It’s officially September. Summer is over. For some of us, that also means a fresh start in a new job.
A new job can be a daunting process. We are entering into a new role with a new team, new area of work, as well as potentially a new organisation and location. A year ago I experienced these changes when I left the UK to come to Belgium for a new role in a different sector.
Understandably, getting off on the right foot brings a lot of anxiety to people. Often, people want to make sure they make a good impression and are keen to demonstrate their competence as early as possible.
But do new jobs really need to be that stressful?
I’ve previously started new jobs where I’ve spent an incredible amount of mental energy in trying to understand as much as possible. I wanted to make sure I put my best step forward and learn the cultural norms as soon as possible. By the end of it, I was exhausted, and within three weeks I felt my energy levels drop. The amount of effort I put in trying to plan my first few weeks meant that I felt exhausted within a month. It also ate into my personal life. I would often go home and crash, clearing out my diary of recreational activities because all my focus was on my job.
In hindsight, this is probably not the best thing to do. It’s when we first start our job that we get an opportunity to set how we want to work, and give the impression of how we want to work. If we give the impression that we are want to people-please from the beginning, that will probably be the lasting impression you will give for the first six to twelve months. This isn’t the worst thing, but you may suddenly find yourself having a harder time getting your points across, or being given more menial tasks if you’re viewed in that way.
Furthermore, if I didn’t illustrate the point enough, it’s also very tiring to start a job being on edge across a whole work day, let alone doing that for several weeks. Whilst in the short term you may find you get more out of yourself, if you start with unsustainable behaviours you will likely inevitably crash. This will affect your performance longer term.
So instead, I recommend seeing a role as a new opportunity. Each day is a chance to learn something new and speak to different people. The best starters I saw came with an enthusiasm and open curiosity for the job. Rather than being so keen to impress, they take the time to learn the ropes by talking to different people and learning what they need to do, whilst also getting the lay of the land through private conversations. For more senior hires, this is particularly critical. I can recall several times in Government how I had a new manager who was so keen to impress on their first day that they wanted to change everything. It was a nightmare for me and my team, and actually led to difficult relations with them for at least six months. It was difficult to point out that they basically didn’t understand their job yet without looking like I was just trying to frustrate their wishes of change.
Personally, I believe a lot of this behaviour comes from a sense of inadequacy. Having gone through an intense interview process, it can feel like we are still under trial when we start. Indeed, in the UK we have probation periods and in certain team environments new hires can be pushed into contributing rather quickly.
But it’s important to recognise that once you have gotten a job offer, you are now officially a member. It’s therefore an opportunity for you to bring your knowledge and experience as a value-add, and you don’t need to wait 6 months before sharing ideas. A lot of the time, the pressure comes from ourselves – this inadequacy (often from imposter syndrome) keeps us in a state of perpetual stress. You don’t need me to tell you that being in perpetual stress is not a recipe for excelling in a role.
Naturally there is a fear that we just aren’t up to the job we are hired into. And yes, that sometimes is the case. People can be mis-hired or poorly managed, which certainly does happen. To be honest with you though, if you’re in a situation where this is happening, it may just be a toxic environment where people often join and leave with high frequency. If that’s the case, there’s probably not a lot you can do. That said, if you are in this situation, you’ll probably see the warning signs quite quickly. If a job isn’t meant to work out, it’s not meant to work out. So relax – the chances are you were hired and can do the job. Now it’s for you to manage the situation to do the best you can.
So I would recommend that you give yourself plenty of space to engage with work. Coming in fresh with enthusiasm, but also not getting too caught up in impressing on your first week. It’s okay to ask questions. Take the time to speak to people and learn what they do. A new role is a great time to build relationships that you would otherwise forego with work colleagues. Likewise, feeling overwhelmed with new information can be a normal part of the process. It’s okay if you don’t get thigns in the first go. You have time to settle into your role, so there’s no need to put yourself under additional pressure.
Finally, remember that you’re in this job probably because you want to be. So you may as well enjoy it. Many of us forget that once we get our dream jobs that the point of it is to enjoy actually working there. Instead, we fall into a cycle of stress and unhappiness as we feel like this is how we are meant to react. You get to choose how you want your relationship with work.
So if you’re starting a new job, I hope this article helps you. I’d love to hear what you get out of it or any additional tips you would give to someone else.