Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Banish New Job Nerves
The initial period after securing a new job is an exciting time. A new position can make you feel confident, proud and successful – you are moving up in the world!
However, these very positive emotions can sometimes be slightly overshadowed by the nerves that you can experience on the first day of starting in a new workplace.
Below are some valuable tips on how to manage these nerves and hit the ground running;
Don’t be Afraid to Introduce Yourself
It can be difficult to take the first step in introducing yourself to your new colleagues. However, waiting for others’ the introduce you is not a solution. Building strong relationships with your co-workers is essential.
Taking the initiative to introduce yourself will demonstrate a team player attitude. Most people will be happy to chat and introduce themselves too and you will start to make friends.
Actively introducing yourself in this way builds the foundation for strong workplace relationships in the future and looks positive to your new employer.
Remember Names
When you begin in a new workplace, you will be meeting a lot of new people and be hearing a lot of new names. For most people, remembering who is who can be challenging and forgetting a colleague’s name can be embarrassing.
Try the following:
- Repeat someone’s name back to them upon meeting them (“Hi X, it’s great to meet you”) and use the person’s name twice during the conversation so your recall lasts more than a few seconds.
- After you meet someone, write down his or her name so you can commit it to memory later or refer to it if you need it.
- Try to identify some distinctive feature about them so you can recall their name later.
Ask Questions
The initial starting period of any new job is a golden opportunity to acquire as much information and knowledge about your responsibilities and the workings of the company as possible. Colleagues will be happy to help you when you are “new” in the company, so take advantage of your new person status!
Some tips for asking questions;
Keep it short. The longer you take to ask a question, the harder it is for the other person to make sense of it.
Explain why you’re asking. Simply saying, “I’m new here,” can relieve the awkwardness.
Listen to the answer. Sometimes when we’re busy thinking about the next question, we don’t pay close enough attention to the reply.
Take notes on what is said so you do not need to ask again. If you do find yourself in a situation where you need to ask the same thing again, do it. It is better to ask now, rather than months later.