Following are some key pointers
to ease you through the transition period and get you off to a flying start.
Be prepared
Before you start the job, review all the research you did on the company prior
to the Interview in addition to any readings that may have been suggested during
the Interview. It's a good idea to call the company and ask for any readings
that can help you make an early contribution. If you know your team try asking
them for materials on the latest deals/ transactions to get you up to speed and
ready to partcipate. If you know your job description and your initial
responsibilities, start planning ahead. Its always a good idea to take some time
to review your past performance, confront your key areas of weakness in the past
and determine how to improve your performance in the future and how not to
repeat your mistakes. Set targets for yourself to address past weaknesses and
hone specific skills. Finally, visualize yourself succeeding at this next job by
accomplishing the goals you set out for yourself, developing new skills and not
repeating past mistakes.
Know what you're in for
In order to deliver, you must first identify exactly what it is that is expected
of you. Too many jobs are taken where the title is fuzzy and the job description
vague. Your first task is to make sure you have an adequate job description if
one was not provided during the Interview stage. Identify your key
responsibilities, daily requirements, areas of direct accountability, clarify
your reporting line and the support structure you will work with, and finally,
get to know your team. Find out the hours expected, your role in different
projects and what you can do to make your boss's life easier. You can learn a
lot from asking about what your predecessor (if there was one) did right and
wrong. Also take this time to understand the performance evaluation system that
will be used to judge you so you can plan to deliver on exactly those criteria.
Ask a lot of questions at this stage. Being perceived as nosy and obnoxious at
this stage is far better than being perceived as slow, unenthusiastic and
clueless later on. Your first weeks are the time to ask every question that
comes to mind without fear. You can always calm down and retreat into your own
personal territory once you are comfortable all your questions have been
answered.
Plan, plan, plan
It is critical to plan for success. Your first few weeks on the job are the best
time to start constructing your roadmap to success. This roadmap should include
milestones with deadlines. Milestones may be specific projects, personal skills,
courses and other areas of self-development. Plan on a macro level and on a
micro level. Keep a list of all the little goals you set for yourself on a daily
basis and check them as you accomplish them. Also have on your list the
longer-term projects and personal development milestones and make sure these are
broken down into micro tasks and accomplished at the right time.
Detailed planning keeps you in touch with and working towards the big picture
while you concentrate on achieving your immediate goals and deadlines. Your
plans should also include priorities. Assign a priority to each task which takes
into account its importance, the deadline and your accountability for the task.
Determine beforehand the amount of time you should be allocating to each task.
Include in your plan a couple of projects/ tasks/ improvements that will really
make a difference to the company, however small.
Respect the culture
In today's workplace diversity abounds - in workstyle, dresscode, background and
modes of self-expression. No-one is asked to adhere to a specific mould. Still,
you will flatter those around you and show respect by understanding the culture
and respecting it. That means respecting the dress codes of others around you,
their mode of conduct and the general 'culture'. It has traditionally been
recommended that you do not dress more expensively than your boss, that you keep
hours at least as long as your boss unless the latter keeps absolutely
ridiculous hours and that you try to emulate the stars. You will flatter the
latter and who better to learn from after all!
Listen and watch
Your first few weeks are about learning. You will do so by asking a lot of
questions and also by listening and watching those around you. Remember that you
are the new kid on the block and drop the attitude if you have one. Constantly
alluding to the way you did things in your last job, or your old team, or your
old boss will alienate you from your new peers and highlight your differences.
Avoid doing so. Instead, try to blend in, be as helpful as you can, ask what you
can do to make everyone else's life easier while you learn, and keep a long-term
perspective to tide you through the initial shock. Modesty is an excellent
virtue for new (and old) employees so stay humble and let your work speak for
you.
Try to make an immediate contribution
Try to get your hands 'dirty' from day one. Ask how you can get involved and be
helpful and take on whatever projects or portions of projects you can from the
outset, to show your boss that you are willing and enthusiastic and determined.
Your boss hired you as a long-term investment but he/she will be very pleased to
see you making a contribution so soon.
Underpromise, overdeliver
There is nothing worse than promising the world and then failing to deliver. Aim
instead to promise to 'do your best' and then shine. Humility - not the
sickening false kind - followed by a star performance are the way to plan to go
about building a reputation for yourself. Remember, you are always learning and
there are many obstacles in any project so don't boast about it until you are
ready to deliver. In other words, always aim to include the 'bonus' factor in
the work you do. Aim to deliver more, faster and better than expected for that
surprise element of value-added that will make your boss or customer's day.
Do not stray from professional values
A pleasant demeanour, common courtesy, good manners and a generally helpful
attitude are those intangibles that make the difference between an employee
people want to have around and one they avoid. Of course some people (your
author is one) are too nice around the office and get walked all over. If you
are one of those, we highly recommend you take a course in leadership and
assertiveness in between jobs to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Most companies operate on a meritocratic basis where your professional skills
are paramount. Still, given two people with similar skillsets, say two fresh
college graduates, the difference between the stars and those that get bypassed
for promotions is often a political one and one that reflects their
interpersonal skills as much as their professional skills. Emotional smarts and
that ability to gauge your peers and clients and boss and learn how to work with
them and be a pleasant, helpful, unobtrusive addition to the team, play a
crucial role in differentiating the plodders from the stars. We do not recommend
trying to outshine everyone and making a big show of it. Nor do we recommend
being different by being secretive and underhanded. A much better policy is to
aim to be accepted by the team and to integ rate in a manner that makes you a
pleasant and indispensable component in the overall equation. Your work will
speak for itself.
Other rules of thumb to adhere to include never badmouthing peers or boss, past
or present; being truthful and always being accountable for work that falls
under your responsibility. Also, learning to admit mistakes and apologize for
them if necessary is critical to the success of your internal and external
client relationships. Contrary to what many believe, it does not reflect badly
on you; to the contrary it highlights your professionalism, builds a level of
trust and also helps you to move on. Above all, be tactful, respect your
colleagues and aim for diplomacy without sacrificing your integrity.