Start as you mean to go on

The first 30 days in a new job will set the tone for your tenure. ALICE SHOPLAND suggests how you can get off to a flying start.

You don't have to sit on the mat or put your hand up for permission to go to the toilet, but starting a new job can be as disorienting as your first day at school.

"You don't know how the phone system works; you don't know where the photocopier is," says Jacqui Barratt, national manager of permanent services for TMP Worldwide Lampenalectus Recruitment.

"You're very reliant on asking others for help."

And the way you - and your new employer - handle that situation can set the scene for a successful relationship or an unsatisfactory one.

"Employers and colleagues make their judgments of you quickly, and once established, they are hard to break," says Pennell Locey, a senior human resources account manager at Polaroid Corporation in the US.

"So from the point of view of your ongoing reputation - from which comes the ability to marshal resources, make connections and generally get things done - the first 30 days are key.

"Also, organisations are like the proverbial elephant that never forgets. Once there is a negative view of you in the system, it's hard to shake."

Locey recommends that bright-eyed, bushy-tailed newbies draw up an action plan before clear vision and good intentions are overwhelmed by "inertia and the flood of new demands".

Your plan, she says, should include three areas: your boss, key connections, and your career.

YOUR NEW BOSS

With your boss, the two key areas are communication style and charter. If your boss is a micromanager, he or she will be happy only if they know everything that is going on.

But if your boss is more hands-off, then constantly updating and double-checking with him or her is unlikely to be appreciated.

Be aware of how your last boss worked, but don't assume it will be the same this time around.

Some bosses prefer email or phone calls, even if you are in the next office, but some want to see you in person.

Some of this information will come from questioning your boss and colleagues, but often the most reliable clues come from observation.

Barratt also recommends being observant.

"A common mistake when you're new is to go around making suggestions for changing things, telling everybody how things were done at your last job," she says.

Of course, the obvious response will be, "Why didn't you stay at your last job if it was so marvellous?"

"Keep a notebook with you, so you can take notes when you're being given training in different areas - the trainer will appreciate that you're doing that, and you can also jot down ideas for possible improvements.

"Ask lots of questions so you can understand why things are done the way they are - you're less likely to put your foot in it."

You should also take advantage of the fact that it is okay in the first month to ask your employer how he or she sees your "charter" in the job.

"Ask what is their dream of how this job could be done at its best, and what qualities and experience made them hire you for the job," Locey says.

Why is it so important to sort that out in the first month? Because after that, she says, the answers would be coloured by the employer's experience of you on the job.

If your boss does not initiate opportunities for these conversations, then you will have to. And make sure you have been given "clear, specific, measurable goals or objectives, with expected due dates", ranked in order of importance if there are more than three.

If a friend outside the company cannot read your goals and know what you have to deliver, then you need to ask for clarification.

KEY CONNECTIONS

Despite the Kiwi aversion to being seen to suck up, Locey says it is extremely important to find out what matters most to your peers, key contacts, employees and any you serve, and deliver something on it.

"Meet one-on-one with them and ask them what their hopes and expectations are for you in your role.

"Ask them about what they secretly hoped the new person would bring to, or do in the role.

"Then find a way to deliver on something they care about.

"Knowing their main values and concerns will also help your influence in the future when you need them. Remember, it's about them, not you."

Barratt says to watch out for gossip while you are busy making friends, acquaintances and key contacts in a new organisation.

"It's very common for office gossips to latch on to a new person and use them as a download because they haven't heard it all before.

"You don't know what everybody's agenda is when you're new, so you have to be very careful not to get involved in any gossip or office politics."

Locey recommends that you make appointments with your key contacts and "listen carefully to what has gone well - and less well - with your predecessors".

You also need to identify what Locey calls the "go-to people" - the real sources of information, rather than the official sources.

"Meet them early and go out of your way to acknowledge any help they give you."

YOU AND YOUR CAREER

Barratt says a new job can be an opportunity to make the changes you desire.

"Your colleagues at a new job don't have preconceptions about you, and you can take advantage of that.

"But you have to be aware of what you want to change and work at it, because it's easy to slip back into old habits. One of the most important things is to think about how you want to be perceived at work, and focus strongly on that."

Locey says that within six months, most people have lost sight of why they changed jobs - unless it was for financial reasons.

"Make sure you write down your goals for this position and keep them somewhere you can refer to them often within the first month," she says.

Whatever the reason - to learn a particular skill, re-establish self-esteem after working for an abusive manager, or to learn the business and move up - she says you should make sure there is at least one action in your calendar every two weeks that will help get you there.

Finally, she suggests you take a new look at your career successes so far, and consider what qualities you possess that you can use to be successful in your first month.

Also, consider the areas in which you have underperformed in the past, and how you can avoid that happening again.

Any action steps should also appear on your first month's schedule.

This might seem like making even harder work of starting a new job, but as Locey points out, "with an entry strategy and plan in place for your first 30 days, your next 335 should be smooth sailing."