How To Stand Out (And Fit In) At Your New Job

You got the job! You’re ready to begin and excited to get started.

How To Stand Out At Your New Job

Here are a few tips to make sure you start your new job on the right foot.

Understand The Culture

First, take time to get to know the culture of your new company. The best way to do this is to schedule meetings with your team – both those who will be working for you and with you. Ask them questions about how they get their work accomplished and how easy or difficult it is to implement new ideas and initiatives. This will give you a good feel for how adaptable (or how slow) the company culture is to change.

Identify Key Stakeholders

Next, find out who the key stakeholders are for your specific role and meet with them. For example, if you are entering a company as a finance manager, find out who the key business leaders are whom you will be supporting in your position. Take time to build relationships with them and understand their primary financial concerns.

Find A Buddy

Another tip to help you get off on the right foot is to get a buddy. This should be a peer who works on the same team as you or in the same department as you.This is the person who will also help you figure out who’s who and give you some inside information on some of those office politics; all companies, big and small, have politics to deal with and you want to know who’s who so you don’t step on anybody’s toes as you begin to execute your work. Your buddy is also there for you to ask questions such as, “How do I order office supplies?” Or,  “How do I set up my voice mail box?”

Show Commitment

Next, have a career conversation with your manager. This lets them know you are serious about and committed to growing your career. When you first start working at your new company, you may not know enough (yet) to speak specifically about the career paths available there; however, take time to have a conversation with your manager about your aspirations.

Share information about your desires to advance and grow as well as specific information about your strengths and the areas you’d like to develop. Ask your manager for input on your career plan and then use it as a living, active document.

Make A 90 Day Plan

Finally, it always helps to have a 90-day plan as you start a new job. Document the details of what you want to accomplish in your first three months (for example, the specific people you want to meet with, the tasks you want to accomplish, etc.) It also helps to share this plan with your manager so you can get some input.

There may be some things missing that your manager views as being critical to accomplish in the first 90 days. Remember to be flexible with your plan as things may change and objectives you set for the first three months may shift as you get more involved and begin to learn more about your new job. You want to be seen as committed to meeting the objectives you set, yet flexible enough to deal with changes.

By implementing these few simple items, you can get off to a great start at your new job and quickly begin to be viewed as a value-added asset at your new company.