CAROUSEL RECRUITMENT IN AND AROUND LONDON
Friendly Advice When Starting a New Job
Recognise any of these symptoms – difficulty in sleeping, waking up in a cold sweat, no appetite, complete loss of confidence in your abilities? Then you maybe about to start a new job...
There is plenty of advice available about how to get a job – where to look, how to apply and how to behave at the interview, but more nerve–racking than any of this can be your first week in a new post. Many of us experience the anxiety that he or she may not be able to cope with new work and new colleagues.
The first week or so is a transitional phase. Nobody expects you to move mountains – it is a time for learning about your environment.
Every company has a culture and if you are to establish yourself quickly, you must understand the culture of your new workplace. When you do, fitting in will be much easier.
Some companies are renowned for encouraging informality. For example, at Carousel, informality is a key part of the philosophy. At a City bank, however, the informal approach might not go down so well.
Look also at the relationship between your manager and the rest of his or her staff. Are suggestions and team meetings encouraged? Should you report back? Is detail or generality preferred? Is it better to provide written or spoken reports?
‘Start as you mean to go on’ should be your guiding principle. Someone new in the office could be a disruption and they will want to get back to normal as soon as possible. Some people will be very quick to form an opinion about you. You must make sure that they form the right opinion.
Your first priority when you start a new job is to put your head down, focus and do the job you were hired to do. Don’t be late on your first week. It may be obvious, but it will probably be a journey that you are not used to. A dummy run the week before may be worthwhile to check that the trains are reliable or there are no road works, which could delay you.
Ask someone to show you around and introduce you to everyone. It can be very awkward if there is a new face in the office and nobody is sure who they are.
Avoid contentious issues, such as politics or religion as topics of conversation. It would be disastrous to alienate yourself from colleagues this early on.
Don’t fall over yourself to strike up a lasting friendship with the first person you meet. Until you know about everyone else’s relationships you should try not to align yourself with anyone in particular too early on, however great the temptation.
Similarly, don’t pay too much attention to office gossip. Make up your own mind about people and situations. It will not do you any good if you find yourself embroiled in an office feud as soon as you walk in the door.
Be helpful and eager, but don’t let people take advantage of you. When you have got over the jitters of the first few weeks it is time to start creating a niche for yourself. You have tested the water and worked out where you stand with everyone. Now you can get on with your job.
It is not uncommon for people to become flustered early on, feeling that they cannot cope. The best you can do is to be yourself and work to your full potential. That will be enough – after all, it was you who got the job!
