Best start in a new job

November 18, 2021 2:13 PM

I'm starting a new job in December, moving on from a chaotic agency to the same job (PR), but in a 150 year old corporation. Work will be slower before Christmas, so a good time to get settled. Please give me your best advice on what to do in my first few days / weeks to put in a good start and lay the foundation for a successful first year!

Challenge: person who did the job before me has moved on and can't train me, but has apparently left good documentation. And there are people who've done basic maintenance and can show me the basics.

Positive: Company has respected my time during the interview process and treats me like an expert in my field - I want to prove them right!
And apparently my new boss sets high standards for herself and her employees (she doesn't half ass things).

I'm thinking that my first steps should be to
1) read everything I can and familiarise myself with the processes
2) ask for a one to one with my boss and find out her workflow, expectations and the metrics I'm supposed to hit. At the end of the year, what would she need to see to consider my work successful?
3) Meet people I need to liaise with in future, both outside and inside the company.
4) Join an industry network - I'm used to working in teams and here my teammates are all doing something slightly different from me. I'm afraid of becoming too insulated.

Am I on the right track?
Tipps, tricks and general advice on keeping sane and happy in the new-job-phase?

posted by Omnomnom to Work & Money (4 answers total)

Are you working remotely? One of the things I wished I had done was use a generic Zoom background. Your new corporation may have some standard issue backgrounds. Or you can create your own!

I would give anything to avoid the "Oh, you're some place new!" snoopy judgy every time colleagues don't recognize my surroundings.
posted by Juniper Toast at 2:33 PM on November 18, 2021 [3 favorites]

Take advantage of it being slower for everyone be scheduling lots of brief, 15 min coffee break intro meetings with people. Just a quick “what is your job function and how do we usually work together” plus pleasantries. You can always figure out actual job stuff whenever, but having the people on your side really helps.
posted by raccoon409 at 5:16 PM on November 18, 2021 [3 favorites]

Use the fact that it's slow to put some real thought into developing and maintaining your organization system and workflows. You will need to adapt it a lot as you learn more, but being able to retrieve relevant information quickly is a workplace superpower.

Ask for feedback regularly throughout that first year, not just from superiors, but from coworkers and customers.
posted by Ausamor at 6:33 PM on November 18, 2021 [1 favorite]

Congratulations on the new job! All good ideas both in your post and in the comments! I would also:
+ talk to anyone at your level as well as anyone who reports to the same supervisor to find out everything you can about the role, expectations, optimal ways to work together. For example, if you're a morning person and your supervisor is an afternoon person, that might be good to know.
+ ask your supervisor how frequently she meets with her direct reports and set that up. If that's not something she does, then set up a recurring meeting every two weeks; that frequency can change as your knowledge and comfort grow.
posted by wicked_sassy at 6:56 AM on November 19, 2021