You’ve received the final offer and you’ve signed on the dotted line, you commence next week and you want to make a great first impression. Despite whether you are fresh out of university or have been working in the industry for decades, all new starters are wanting to make a strong start impression and feel comfortable as soon as possible. But, how can you do this smoothly without fumbling your way through it? It’s simple…
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood”
Stephen Covey highlights this as an essential business attitude in his book; “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Have this as your mantra, write it down and refer back to it if you need to – live it and breath it! This is a great habit to adopt early on in your work history and will be the main focal point in your first month. Within this time, you want to…
Understand the lay of the land
At times people are over-ambitious when they start a new role, they want to make their mark, change processes, delve into the micro-details without first understanding the operation and business – let alone where the restroom is. Take the first month to get settled into your surroundings, become familiar with the office layout and amenities, get a good feel for the culture and discover where different departments are located, more importantly; where your key contacts and your direct manager sit.
Figure out “who’s who in the zoo“
Become acquainted with the team
Regardless of the company and role, the difference between you succeeding will be the people and support network that surrounds you. If you were unable to obtain an organisational chart through the interviewing process, when you arrive, request it from either your manager or Human Resources. This will assist in understanding who is in your team (names and role titles) and where you fit into the puzzle. Use this to memorize the names of your team members and obtain their contact details – add them into your phone or jot them down in your notepad. It’s a great reference that you will undoubtedly re-use in the future.
If you are unable to get an organisational chart, don’t panic! See this as an opportunity to get face-time and obtain these details. Whether you have an organisational chart or not, you will still need to interact with your team and get to know who you will be working with. Set time with individuals to introduce yourself and understand what they do and where you fit in. Keep it friendly, respectful of their time and conscious of their workload – Don’t bombard them with inane questions all day. As a new starter, you can be seen as a solution to everyone’s problems – Take this as an opportunity to ask for general feedback, understand pain points and how you could help – be open and remember, nothing is off the table in these introductory discussions.
Find a mentor/ buddy
This is a person that your manager will have assigned when you start – if not, no fear! Find a co-worker who explains content clearly and gives you information-rich answers – allocate frequent time with this person. This could be various co-workers; certain people can mentor you in various aspects of your role, which will provide different perspectives and insights. The key takeaway is to understand who you need to work closely with, to induct you as quickly as possible into your new role.
Set expectations with your direct manager
Throughout the first week, your manager may or may not have a plan for you. By the end of the week, you should have a rough plan with your manager for the next few weeks. Keep it high level and an ongoing open discussion that you will develop throughout your tenure – you can refine the points, delve into detail and circle back at a later date.
After a month of these discussions, you want to have:
- Set rough daily, weekly and monthly expectations of the role i.e. what is required of you
- Scheduled in regular one-on-one meetings that are convenient for both – in your first few weeks preferably a weekly occurrence
- Discovered what do you need to succeed in the role
- Identified knowledge gaps
- Spoken about how your manager works best – how they communicate and what they want to see
- Identified pain points, major frustrations, quick wins and low hanging fruit
Ask (some) stupid questions
Being a good listener is important, but don’t be shy in asking questions along the way that will assist in your onboarding – don’t be a docile bobblehead. With all this new input you want to absorb and understand as much as possible, rationalise and analyze the information presented and ask well-formulated questions that will provide value. If you have stupid questions, ask them as well – All I ask is to think before you speak. At the end of the day, people are more forgiving and tolerant in the beginning than once you’ve settled in months later.
Now bring it all together
If you have completed the above correctly you will have embedded your position within the business and opened the possibilities to create great relationships with your team and manager. You will understand the requirements of your role and started the journey of creating a great personal brand. You will have created a great first impression in your initial month.
Remember…
- Don’t feel like you’re a burden – everyone has their first day in an office
- Be curious and stay humble – no one likes arrogant co-workers
- Show your personality and get to know the people around you
- Take notes on notes on notes … and then revise! – Set time for housekeeping at the end of each week to review what you’ve learned; clean up that notebook or those obnoxious posted notes
- “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” – Be a good listener and ask constructive questions along the way