Landing a new job is an exciting accomplishment you should feel proud of. After your job search process, you should be happy about beginning a job you’ll love. After you sign your acceptance letter and do your happy dance, it’s time to think about how you can begin the next chapter of your career strong.
While you gear up to embark on a new career path, use these helpful tips to ensure you are confident and successful from day one.
1, Define Your Job Expectations
You may be familiar with your job description, but your experience at your new job goes far beyond what’s listed on the job posting. To be as successful as possible, new hires should make sure they have a comprehensive understanding of their job expectations. This includes both the professional and personal skills that successful employees possess, including timeliness, thoroughness, professionalism and a good attitude. As you speak to more people at the company, ask questions to help yourself gain a clear understanding of your job expectations.
2. Understand Your Company’s Mission and Vision
A company’s mission statement encapsulates the company’s goals, values and drive. Some also choose to include a vision statement to demonstrate what the organization's long-term goals are. Most businesses have a mission and vision statement they share on their website to emphasize where they are and where they wish to take their organization. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the company statements and ask questions about how your employer upholds them. The best employer/employee fits occur when both parties share similar goals and values.
3. Catch Up on Your Lingo
Like any group culture, your new workplace will have common words and phrases used daily. Sharpen your professional language skills by integrating career-related terms into your vocabulary. By doing this, you are more apt to be welcomed as part of the business or organization.
4. Anticipate First Day Jitters
In the days leading up to your start date, create a plan to calm your first-day jitters and ensure success. If you’re working from home, get a feel for your computer and any programs you’ll be using for work. Double-check that you’re charged, connected and ready to join your myriad of onboarding meetings. Request the phone numbers for your company’s IT department and your supervisor so you can reach out if you experience any technical issues. If you’re working in the office, take into account your travel time and plan to arrive a bit early. Pick out your outfit the night before to save yourself time (and stress) in the morning.
5. Ask Questions
We’ve mentioned asking questions above, but this deserves its own category! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and be curious. Asking a question isn’t a sign of weakness, but instead an opportunity for you to learn and grow from those around you. By asking questions early, you will gain a better understanding of your job, your coworkers and the company.
Don’t be intimidated by your first day on the job; instead, be motivated and excited to embark on a new career. Herzing University is full of resources to assist your transition to the professional working world. Connect with us today for further assistance and more career-focused resources.
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* Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics 2022 / Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.
