First Day on the Job

If you are like most business professionals today, you seem to be moving constantly from one job to another. But all the research in the world cannot give you a true picture of what it is like to work in your new organization. It’s like preparing for the first day of school. No matter how confident you are, you can’t get rid of the worries about belonging, fitting in and being appreciated.

During the interview process, you might have been certain that this is the job for you. But when you actually report to work, you will inevitably wonder if you have done the right thing. Your new company probably went to a lot of trouble to recruit you, but most companies are sorely lacking when the time comes to bring you on board. Rather than making an effort to immediately create an environment of trust and growth, your new managers and coworkers often leave you to fend for yourself and carve out your own niche in the unfamiliar surroundings.

When you start a new job or even move to another position, it takes 60-90 days for both you and the organization to decide whether you fit in. Here are some things you need to do to start out on the right foot and keep moving in the right direction.

Before You Start

Say thank you. Contact and thank all the people who helped you get the new position. This is simple courtesy, of course, but it’s also very practical. With the average American changing jobs every four years, the odds are you're going to change jobs again soon. You need to keep up those contacts. Think about ways to keep in touch with them—for example, if you read something that someone on your list would appreciate, clip it and send it.

Right Away

Callout in this section:
Don't do anything too daring for the first 3 months. Take time to learn the system.

Remember the importance of first impressions. “You have only one chance to make a first impression.” That old cliché has never been truer than in our warp-speed world. Choose your words and actions wisely. Although you certainly want to build a positive image of yourself, you should never embellish the facts to the point of exaggeration.

Don't fix things or do anything " big" for the first three months. This is the biggest mistake people make. Instead, take time to learn the system, the people and the culture. You cannot possibly understand, in those first months, the implications of many decisions you might make. You could be criticizing a project that was done by someone really important. Or you could be changing something that will affect someone on the staff in ways of which you aren't aware.

Be productive immediately. This might sound like it contradicts the last point, but it really means: do things that are safe. For example, install a new system where there has been none. This is " safe" because you aren't getting rid of some other system. What isn't safe? Firing half your staff the first week!

You can also be productive and demonstrate your supportive attitude at the same time by helping others who are overwhelmed with work at the moment. You might work a lot harder at first, but you’ll accumulate some big deposits in the emotional bank account.

Introduce yourself to everybody. Don’t wait for people to come to you. Be visible. Walk around during the first few days and meet everybody– including all the people who work for you. Too many managers meet only the " important people” while ignoring those who will actually do the work. This one step will establish you as an accessible person who wants to be part of the team and takes charge of your own destiny.

Shaking hands, listening carefully for people’s names and mentioning what you will be doing with the company all show that you are making an effort to relate and get on board quickly. Even if you don’t remember everyone’s name for a while, you have demonstrated that you are interested in them as people, and they will be happy to remind you if you forget.

This effort will also help you get a feel for the corporate culture and identify the teammates, potential mentors and project leaders who can tell you what you need to succeed: What are the no-no's? What is the best way to interact with the boss?

Avoid off-the-cuff statements that may come back to haunt you. “I just needed a job to tide me over until I get accepted to grad school” isn’t the best way to endear yourself to those who have spent time and money bringing you on board. “I wanted to try the retail field to see if I like it” could show up on a performance review to demonstrate your lack of commitment.

Don't make friends too fast. Be wary of the person who is too eager to be your best friend. That coworker who wants to take you under their wing might be a genuinely nice person who just wants you to feel at home in your new surroundings. Or they might want to take advantage of your naiveté. If your new friend is too eager to dish the dirt on everyone in the department, you would do well to keep them at arm’s length. They might want to enlist you in their side of an office feud before the other side grabs you. They might be a back-stabber looking for new blood because everyone in the office has ostracized them. Someone who is eager to tell everything about everyone else is often waiting for you to drop your guard and say something that gives them fresh ammunition.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't be friendly, however. Go to lunch with several people rather than becoming known as someone who associates only with so-and-so. Get to know everybody, and then decide with whom to get closer.

Take over compensation of your subordinates immediately. Look at the review and raise dates, and make sure no one is overlooked. You can't afford to wait three months to get settled while one of your people is stewing about an overdue salary review.

Get your budget--quickly. If it isn't good, build a better one. If you spend some time at the beginning trying to understand the budget, the things you hear over the next few weeks will have more meaning to you.

In the First Three Months

Callout in this section:
Pay attention to your peers. Look to them to teach you and, in some cases, protect you.

Learn the corporate culture. Keep your head low until you know it. When someone new to a job loses that job, it is usually because of personality conflicts rather than a lack of competence. Some companies have certain writing styles. Some expect you to speak a certain way. Some are surprisingly particular about the way they hold parties. In some companies, people work with their doors open; in some, doors are shut. All these things and many more are part of the culture and they are unwritten. To learn them, you have to pay attention.

