Getting a new job is tough and when you’ve secured it you want to go well. Adjusting to a new job is always nerve-wracking, especially if it’s a role you’ve wanted for a while. Here, four recent job starters share their tips on what helped them have a smooth transition and survive the first few days. Sarisha Ganesan, 22, graduated from Loughborough University in June and started in a graduate role in marketing last month.
Her role is fully remote so to prepare for her first day, she emailed co-workers in advance asking what to expect. “I got to meet everyone virtually in the morning meeting, we went around and did mini introductions,” she says. Initially, Sarisha was surprised by the collaborative environment of her role. “Coming from university, I was used to a more independent style of work.
“There’s loads of meetings throughout the day and regular call check-ups,” she says. Sarisha’s tip on navigating the first few weeks is to let your manager and wider team know if you get stuck on tasks or if the workload becomes excessive. “Let everyone know where you are with tasks to avoid them having to chase you up. “They don’t expect you to know everything so make sure to communicate with them if things become unfamiliar or if you feel like you have too much on your plate and need a hand,” she says.
I’ve spent 30 years in recruitment – this is how to get a job Oliver Walker graduated from the University of Liverpool in May and one week later started a graduate role working on social media campaigns for a marketing agency. “I didn’t have much time to prepare and went into it very unknown. There was very little time to do research on the responsibilities that came with my role,” he says. He did some “company stalking” to learn more about the organisation itself so he didn’t go into it “completely blind”.
His main tip is to focus on learning and developing in your role. On his first day, he asked his manager if they could have check-ins every six months to make sure he was achieving his goals. “For me, being a valuable member of my company is important. “I’ve been able to interact with incredibly helpful people in my company because I was asking to attend company events and saying yes when the opportunities appeared,” he says.
Chinaza Eke, a third-year student at the University of Warwick, has just completed an eight-week summer internship with the civil service. Over the duration of the internship, she was given five main tasks to complete and had to use new software systems and platforms which she was previously unfamiliar with. “I didn’t want to ask for help because it felt like I’d be admitting I didn’t have the skills to be there,” says Chinaza, who’s 20. But after her first few days she realised that asking for guidance was expected and pretending to understand the tasks would only harm her in the long run.
“Having my line manager encourage me to slow down was an adjustment from the intense environment of university,” she says. Chinaza’s tip for others is to ask for help when you need it, the sooner the better. “You can make so many valuable connections by admitting you need help. There is nothing wrong with being unable to do it straight away,” she says.
Elijah Amoako recently started a new role managing industry relations. In preparation for his first day, he researched the organisation to understand the team he was joining. “I think it’s important to arrive curious and open-minded, rather than feeling like you need to know everything from day one,” he says. Having come from a different company, Elijah, 26, took time to observe how things worked in his new role and not assume the same practices applied.
Elijah’s tip for others is to build relationships beyond just your immediate team as this is the best way to expose yourself to multiple opportunities. “Your reputation starts being built from day one, through how reliable, curious and collaborative you are. “Building relationships and understanding how an organisation operates is equally important,” he says. Lizzie Crowley, senior policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, says it’s important to “get many of the basics in place” ahead of your first day:
