Starting a new job is both exciting and terrifying in equal measure!
The formalities of the hiring and onboarding process, combined with the anxieties of the unknown, are, at first, overwhelming. However, a successful start (in my opinion) is largely down to two things: being authentic and understanding the power of asking questions. Questions are your most reliable learning tool!
We all have a desire to showcase the best version of ourselves, but it is important to remember that nobody wants to see you ‘fail’ and that the change is just as significant for your new employer and new colleagues, as it is for you.
The primary focus as a new starter is to adjust and understand how you fit into an organisation and what role you play in that. For many of us, we feel that this is a pressured period and, at times (potentially) isolating, but the value in connecting with others and building your networks is essential to moving past this point.
As human beings, we all like to feel included and valued, so beginning with introductions and working towards creating trusted relationships can help us all feel more comfortable and enable us to thrive in an unfamiliar environment. Developing relationships can (and will) provide much-needed stability and reassurance whilst you establish new ways of working and new habits to propel your integration forwards.
Ultimately, we are all working towards role ownership, and as a new starter, you are challenging your capabilities and doing your best to achieve your greatest potential.
In a recent study (Robert Half), it is stated that 91% of employees consider quitting a job within the first month. However, considering is quite different to doing, and from personal experience, it is a very normal feeling during any period of momentous change.
Change is uncomfortable for many of us. It brings uncertainty whilst also pushing you out of your comfort zone, and fundamentally, we are creatures of habit. Habits require a minimal amount of thinking, so when we find ourselves transitioning into a new role, we must increase our thinking (in every conceivable way), and our best resource for long-term success becomes ourselves and our ability to ask ‘the question.’
Conscious effort is required to embrace this type of change, and when our knowledge is limited and incomplete (as it is as a new starter), we must ask questions. In a new role, you are not expected to be an immediate expert, and you are most certainly not expected to have all the answers. However, it is expected that you learn and evolve.
So… ask the questions, be authentic, add in a little self-care, and (in my opinion) you may just find yourself on the road to your future.