new environment to learning an entirely new system. There is a lot to learn, and if you are anything like me, you will want to learn it all and learn it quick.
Here’s a secret: You CANNOT learn everything on day one. You are bound to make a mistake or two...or three or four. The best thing you can do to be successful in your role is to show yourself grace. Own up to your mistakes, find a solution, and move on. It does you no good to linger on your mistakes. It will only hold you back from getting where you want to go.
Here at Vanderbloemen Search Group, we encourage everyone to look for ways to learn; it is the easiest way to be successful in a new environment. In my personal experience, as much training as I received, there were still things I needed to figure out on my own. For example, I would sit in meetings and hear different acronyms being thrown around, and I felt like most of it was going over my head. However, I diligently took notes, did my own research, and asked questions that I couldn’t answer myself.
The more you learn and ask questions, the better you will do in your position. Education is at your fingertips, literally. With smartphones and Google, you can look up just about anything, anywhere, at any time. Take advantage of our infinite access to knowledge, and you'll be much closer to success than you were the day before.
Let’s face it: learning to balance the demands of a new job can be difficult. Not only can it affect you in the workplace, but it also adds challenges to your personal life. The best advice my boss gave me when I started was to find my rhythm. What exactly does that mean?
When I started my job, I found that I was having difficulty separating work from home. I wanted to succeed in my new job so badly that I was struggling to put down my phone at home or not answer emails instantly. My boss gave me the advice not to separate my work from home exclusively, but to learn to find a rhythm that worked for me.
Now, instead of ignoring every email “after work hours,” I have learned to filter what needs to be answered immediately and what can wait until I’m in the office the next morning. I’ve also learned to find my rhythm during the workday. I created a system for each day, which helps in organizing and prioritizing tasks.
The last tip I’ll share is to keep your eyes on the prize. The beginning of any new job can be overwhelming, difficult, and exhausting. The best thing you can do is to look ahead and constantly remind yourself why you took the job in the first place. As time goes on and systems begin falling into place, you will have less days that feel overwhelming and more that make you feel like a rock star at your job.
Do you have any tips for being successful at the beginning of a new job?