I had a client who lost his job because his management style rubbed everyone the wrong way. He is a " touchy feely" manager who, when he wants his employees to do things, schmoozes with them, saying things such as, " You know, I was kind of thinking about this and..." But in the corporate culture, the employees expected to be asked or told directly. His style made them feel patronized and manipulated. And his own staff did him in.

Pay your dues before doing things at a variance with the corporate culture. After you build up some credits, you have more leeway. Let your personality emerge when you understand the company and after you have made some contribution.

Learn the real organizational structure, not the one on the charts. Give yourself time to “get the lay of the land” before getting too tight with any one group. Otherwise, you could unknowingly associate yourself with the crowd who is on the list for the next layoffs.

Ask your secretary or another trusted colleague who relates how with whom, who knows what, who thought of this project, who is important and so on. You could be surprised.

Where your staff is concerned, find out other people's opinions of them but form your own. You might have a different perception because you have different values.

Find out what is important in your job. For example, when I counsel people for a corporation, counseling is not the only important thing in my job. The people who come to me are sent by the personnel department, so I also must manage my relationship with the personnel people. It doesn't matter how good a counselor I am if I don't maintain a good relationship with the personnel staff.

Ask questions. This is a great time to do a lot of listening. Companies are always assessing employees’ listening skills. When we’re listening, we’re truly open to new learning. When we’re talking, we’re just repeating what we already know.

Pay attention to your peers. Your peers can prove as valuable as your boss and subordinates. Do not try to impress them with your brilliance. That would be the kiss of death because you'd have a very large reputation to live up to. Yes, you’re a whiz with a computer. No, you’re not the next Bill Gates.

Instead, just encourage them to talk to you. They know more than you do. They also know your boss. Look to them to teach you and, in some cases, protect you.

I know one executive who found out that her last three predecessors were fired. She knew from talking to people that her boss was the type whose ego was bruised when someone had ideas. He had a talent for getting rid of these people.

To protect herself, she built relationships with her peers--the heads of offices around the country. After a year and a half, her boss's brother took her to breakfast and told her that, unlike her predecessors, she could not be fired: it would have been such an unpopular decision that it would have backfired on her boss.

Don't set up competition. Everyone brings something to the party and should be respected for his or her talent, even those at lower levels than you. Find ways to show your respect by asking for their input on projects that require their expertise.

Give credit where credit is due. Take advantage of opportunities to praise others who have been helpful to you. Author Laurie Rozakis suggests using the office grapevine to share anecdotes about the accomplishments and kindnesses of others. It won’t take long for word to get back to the people you praise, and their appreciation can create a strong eagerness to help you again in the future. Keep your praise light and casual, however. Laying it on too thick makes you come across as phony.

Set precedents you want to keep. If you start out working 12-hour days, people come to expect it of you--even if no one else is doing it. When you stop, people wonder what's wrong.

Set modest goals for yourself and high goals for your department. Make your people look good and you will too.

Get feedback about your early performance. Within the first month, have a “how am I doing?” meeting with the boss. It’s dangerous to assume that you’re doing what the company expects. Says Jane Doe, former Human Resources Manager for ABC Company for the Southwest and now Chief Operating Officer of XYZ Company, Inc.: “If you want to fit in fast, and succeed in the process, be open to learning as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to look like you don’t know something. Be willing to take risks and ask meaningful questions, because you will learn a lot faster that way.” In fact, she contends, “The inability to ask a question is the most significant sign of insecurity of anything I know.”

Three Months and Beyond...

Continue to develop contacts outside the company. If you need information for your job, your boss and the people around you can sometimes be the worst people to ask. An outside network is a tremendous resource to fall back on when your boss is busy--and you will seem resourceful, smart and connected.

Keep a hero file. This is a simple hanging file where you keep written descriptions of all your successes. If you have to job hunt in a hurry, you'll be able to recall what you've done. You can also use it if you stay. If you want a raise, a promotion or responsibility for a particular project, you can use the file to build a case for yourself.

Keep managing your career. Don't think, " I'll just take this job and do what they tell me," because you might get off on some tangent. Remember where you were heading when you decided to pursue this job, and make sure your career keeps going that way.

Take action to move toward your goal. Take on lots of assignments. If a project comes up that fits your long-term plan, do it. If one doesn't fit your plan, you can choose to do it or say, " Oh, I'd love to do that, but I'm really busy." Make those kinds of choices all the time.

Starting a new job is a lot like setting out on a journey. Preparation, focus, and awareness of our surroundings can go a long way toward preventing a disastrous wrong turn that leads to a dead end.