How To Thrive On Your First Week Of Work

Starting a new job or returning to work after a break can bring its own challenges. Whether you just graduated from school or whether you just returned back to the office from a recent layoff, or from care taking during the lockdown, adapting back to the workplace requires both patience and courage.

Five weeks ago, our contract with one of the largest telecommunications company in the US was given to another consulting firm. Meaning, all of us was rolled off from the project and had to look for another job. I was lucky that with the help of friends, co-workers and the social media assistance of LinkedIn, I continued to get the encouragement and support needed to finally land a job that I just started in the beginning of this week.

Maybe in your case, you have just graduated recently and have just got hired for a position out of college in the field that you went to school for. You know that the work that you are going to do will not be exactly the same as what you learned from school. Maybe you are a little worried that your new co-workers may not understand what you are going through. Or maybe you are concerned that your boss may expect more than what you can do. All of these are concerns that I went through as well during my first job. Hopefully the experience and tips that I will be sharing with you below may also help you in your journey.

Sometimes we have been so caught up with the job search and of the interviews of reminding and convincing people about all of our experiences that we have trouble turning it off during our first week of work. We feel that we still have something to prove, that if we don't put on an armor that shows that "we know what we are doing" that somehow, we would get fired after the first week of work. We forget that the storm has passed, that our manager has chosen us for a reason, that he or she trust that we can do the job. All we need to do now is to learn, to listen and to be humble throughout the whole process.

I understand that for many of you, the first week of work experience may have been a long time ago. For some of you who have been in the job for 15 years or more, that internal struggle and self-judgement that happens when you are starting a new job for the first time may seem far in sight. But if you have ever had to learn or re-learn a new application or get into a new project, you may be able to relate.

My first week has been much of a speed roller coaster as well. As a consultant for almost 10 years, I am accustomed to being "on the other side". The other side where I identify, analyze, propose to do a set of work that the client had asks me to do. It took some adjustment for me to realize that I am now on the client side, that I have a say on how the process can be improved and how it can be implemented, even during my first week of work. But at the same time, it needs to be approached with humility, with a sense of self-awareness that I really have only been here for 5 days. That I still have a lot to learn in order for me to thrive.

I have put together a list below of what I have learned during my first 5 days in the new workplace. I am not making this as a rule nor do I expect all workplace to be like the one I am in. But I hope that by sharing my story and my experience that you can find bits and pieces where you can relate that can help you adapt in your own situation.

Top 5 Things You Can Do on Your First Week of Work:

