First week in a new job. What should you know?

Starting a new career? Are you just getting started, and has the enthusiasm and joy been overshadowed by uncertainty? We hasten to inform you that you are feeling as well as most people. Excitement, stress, confusion are even very normal emotions. And typing “first week at a new job” in the Google search box will reveal a lot of information about people feeling like they can’t find a place and don’t know what exactly they need to do at work. Here are some tips on what you can do in your first week at your new job to help you feel more confident and make a good impression on your new colleagues.

Find your work buddy (“work buddy”)

Ask your key informant if you will have a start-up plan in place. Some organizations have on-boarding plans in place, during which a person is appointed who has been mentoring a newcomer for a certain period of time. This would help you get to know colleagues or programmes.

“Often we try to put together a very detailed programme so that the newcomer doesn’t feel lonely. We also prepare existing colleagues, letting them know that we will be welcoming a new colleague, so we need an hour each to get to know each other.”

– Eigilė Gedvilaitė, HR expert at Manpower Lithuania.

Remember that your mentor is someone you can always turn to, but also someone you can openly confide in. And if you sometimes don’t have a mentor, find a work buddy who can help you get used to your new environment and help you understand how to do your tasks.

Lunch is an important part of the working day

Food brings people together and helps them to socialise. If you are going to the workplace in person, you can skip lunch for the first week. This will give you an excuse to chat with colleagues. Ask them where they go for a tasty meal, suggest they go together.

It’s a bit more complicated when working remotely. Eigile has had to curate a number of remote on-boarding projects, so she knows that the way out is – you can have virtual coffee breaks, agree to order food together at home or have an agreement that we will meet once a month in the office or outside the office to dine together.

You can also take 10 minutes on your lunch break during the first week to organise your social networks. Invite new colleagues to join your friends. Follow the organisation’s account. You will help yourself to be visible to your colleagues.

Don’t hide your skills

The selection process is often about skills and experience. Naturally, you don’t want to look bad once you start working. Don’t hide what you know or know well. After all, that’s why you were hired.

“Be yourself from day one. Demonstrate your ability to bring value to the organisation. By revealing your wealth of knowledge, you will also enlighten your colleagues about the issues they can contact you about. Be punctual. Yes, this is important even when working remotely. Be helpful. In this way, you will find out for yourself what is currently relevant in your organisation.”

– Eigilė Gedvilaitė, HR expert at Manpower Lithuania.

The first few months are spent getting to know each other and getting the points right. If you skip this part, it can only get harder later. Imagine your probationary period has passed and you still don’t understand what you have to and can do.

Use your time meaningfully

The curator has his own work to do, so does he leave you alone for a few hours? About el. Mail and other connections have not been created, so are you just waiting? We suggest you use your time in a meaningful way to make your day, your week, or even your months easier. Take a notebook, open a word document, or wherever it is convenient for you and write down the questions that arise for a point of view. Of course, don’t overdo it and don’t force yourself to “burn out” before your time. Take a look at your future tasks and enjoy the pace.

We wish you success in your new career!