Navigating Through a New Job

Entering a new job or role can be intimidating. Once the interview and hiring process is over, the next step is to begin navigating through people and processes you’ll be dealing with on a daily basis. We know that first impressions are crucial, and a lot of first impressions are made in the initial days at a new firm. Here are few tips one should try when navigating the uncharted waters of a new job.

Work on Your Reputation from Day One

Establishing a positive presence from your very first day is the key to creating a positive perception in people’s minds. The process involves determining what kind of a reputation you want to project and developing it starting from the moment you enter the workplace. For example, if you want to build a reputation as a detail-oriented employee, begin with generating every document required for joining available at day one, focus on minute details in your orientation and bring them up in conversations or ask questions based on them. 

Absorb all the Information. 

Employees can go through a state of information overload in the first few weeks or days at the new job. Much of the information goes unattended because of how content heavy everything is. It is important to absorb as much information as possible even if it seems repetitive. Formal and informal information is a great source to gain insight into the inner workings of the company. 

Ask Questions

Apart from listening, it is also important to take every opportunity to ask questions. As a new employee people are to expected ask questions in the beginning. Use this grace period to understand the nature of your job, your organization, how individuals function etc. Ask questions about who to go to and for what, standard procedures, and undocumented expectations too.

Develop a Professional Network.   

From a long-term career development perspective, creating a pool of professional contacts is an important and continuous  activity one should engage in. A strong professional network not only helps you have people to go to in your career progression journey but also becomes imperative if you ever decide to take the entrepreneurial path. People often mistake professional networking to be just exchange of business cards and sending a connection on LinkedIn, but it is also about actively engaging them on a regular basis, keeping them interested in you. 

Avoid Gossip

Office gossips are a ground reality. Eventually at some point you will come across individuals who will want to share gossip or slyly get some out of you. Always steer away from engaging in such conversations, it is important to resist such temptation as it can pull you into a vicious cycle and have a negative effect on other people’s perceptions about you. 

Don’t Lose Sight of The Long-Term Vision

It can often be seen that individuals forget or sideline their long-term career vision being engaged in the day to day job. To avoid this its important to remind yourself through milestones and targets what you are actually here for. Don’t hesitate to share your long-term goals with your seniors and reports, seek developmental tasks and opportunities which can contribute to your growth and be of value to the organization too.