7 Things to Do in The First Week of a New Job

After you’ve signed the desired job offer, it’s no time to rest on the laurels. Your first week on the job shapes the impression about you and sets the tone for your further work at this company. This period of time is also stressful, so you can forget the new coworker’s name, start overcommitting or fail to prepare for an important meeting with a new boss.

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Tips for your first week on a new job

1. Meet as many people as possible
   The first days on the job are all about meeting people. Even if you’re an introverted person, do yourself a favor and get out of your shell. Take the initiative in meeting new people – start a conversation and tell a few words about yourself. Start making connections with the people you closely work with, but don’t hesitate to say ‘hi’ to a person you’ve met in the elevator or hall. Showing enthusiasm in meeting new people will go you a long way when you need their help or work with them on a project. It’s great if you manage to make a friend, as it will ease your transition process a lot. However, keep in mind the subtleties of friendship at work: http://resumeperk.com/blog/working-for-a-friend-pros-and-cons.
2. Learn your new office
   It’s better to learn your way around the office so that you don’t feel lost in a week or two. Find out where the bathrooms, coffee machine, kitchen, and other departments are located. You can spend some time figuring it out by yourself, but it’s better to ask a new coworker to give you a tour. If the company takes several floors or the entire building, you might want to take notes to avoid forgetting something. As soon as you learn where the key areas are located and who work there, you’ll feel much more comfortable in a new workplace.
3. Don’t hesitate to ask questions
   Don’t be shy to ask many questions – since you’re a new member of the team, it is expected. Moreover, your unwillingness to ask for questions or help might be seen as the lack of enthusiasm for learning the company processes and routines. The more questions you ask, the faster you’ll get up to speed and start making a valuable contribution. However, simply spamming the people working next to you with every question that has just crossed your mind isn’t the best tactic. If you’d like to ask general things, try figuring things out by yourself or Google them, and if you haven’t found an answer, ask for help. This doesn’t apply to asking where to get a badge or to find the financial reports for the previous years, though.
4. Set the expectations with your boss and colleagues
   First week is perfect to determine what’s expected of you. Arrange the meeting with your boss and define what success will look like in a week, month and more. Ask the boss and colleagues about the traits of top performers and the results they achieve so that you had a role model you could follow. However, don’t overcommit – your expectations and goals should be realistic. Setting challenging yet realistic expectations is one of the most important things for planning a career in general. If you’re in a management role, make your expectations and leadership clear from the very beginning so the directs could know how to reach the goals set.
5. Show your face and speak up
   The best thing you can do to be perceived as a part of the team faster is showing up at all meetings and other activities and making an effort to contribute. Suggest your ideas during the meetings, contribute to brainstorming sessions and participate in project discussions. As long as you don’t go overboard trying to look like a total know-all, your initiative will be welcomed. Moreover, if you show up for all professional and team-building events, people will get used to seeing you around and you’ll make the necessary connections much faster.
6. Connect with new coworkers on social media
   Establish the social media connections with people you’ve met on the new job. It will help you stay updated about their news, encourage communication outside of work and eventually strengthen your relationships. Choose the platform carefully, though. If you’ve only exchanged a few warm yet formal greetings with the person, stick to following them on LinkedIn. Use Facebook and other private social media for people you’ve made friends with.
   If your new job requires a great deal of creativity, check out how to increase my creativity and develop the non-standard approach to solving problems.
7. Figure out and respect the company culture
   Each company has its own set of rules, both written and unwritten, that you are expected to follow if you want to succeed at the job. For formal rules you’ll be probably given an employee handbook. As for unwritten rules of traditions, watch the way the rest of the team acts. Do they leave the office around 5 pm or stay in till late? Do they have lunch together in a café around the corner or someone grabs the coffee for everyone? Do they celebrate birthdays and attend team building activities? Figure out these routines and follow them if you want to befriend the rest of your future team.

Bonus tip: Find a mentor

If you’re at the beginning of your career or only have a few years of experience, it will do you a lot of good to find a mentor with the new company. Pick a person who has already achieved everything you’ve dreamt of, and ask them to give you advice and directions. Having a mentor will help you resolve conflict situations, manage your career trajectory efficiently and gain the in-demand skills that will allow you earn more.

The above suggestions are only a few things you can do during the first week on the job. However, taking these seemingly simple step will help you adapt faster, learn new information better and be more productive to build a successful career with a new employer.

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