Your first 100 days — or first 3 months — of your new job is your honeymoon period, when you’re feeling the most optimistic, energized, and productive. But it can also be overwhelming: interactions with new co-workers, learning new skills, and taking on new responsibilities that happen, all of which can leave you feeling burned out.
To ensure you rock the first quarter at your new job, here’s a quick guide to help you impress your boss, bring your A-game, and gel with your new team.
Step 1: Do Your Homework Before Starting
Ideally, you’re reading this before your first day at work. Make sure you do all your homework about the organization you’ll be working for, its leadership, organizational structure, and industry. This will help you get up to speed right away.
Step 2: What to Do on Your First Day
Be a sponge. You want to absorb as much information as you can on your first day, spending more time listening than talking. Be sure to ask questions whenever necessary — don’t wait for information to be provided to you.
Take down notes to remember as much information as you can. Include names, job titles, some interesting tidbit about the people you meet.
Get familiar with the environment. Make sure you know all the important rules, how to use common office equipment, and proper office decorum.
Step 3: What to Do on Your First Week
By now you’ve become acquainted with your manager and colleagues. Be sure to ask what they expect from you and your work, so you know just what it is your job entails.
Be humble in the office. You’re the ‘new guy’ and office politics normally dictate that new guys put their best foot forward.
You want to bring something new to the table, but don’t criticize what the company or team is doing. When you say something like, “Well, back at my old employer, this is how we did things…” that’s going to get people to roll their eyes at you.
Step 4: What to Do on Your First, Second, and Third Month
Talk to your manager and colleagues about any unwritten rules you need to know that involve you and your team. Organizational culture is not something to be taken lightly — the sooner you understand how things work in the company, the easier it will be for you to do an excellent job.
Hone your processes. By your second or third month, you should know the general ins and outs of your job. Look for inefficiencies that you can improve — perhaps tasks that can be automated, or workflows that can be improved. Whatever you do, make sure it doesn’t negatively affect anyone else’s work. And be sure to tell your manager about any improvements you make.
For more career growth hacks, be sure to check back on this blog. If you’re currently looking for a job and need a push in the right direction, let the staffing services specialists of Star Staffing connect you with our network of local employers. Contact us to learn more about our services.