The challenge of starting a new job need not be intimidating if you plan carefully for it, and change can be refreshing. However, there are a few things that can help towards making the transition to a new job as pain-free as possible.
Once employment and position in a company are confirmed it is too late to research and prepare for the interview, so starting the job is your next challenge. Your research beforehand should have guided you as to whether you and the company are a good fit with regards your needs and ambitions and the company’s mission statement. What you now have to take into account is if management and prospective colleagues match the company’s mission statement. It does not take more than a few days to make your assessment. Before your decision to join an organisation, you should be allowed to meet and mingle with management and workers for an orientation type period.
These are a few pointers to consider once you are in:
· Ask for a detailed, written job description and employment contract.
· Be prepared to overcome possible negative reaction to you for no reason other than that you are new, from other employees or even from management. The best way to do this is to be charming without being condescending. Remaining hostile to someone who is genuinely nice is hard.
· Allay any fear that you are a threat to workers or their territory by being open to their ideas and explaining yours and why you made the change. Once colleagues know who you are they will be more accepting and often more willing to help your transition.
· Accept that there will be people who are harder to get on with than others, do not insist on converting them to your ideas when these differ from theirs – be open to them without necessarily agreeing with them.
· Identify gossipers and steer clear of them. Look out for toxic co-workers and once identified take steps to diffuse conflict situations before they arise.
· Accept and be open to being trained if training is needed for the job regardless of possible personality differences between yourself and the trainers.
· Understand the politics and dynamics between the various departments quickly to help you negotiate amicably through tricky situations if you are to come through unscathed.
· As the new kid on the block, be humble without being a doormat as respect will not be earned with fake humility – express your opinions honestly, so colleagues get a measure of who you are.
· Remember that emotional intelligence counts for as much as skills do and that understanding what makes people tick is half the job done.
Finally, create the impression in the minds of management and colleagues that you are willing to help out wherever you can when this is needed if your duties allow you to do so.