A lot of people want to quit their current jobs (out of any reason best known to them) and move on to a new one. At the same time, those lot of people end up not changing their jobs because of unwillingness to leave their current comfort zone.
Indeed changing jobs is discomforting. Establishing a good repute at a new place is arduous and needs a proactive effort from the new joiner to create a good one.
In this blog, we are giving you Tips on “Starting a New Job” and what you can do in the first few weeks as a new joiner in the company:
Induct yourself well
Most companies will have a formal induction process. Even if it sounds boring to you, It is highly recommended to attend the induction with full involvement and know that the company you are joining is its about. Sure we do a lot of research before joining, but you will directly get the information first hand in the induction process. Also, it is a great chance to interact with people from HR, Admin, Finance teams etc.
You should also make the best chance of the team introductions which your reporting manager will do in your first few days where he/she introduces you to every member of the team. Making notes as to know who is doing what is not a bad idea either and in fact, strongly suggested.
Formalize your onboarding
It is extremely important to understand what are the expectations from you in the first 4-6 weeks. While some companies may have a formal onboarding doc , some might not have. In that case, you can make your onboarding doc yourself by collecting all information has been already provided to you and discussing openly with your reporting manager as to what is his/her expectations from you.
This will help you in more than one way a) This will help you get quick wins once you achieve weekly targets in the initial weeks which will be a huge morale boost b) This will also set you right in the eyes of your manager and other senior people.
Make notes. More than you ever did
It is in general a great habit to make more notes but the importance of note making is all the important in the first few weeks of a new job. Again, notes making in the first few solves a wide range of purposes a) It shows your intent and seriousness in meetings or discussions b)The initial few weeks are loaded with information, it helps you to collect them and go back at them as and when you need.
Overall, it puts you in a better and more controlled place in the information carnage of the first few weeks. However, be cautious, it is better to understand what is happening before suggesting anything new.
Network
Networking, again, is not something which you should do regularly and not only at the time of a new job. However, doing it with an extra push in the first few weeks of a new job puts in you a better place in terms of understanding who is doing what and why is he doing a particular thing. Talking to people from your team and cross-functional teams opens your doors about the company, the project you are working on which helps you to fit the piece of your task as a puzzle piece in the overall puzzle.
Ping members of your team or other cross functional teams with whom you work to introduce yourself in detail and understand from them their work. More often than not you may be able to find commonalities between both of you.
Here are some of the things you can ask:
- How can I help you in your work or possible collaborations?
- What would be your advice for me?
- How things work here?
You can start a conversation using this template (feel free to use your own as well)
Hey <Name>, Hope you are well. I am <>, I joined about <> weeks back. I wanted to connect with you to understand how can I help you and your teams?
Bonus tip: For Video calls, it is always better to turn the video on. People might not get a good impression talking to a black screen.
Volunteer
Volunteering is one of the most under rated ways of building an initial rapport in a new organization. You can volunteer for any HR Event as your team rep, you can volunteer to be a part of the hiring process, you can volunteer for any CSR activity to name a few events where you can volunteer.
Find a mentor or a buddy
While most companies these days have a buddy system, where they assign a buddy to every new joinee who can help him/her in the first few days, if you don’t get assigned one, ask you manager to assign one or you can ask someone with whom you have interacted to become your mentor or buddy.
A mentor or buddy can be a great partner to navigate through the hesitation of initial few days.
Eventually, we get along in a company, but sooner you do it, the better it is for you to do well there. Be fearless and yet be respectful in your approach. We hope this blog as helped you and your network and you will be able to make its use when you make a career change next time.
To read more exciting and insightful blogs related to software testing, visit our page – https://thetesttribe.com/blog/
