First impressions in a new job
I have a job that I like, but I have this other job offer/role that is pretty tempting. Should I accept it and move? And, if I do, how do I start off right on the new team?
Have you pondered questions like these? I hear them often in my conversations with friends and colleagues.
Change happens in work life for various reasons. The world is teeming with exciting opportunities and you might have a new one in front of you. Your current job might be getting old, or burning you out, or at risk of disappearing. Whatever the reason, you will likely face the question of change at some point or the other in your life. I myself have changed teams or roles many times, even though I have worked in just two companies over the course of my 18-year career. How do you make good decisions about such changes, and what should you do in your new job to land feet first?
Let's begin with the first question.
Should I accept a new job/role and move away from work I like?
If you hate your current job, it's a no-brainer. Move if you think that the new job is going to be better. Life is too fleeting for you to stay in unhappy or toxic situations. It can be hard to tell if a new job is going to be better than the current one. There are no guarantees, of course, but you can get a sense by talking to the hiring manager, researching online, interviewing people currently on the team, and so on. In any case, your decision-making is generally easier if your current job is not a great one.
But let us say your current job doesn't suck. Then what do you do? I wrote about this topic in another post some time ago. For most decisions like this one, you use two different ways of discernment. The first and the most obvious one, the one that comes naturally to those of us trained in critical thinking, is deliberation. I.e., we think. We analyze. We list pros and cons. We use decision-making frameworks. For example, when I deliberate on this topic myself, I consider the following questions.
1. What is the pull in the new job? Is it money, is it an opportunity to learn something new, to make something wonderful? Have I done all I can in my current role?
2. How would I rate this job on the things I care about in work in general? For me, it is important to work with great people, in a culture that aligns with my values, to make a difference to others with my work, to have influence to make changes, and to learn new things constantly. How does this offer stack against those considerations?
3. What does success mean to me at this place? Another way to ask the same question: Is there an exit strategy? What are the boxes that need to be checked by this job, and if not checked, I should look for something else?
4. Can I see any obvious issue with the role? What are the disadvantages I can list?
5. What is my plan if I spectacularly fail in the job? And what does failure mean? It is good to spend a few minutes thinking about this question and the previous one. The goal is not to get discouraged from making the change because there are some disadvantages and possibilities of failure. It might still make all the sense in the world to go for it. But I can use these insights to negotiate my offer better and/or to shape my plan for my first days in the new role.
The second and the more ignored way to answer the question of "should I move?" is to use the emotional fabric in your mind and your intuition. Asking yourself how you feel about a certain situation. Don't ignore that quiet whisper of your intuition for it might be telling you something vital. As you evaluate your new role, use both these pathways - rational and intuitive - to make your decision.
Now let's look at the next question.
How can you do well in the first days at the job?
As you start your new job, think about what your strengths are and how you can lean on them to bring value to your team. Reflect on why you were hired. Was it your tech skills, your ability to grow ideas, your professional network, or something else? Make sure you have a plan to leverage them in your job.
Make a list of things you want to accomplish in your first hundred days. Why hundred days? World leaders frequently get reviewed on their first hundred days in office, and this is a great timeframe for your work as well. Three months plus a few days give you enough time to expand your knowledge, learn about the culture, increase your network, get some early wins, and craft long-term goals. As you prepare for your first hundred days, plan your learning. Think about where you can bring quick wins to establish your credibility. Make it a priority to talk to people on the team. Be curious about the business and the technology. Be curious about the humans around you and their stories. Try to connect with them and understand what they do, what they enjoy, and what their challenges are. Doing this will help you learn more, but also build a web of positive relationships around you.
Someone recently asked me if I thought first impressions at a new job were important. Indeed, people make instant judgments based on first impressions. Whether you are making a business deal or interviewing for a role or you are in a new job, you will want to think about what story you're telling about yourself when people meet you. People will update their mental models as they get to know you and (hopefully) not rely solely on first impressions, but you want to start off on the right foot. The best way to do that is to be genuine, curious, and empathetic to the people around you.
If you are looking for books to help you prepare for a new job, here are a couple of recommendations.
- The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels
- Designing your work life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work
Changes - in life and at work - are equal parts exciting and challenging. Having a plan to navigate through them, while understanding that no plan will be perfect - and that's ok, you'll adapt - is vital. If you are contemplating a change at work, I hope you found something of value in this post. And I wish you good luck.