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You’ve gone through a stressful recruitment process,attended several job interviews and finally, you have received a job offer thatyou happily accepted. Well done!
While it’s exciting to start a new job, you need to keep in mind that during your first few weeks all eyes will be on you.
The screening process does not end once you accept the job offer. That’s why it is crucial to be aware of everything that you are doing during your first week at a new job.
The following things will help you keep a strong work ethic, integrate faster and take control of your responsibilities.
Arrive earlier every day during your first week
This will allow you to settle in, organize your desk andbecome familiar with the rest of the team.
Introduce yourself toeverybody
Since you will be early every day, most probably the rest of the team will arrive after you. This is a great opportunity to introduce yourself to everybody during your first week at a new job.
Don’t forget to smile and be friendly. You can mention your name and the position that you will be holding, which will allow the person you are talking to you to do the same.
Most companies nowadays send an introduction email, however,you do not need to wait for that to start meeting your new colleagues.
Express excitement from day one
You will most probably spend most of your first day at work with your line manager.
Make sure to emphasize how excited you are to start working there, regardless if they were part of the hiring committee or not.
Ask questions during your first week at a new job
It’s perfectly normal to have many questions during your first few days and you should take advantage of that.
Make sure you absorb as much information as possible and your responsibilities are crystal clear.
Of course you can still ask questions along the way, however, you do not want to ask something basic after 3 weeks of working there.
If you don’t know what questions to ask, here are a few examples:
- What are my daily duties and what is expectedfrom me?
- Can I take any decisions alone or do I need toask approval for everything?
- Who are our main collaborators, partners,clients, etc. and when would be appropriate to be introduced to them?
- Do we have any immediate deadlines? If we do,how can I help?
All your questions and curiosities should be focused on your job and responsibilities.
Don’t ask how long the lunch break is and other things alike. You will figure these things out in a few days.
Take initiative
Regardless of how junior orsenior you might be, most employers appreciate someone with initiative.
This can be anything from offering to help, sharing an idea or pushing your limits for faster results.
If, for example, you are starting a sales role, let’s say your employer is expecting you to make 25 phone calls per day. Make 30 phone calls per day for a few days to test how efficient you are working with a new product and new clients.
Do not, however, fall in the other extreme, of being an overachiever and always going the extra mile, because that will be expected from you all the time then.
Whenever you will do anything less than that, it will be perceived as if you have lost interest. Try to find a balance.
Make friends
Even if that is not your goal, it’s important to understand the office dynamics and feel that you are part of the team.
Get to meet your colleagues beyond their name and title and find someone who shares the same interests as you do.
This will help you navigate through the first few months at the new job, making things much easier.
Be genuine
Although you are having a lot on your plate, you need to keep up with your new job tasks, impress your boss and be liked by your new colleagues; it’s always best to be yourself.
You might end up working for many years in this company and you don’t want to add more stress, having to be someone you are not.
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