Six Things New Hires Should Do During the First 30 Days
This is a guest post by Jennifer King, HR Analyst for Software Advice. She blogs about trends, technology and best practices in HR and career development.
The first weeks on the job for any new hire can be overwhelming. There are plenty of orientation meetings to attend, training sessions to complete, and new hire paperwork to fill out. While these are all important, here are six things new hires should do on their own within their first 30 days to set themselves up for success.
1. Come up with your elevator pitch.
You only get one chance to make a first impression. So, before you start introducing yourself to everyone, figure out what you’re going to say when you meet them.
2. Understand your role and how you will be evaluated.
The responsibilities of the job you were hired for could change by the time you start work. Reach out to your manager about what may have changed, and make sure you have a clear understanding of your current role, responsibilities, and authority before you take on any projects.
3. Learn the business.
Before you can begin to contribute to an organization, you need to figure out how the company works. What are the business objectives? What’s the organizational makeup of the company? How does your company do business?
4. Interview your boss.
The key to being a successful new employee is helping your boss be successful. Find out what keeps your boss up at night and come up with creative ways to alleviate those worries.
5. Be ambitious, but have restraint.
You might be eager to start contributing right away and fixing everything wrong you see with the organization. That intention is good, but tread lightly. As a new hire, you won’t have the historical context about why a policy or process may or may not need fixing.
6. Be proactive about your onboarding.
One day of orientation and a meet and greet with your team may be the extent of your company’s onboarding program. If so, be proactive with your managers about their training plan and what you need to accomplish in your first three months on the job.
