Well done, congratulations! You got the job or promotion you have worked so hard for.
Now what?
Your new position is bound to bring new challenges. At mid to senior level, the pressures of performing well from the get-go can be daunting. At junior level, creating a good first impression, meeting expectations and identifying personal goals can be equally testing, as you may not yet possess the depth of knowledge or technical skills required to fulfil your role accordingly.
Navigating the rocky waters of relationships, office culture and departmental processes in the early stages of a new role can cause anxiety, confusion and even embarrassment. It makes little difference whether your new role is Head of Department or the most junior researcher, the first few weeks can be tense. Even within one university, procedures change between departments and cultural differences between teams are keenly felt.
Capitalizing on your new colleagues’ experience and expertise can help you to focus your energies and make the transition as smooth as possible, so we were fascinated by an engineer’s perspective on ways to access this invaluable store of performance-boosting information. Andrew Bosworth aka ‘Boz’ is Vice President of tech giant Facebook.com. He has created ‘A Career Cold Start Algorithm’, published on his website Boz.com, as a road map for starting strong from day one.
While Boz’s ‘algorithm’ is written for managers and leaders, it can be easily applied by anyone joining a new team. Hopefully, you will be given an opportunity to contact more senior members of your team to discuss challenges and goals. When you do, take care to choose your means of communication appropriately. Use all your skills and experience in professional communication to reach out in a courteous and considerate manner. Remember, first impressions are what it’s all about.
‘A Career Cold Start Algorithm’ was originally published on March 8, 2018 on boz.com by @boztank and reposted on March 11, 2018 by @HungLee on recruitingbrainfood.com in Issue #74.
