Whether you are a graduate starting your first role in the working environment or you have already had a long career, the first week at a new company can be daunting. A new environment, new colleagues, new culture and new role.
Here’s our take on how to have a great first week at work.
Pay Attention.
If we could give you only one piece of advice it would be to use your first week to observe. Pay attention to small details and get a good idea of the company you have joined. Get to know your new team members, your new office space, your new Managers and everybody else you will be dealing with on the daily. Use your first week to gain a really solid understanding of your surroundings. That way, you can determine where you could make the biggest impact and add the most value.
Be Inquisitive.
Everybody starts at the beginning at some point in their career. You won’t know everything on your first day, your first week or even your first year. Ask questions and then ask more questions.
Prioritise what information you want. Write down the questions you have and first try and figure them out on your own. If there is something you can look up or find yourself, you don’t want to be wasting your colleague's time but if you have questions around your role or the company that you are interested in or something you can't figure out, rather ask then waste your own time.
**Learn the Culture.
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Every company is different and it will take you a while to get used to it and become apart of it. The best thing to do is be open and make an effort to be apart of conversations. Invite a new colleague/s to lunch or for a coffee. Take initiative, ask where you can help and just use the time spent to observe how they interact with each other.
Manage expectations.
Once you have had a chance to settle in and learn your way around, you can start to think about where you could add value - What you expect from yourself in this new role and more importantly what your higher-ups expect from you as well. Maybe set up a meeting and have this conversation and you can use the feedback to set yourself goals to work towards.
**Last but not least.
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Its all about the balance - Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t overthink it.
Embrace the uncertainty - you will find your place at your own time and pace.
PS. Goodluck
The Referment team