| Make Your Mark
Early in Your New Job
One of the
most important and yet most frequently overlooked aspects of job
performance concerns how you handle yourself during the first days and
weeks on the job. In the first instalment of our two-part article, we
provide you with some general advice on how to make the best possible
impression on your boss and co-workers when you're first starting out.
Get into an opening-day mindset
Unless you’re joining a company that’s descended directly from Attila
the Hun, your first few days or weeks on the job will normally be
something of a honeymoon. But beware, your employer is forming impressions
that will either confirm or call into question the decision to hire you.
These impressions are based on any number of factors, including your
appearance, work habits, personality, intellectual curiosity, and ability
to blend into the flow of the workplace.
Although you will be judged ultimately by how you do your job, the early
observations of you will go a long way to influence those judgments. Bad
impressions create doubt and this is often difficult to overcome.
Avoid opening-day jitters
Remember that little things count the most during your first few days on
the job.
-
Be an
early bird. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early, even if it
means you have to wait in the reception area for 30 minutes until your
new boss arrives. Arriving late for work is an unforgivable sin.
-
Dress
up. Regardless of how casual the company's dress code, make sure
you're well groomed and dressed on the higher end of the scale. You're
going to meet a lot of new people for the first time, and you only get
one chance to make a good first impression.
-
Adopt
a flexible mindset. Be ready to adapt or respond to whatever may
come your way. If you do run into problems, you'll have an excellent
opportunity to demonstrate to your new employer that you're flexible
and adaptable - two important qualities in today's workplace.
-
Adopting
a team mentality. In many corporate cultures, your ability to work
as part of a team is more important than your individual achievements.
In such environments, your goal should be to establish yourself as a
team player in the first few days on the job.
-
Take
the initiative. Rather than waiting for other people to introduce
themselves to you or to be introduced to them, take the initiative to
introduce yourself.
-
Get to
know your coworkers. Arrange to spend some time (no more than 15
minutes - and keep it informal) with anyone in the company you'll
interact with, to get a sense of what he or she does and how you can
help.
-
Try to
see the big picture. Find out how your job, team, and department
fit into the overall strategic priorities of the business.
Establish
trust
Build trust between you and your co-workers. Give them the confidence that
you can work with them. Don’t be too impatient to offer suggestions for
improvement. That can come later when they are comfortable with you. For
now, just concentrate on how you handle yourself during the first few
meetings:
- Be measured and
diplomatic. Offer brief opinions only when asked to do so.
- Don't compare past and
present. Comparing your present and previous employers will almost
always get you into hot water.
- When in doubt, be
silent. Avoid saying anything that may be interpreted as critical
or judgmental.
- Observe others'
reactions. Pay attention to how people respond to your comments.
If you sense that someone is less than receptive to what you have to
say, take the person aside in private and find out if you did
something inadvertently to upset him or her.
See
who are the decision-makers
Know quickly who makes the key decisions in your company. Traditionally,
top management people make them with little or no input from others in the
company. If your manager answers most of your questions with, "Well,
I'll have to check that out with so-and-so”, you're probably working for
a top-down company. If that's the case, be sure you follow the chain of
command: Consult your manager on key initiatives and decisions and provide
information and updates as necessary. Your responsibility is to help your
supervisor make a decision or take action.
However, if your company empowers its employees to make many of the
important decisions that relate to their jobs, you need to exercise the
responsibility that goes along with the authority. In other words, you
need to be the one who gathers important facts and information so that you
can make an informed decision. You may choose to speak with your manager
for her insight, but you may also want to seek input from peers, other
managers, and external sources.
Of course, even in an empowered culture you still need to update your
manager. And in a top-down management structure, you still need to gather
facts and information. The difference between the two corporate cultures
lies in how much responsibility you have for acting on information.
Observe interactions
Note how formal or casual the atmosphere, and how open people are with one
another. For example, some companies are known for encouraging frank, open
discussion; if you're working for such a company, don't be too quick to
assume that you're being picked on.
Pay attention to how people treat senior managers - are they referred to
as Mr, Mrs or Ms, or simply on first-name or surname basis like Azlin,
Chiew Peng or Tan?
Be alert to the unwritten rules of staff meetings. Is it the general
practice to simply speak your mind or to wait until opinions and feedback
are requested?
Be careful not to participate in any inappropriate conversations, jokes,
or behavior in an effort to fit in. Your goal is to adapt to any
acceptable, not unacceptable, means of conduct.
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