Congratulations you have finally landed that new role you have wanted for ages and are all ready to get going!
We have talked about adapting to a new company culture in a previous post. Now let’s explore how to truly excel in your new role.
Here at LWR, we have now been placing candidates for over 30 years. Over this time, we have noticed that the people who excel and become "shining lights" in their organisations exhibit certain habits and patterns of behaviour that seem to result in a positive start in their new role. Let’s explore this first before making some suggestions.
Be Prepared to Develop New Habits
A new company and a new start? For many of us, changing organisations creates an opportunity to ‘do it differently’, by developing new habits within a different culture or expanded role.
A study by Phillipa Lally, the health psychology researcher at University College London, discovered that on average it takes more than two months before a new behaviour becomes automatic; not the original 21 days that is often misquoted.
It seems logical then that if you implement some of the following ideas and strategies during your first month, it is going to pay dividends not only for month one but for many months later.
Make an Impression
There is a well-known saying that; “first impressions count”, and they do. When you first arrive in an organisation all eyes are on you, in a positive way. Depending on your personality style, being the centre of attention might not be natural for you, however, it’s important. Look to create a "Wow" factor when people mention your name.
Your new manager will want to validate his or her hiring decision. Time to start proving your worth from your interview and there are multiple ways to do this.
Dress for Success!
Though this might sound like a cliché and a throw back to the 80’s, dress sense and style matters.
If you looked good at interview, do the same daily. Shallow though it may be; your company’s clients, team members and your new boss will notice.
It also has an unconscious effect that might surprise you. It will make you feel; good, upbeat and positive. These are all essential as you navigate your new role and company.
Be on Time!
From the impression you leave with the senior manager that see’s you running across the car park late, to your team mate who is waiting for a conversation with you before they can move on with their next piece of work, timekeeping is a huge pressure point when it comes to how you are viewed in an organisation.
This isn’t about being in the office before everyone starts; it’s about respect and professionalism. Simply exhibiting a positive habit like this is as important today as it has ever been.
Develop A Great Relationship with Your Manager
Depending on the role in question your new manager will probably have had the final say in employing you. They want you to succeed; so, help them by doing exactly that. We shared a step by step blog post on how to impress them too.
At Lucy Walker Recruitment we give all our successful candidates a mantra, it’s; ask questions, listen, learn and act.
Find out what is important to them and what their own performance objectives are through simply a casual conversation. This will give you a sense of what you need to deliver and how you can help. Make your managers life easier by understanding their challenges and watch how smoothly you start to fit into an organisation.
Make proactivity your focus, and you won’t go far wrong.
Hint: Managers love proactive team members. Which leads me to one final thing in today’s post.
Be A Team Player
I can't resist saying; Together Everyone Achieves More, which truly sums up the power of a team. As an experienced recruitment company we are fully aware that organisations grow because of their people, and those with a great team are more successful than others.
Being a team player is becoming more important in a business context. In fact, I suspect at your interview you will have been asked questions to find out how you work in a team setting.
As soon as you can, make it your mission to connect with everyone in your team. Go out to the pub after work, grab a sandwich together and find out about your colleagues. Do you need to be best buddies with everyone? No. We are all different and some you will gravitate to some people more than others and that is natural.
Ready to get going? Good luck!
Here at Lucy Walker Recruitment we have been helping firms with their talent acquisition, and job seekers find their ideal roles for over 30 years. We have placed thousands of candidates and filled thousands of roles for our clients; if you want to find out how we can help you call us on 0113 367 2880 or email us here.
