The New Job Search Chronicles - The First Week - CareerAlley

The New Job Search Chronicles - The First Week - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. A well adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous. Alexander Hamilton The First Week: Friday at last! The first week was tough. Lots of new people, processes, systems and things to read. Lots of pressure to perform (albeit, self-imposed) and some mixed feelings. On Wednesday (Day 3), I thought What am I doing here?, Why did I take this job?. Yes, I know its really early to be thinking these things, but I cant help myself. I (try) to remember all of the reasons why I left my prior job and all of the reasons why I was so excited to start this one, but its all a blur now. Im not sure if there is such a thing as buyers remorse with a new job, but I think I have it. I often use the Pros and Cons list approach when Im trying to decide on whether or not to take a new job. In this case, some of the factors where hard to measure my former job was coming to an end in the next few (undetermined) months, the new job was paying 20% less than I had been paid, the benefits where much better in the new job, I did not know very much about the products in the new job. I could go on, but its not directly relevant at this point. We so often take for granted the value of tenure that is, the value of who and what you knew in your former job because of the length of time you spent there. Regardless of how good you are at what you do, you will still need to climb the very steep days on the job learning curve (and there are no shortcuts). Back to reality. I know that the general rule of thumb is that the first six months at a new job are very difficult and it is not until after six months that you start to feel comfortable. Day 5. Okay, I have a ways to go yet. To be honest, I really cant complain. The people have been really nice and since Im the new guy, I do have time to learn what I need to know so that I can begin to add value. Its the end of my first week and late on Friday, everyone is getting ready for the weekend (no pun intended). It is likely you have had (or will have) some of the same reservations that Ive had so far.Some of my own pointers: Minimize Talking about the old job Of course you would not have bee hired if you were not qualified for the job (hopefully). While you will leverage much of what youve learned in your prior job (or jobs), no one really wants to hear too much of well in my old job we blah blah blah . . . . . This is a different company and they will do things differently. Rather than bringing up your old job, leverage your experience in your work product. Im the New Guy/Gal syndrome- Everyone knows you are new, but no one wants to hear that as an excuse. There is an expectation that you will ask lots of questions as you learn the new organization. Dont remind people that youre new and dont know anything. Look before you leap Unless youve been hired as the new CEO, be careful not to make rash decisions. Confidence is a wonderful thing, but not at the expense of making a poor decision. Take your time, look, listen and learn. You will get your chance to successfully prove yourself. Make Friends You (of course) dont know anyone. Dont wait for others to make you feel comfortable. Start to make some relationships up and down the corporate ladder (but dont be annoying). So to ease some of the pain (or at least to give you some views on new job topics), Ive included some links below for your reading pleasure. How to Adjust to a New Job How To Be Comfortable At A New Job How To Handle New Job Jitters 5 Pointers for Your First Month on the Job This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook