Searching for a new job can feel like it’s own full-time job. Trite, but true. Anyone who has spent their weekends and nights after work applying for jobs knows how much work it can be. Once you’ve received the offer, you deserve to celebrate and let down your hair a bit. But once you’ve settled into your new job, you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get back to work.
While landing a new job is a successful moment in and of itself, let’s take a look at what you need to do to find on-the-job success.
One of the biggest ways to ruffle feathers at work is to not meet your boss’ expectations. That doesn’t mean it’s always your fault. Most of the time when this happens — as long as you’re truly not slacking — the root of the problem is communication. When you’re given a new assignment or are tasked with a big project, consider asking whoever made the request a few questions that will make their expectations clear.
Asking questions is never a bad thing. If someone gets mad at you for asking questions, chances are they’re not a very helpful manager or coworker — assuming you’re not asking the same questions over and over again or forgetting important details they already told you. When in doubt, ask, because making an easily avoidable mistake because you were afraid to ask a question will be worse than feeling like you’re asking too many questions.
While getting all of your assigned work done is your job and what is expected of you, if there are opportunities to take initiative, you should. To stand out as an employee that deserves to move up in the company, you’ll want to show you’re capable of handling more than what you were hired for. Take initiative whenever possible. This could mean coming to your manager with a way to improve your team’s workflow or with research on how to make the company website stand out more. Maybe you’ll offer to take a new employee under your wing for training or to cover for someone with different responsibilities while they’re on maternity leave. Sign up for an online class that will help you develop a new skill or learn more about what the other departments in your company do. Go the extra mile and your career will benefit from it.
Most companies have an idea of what their company culture is, whether or not they advertise that fact. Ideally during your interview, you’ll ask what to expect company culture wise, but this is also a great question to ask when you first start a new job. Try to learn more about what the shared values of your workspace are and how you can respect them and integrate them into your daily routine. Some offices firmly believe in leaving at 5 pm on the dot. Another office may believe in hustling hard, growing fast, and rewarding employees down the line. Others care a lot about gratitude and expect their staff to acknowledge the work of their colleagues frequently. Learn more about the company culture and see how you can adapt to your environment.
If you’re unsure about anything regarding workplace rules and etiquette, just ask. This is the easiest way to avoid unnecessary mistakes. It can be helpful early on to sit down with HR or your manager and go over the dress code, your schedule, how breaks are managed, and any other office idiosyncrasies you need to know about.
This is going to sound harsh, but it’s true. No one likes the coworker that is constantly talking about how things were done at their old job. It’s totally ok to share insight gained at previous jobs — that’s why you were hired — but make sure the point you’re making is relevant to the situation and doesn’t come off like a complaint.
Just don’t. It can really come back to bite you. It may feel like a way to bond with coworkers, but it’s best to avoid. It’s okay to chat about any changes going on in the company or share happy news about a colleague, but don’t say anything you wouldn’t want the subject of your conversation to hear.
If you sense tension with a colleague, don’t let things fester. Ask to speak with them privately and acknowledge that you want to clear the air and find a way to work together better. Don’t place any blame, just explain that you want to communicate clearly to avoid this issue turning into something bigger than it needs to be.
Vent to your spouse, mother, best friend, hairdresser, therapist, or your mailman, just not another coworker. The exception being, if you feel you need to bring this issue to your manager or HR department you can.
If a conflict is starting to heat up, bringing in a mediator (like a manager or someone from HR) who can help untangle things a bit is a good idea. Emotions are natural and to avoid them taking over, an objective third party can help.
You’re not perfect and that’s okay. But you can be the bigger person when necessary. Try to take a step back and really absorb any feedback from the person you aren’t seeing eye to eye with. If you’re wrong, apologize and propose a way to move forward.
It can take a while to get your footing at a new job, but it’s really important to remember that landing that job was the easy part. You have to put in the work once you get there if you want to earn promotions, work on great projects, and improve your personal brand. To find more focus in your career and to learn the skills that will lead to a satisfying career, enroll in Career 101: The Building Blocks today!
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