1. Be on time. Being on time is not only about giving a good first impression to your manager, even though it definitely will. Being on time requires a set of planning steps required on your side that will help get you on the right mindset. My workplace has a 40 minute commute from my house and I need to arrive by 9am for a morning standup. If you are not familiar with the Agile Software Development process, let's just say that the morning standup is an assembly that you don't want to to miss or to be late for. Meanwhile, I still want to exercise, have my coffee, breakfast and take a shower. Managing my time to ensure that I can do all of that and arrive in the office for my in person 9 am morning standup is the actual reward of being on time. I always believed that my routine is the most important part of my day. It's not about what I have accomplished or missed, it's about how consistent I can follow my routine. You can read more about this on James Clear's "Atomic Habit". Before your first day of work, create a morning routine that will allow you to start your day in an elevated mood, and on your first day and first week of work, keep on fine tuning it until it works for you. Do all of that so you can arrive to work on time while still maintaining a routine that is important for you. This will allow you to arrive at work happy and ready for whatever the day brings.
2. Get to know everyone. Ok, I know that in a large corporation it's probably impossible to get to know everyone. The reason why I said everyone, not your co-workers, or your bosses or your cube neighbors is because I always believe it's important to introduce yourself to everyone you meet in the office whether they are in or out of your team. Most of the time, I'd say that it's most challenging for me to get to know someone that is of a higher position than me. My manager, or my manager's manager or even the Director. If you work for a small office, you may be having lunch with the director or even the C-level executive. I am suggesting that on your first week, you use the opportunity to introduce yourself. It's your first week and it's still fresh in everyone's eyes that you are an unfamiliar face. Leverage the opportunity to start a conversation, ask a question about them, about their role and their experience or perspective about the company. You may get a positive story, or a negative one, either way, listen well and respect their opinion. I like to start with, "I don't believe we have met, my name is Brian, it's my first week here". Try it, you'd be surprised.
3. Share your fresh perspective. This is one that gets me tied up inside. Being in a new team with different processes and different work culture always requires adaptation. I tend to compare it with how it was done in my previous role. In my case, that’s not only with Accenture but with Accenture in the 2 huge clients that I worked for plus my own gym business. It’s too easy to judge and say that the way it is here can be done better but it’s more authentic to be self-aware that the only reason you feel uncomfortable is because you are having trouble adapting. Be objective, not subjective. Strive to understand. Try to understand why it is done the way it is, talk to different people about it, get their perspective, then analyze if there is room for improvement. If you find room for improvement or an actual gap, muster courage to bring it up to your manager. Tell him or her that you want to get clarification on a few things you’ve heard on the floor and as a new hire, you believe that you are also hired to bring a new fresh perspective to the company. Then spill your beans, in the most professional and calm manner. See how your manager responds. I am very grateful that my manager was very happy, excited to know that there is someone who would bring up the topics I brought up. I am definitely lucky to be in this position. But if you received a different feedback, be ready to adapt to your manager’s response and find out how he or she wants you to move forward.
4. Be Humble. This falls around the same vicinity of my previous point. This is applicable not only as you analyze the way things work but also on your whole attitude as you get accustomed to your new employer. When you are learning about a new process, a new application and even your new team members, always try to be open minded. You may have a lot of experience under your belt and feel that you can contribute a lot to your new company but feeling that you are better than everyone else never brought anyone good. Instead, try to ask a lot of questions, even if they seem simple. Take time to listen to their explanation, even if it seems long and convoluted. Remember that a lot of SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) are not teachers or coaches, they are professionals who have been doing one thing for a long time that they have become experts. They may not have the skills to create and teach a structured curriculum or use the right methods to coach you to understand it. But what they have given you is the time and effort to show you how it’s done. And that’s worth a lot. So be patient if they digress, be understanding if they have trouble making the time for you, and be a humble disciple that is willing to listen. They will appreciate you and be willing to help you down the line when you need them.
5. Be kind to yourself. Your first week or your first month can be really easy or really tough. Either way, you need to be kind to yourself. Acknowledge that you are easing yourself not only into a new role, or the same role with a different environment, but you are adapting into a new culture. Allow yourself to make mistakes, and learn from it. Give yourself time to acclimate to the way things work, to the new processes and a better understanding of it. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it on your first week or if you still have questions after your first month. It takes time to be an expert at something, but as long as you continue to take notes, practice, ask questions and be patient with yourself, it will be second nature before you know it.

These are the things that I have realized during my first week of work. I acknowledge that every work environment and culture is different. Maybe you are not in the Software Development field like I am, and maybe your work culture is a little bit aggressive and/or competitive, or maybe you are still doing remote work like many others. Either way, I want to remind you to be patient with yourself. Rome is not built in a day, but Rome is built upon a set of consistent work and routine. Similarly, continue to come in, continue to ask questions, continue to learn and continue to strategically propose your ideas from a positive intention. When your intention is positive, it will show.

Lastly, I want to remind you to be the "lightworker". I learned this term from Christine Hassler (watch more about it here). She talks about being the "light" in the darkness of any situation. In the workplace, especially when the culture is toxic or can occasionally become negative and dark, your job is not to join and immerse yourself in gossip because you don't want to be left out. Your job is to become the light of that conversation, to try to find the "bright side" without invalidating the feelings of the people you talk to. A lot of times when you are new to a company, you don't only get the flowers and rainbows from your co-workers, but you will also get an earful from the employees who are struggling to be heard. As a lightworker, lend an ear, listen to their troubles, they don't need you to solve it, they just need you to listen and to understand their struggles. Establish yourself early on to be "that guy" or "that gal" who is always calm and positive and does not participate in "office politics".

There is no secret on how to become the best employee or the best co-worker in your first week, first month, first year or for the lifetime of your employment. The only thing we can do is do our best. That means being satisfied with the work that we do at the end of every single day. Whether that is success, or a bust. Acknowledge and reward yourself for the work that you've done and strive to do better tomorrow.

Good luck on your first week of work.

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