Blog: Career Management

Starting a new role can be both exciting and stressful.

It’s moving from the familiar to the unfamiliar; from knowing the main players to determining who they are; from feeling very positive about your abilities to feeling somewhat insecure. But that’s true of every new situation.

So what do you do to regain your confidence and competence?

1. Clarify expectations immediately.
Make sure you understand from your first day why you were hired and what re your goals are for the first 6–12 months. This can help with your direction in the weeks to come. Also spend plenty of time getting to know your new boss, your new teammates and your new  culture. This is the time to make friends not enemies.

2. Don’t be the Lone Ranger.
It’s not weak to ask for help. If you don’t know how or where to find the information you need, you’ll waste your time if you search for it yourself. Ask your boss or colleagues for help when you need it.

3. Realize you will be stressed at times – don’t let it bring you down.
Many people feel overwhelmed when they start with a new company. Everything is dramatically different, which can leave you feeling at times not in control and not your usual competent self. That’s normal in the beginning. However it’s important you manage the stress before it manages you.

4. Avoid making comparisons between your new and old company.
Your new team doesn’t want to hear “At my old job, we used to…” Focus on what is important now and what you need to do now, not what or how you did something in the past.

5. Have a smile on your face and goodness in your heart.
If someone on your new team does not respond well to you, don’t take it personally – at least in the beginning. Remember, you might be in a role that someone else used to have, and that person might have been a friend of this team member. It will take time to establish trust and confidence in you so put your energy in being effective and productive in your role.

Career Success Tip:

Although your boss may not expect you to create full value for the company during your first few months, be sure to have a few successes. That will help you establish credibility with her and her boss. You want them to feel they made the right decision. Also see Five Career Challenges You May Face.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?