how to succeed in a new role

When starting a new role, you may feel nervous, overwhelmed, or out of your depth. You can feel confident about starting your new position by following some steps and tips for succeeding in your first few weeks at a company.

When you land your new position, how will you help yourself be successful in that role? There are several actions you can take as a new hire to ensure you start with a solid foundation and grow in the ways that serve you as well as the company.

To help, we’ve put together some best practices and useful ideas from one of our RiseSmart Coaches, Charmagne Shearrill. Consider how you could put these ideas into practice during your transition into your new position and make a success of that new role.

• 30/60/90-day plan. This traditional idea will help you identify the short-term actions that will support a successful onboarding period. Although your new company may have a formal onboarding plan (which is always an advantage), don’t stop there. Build your own plan and checklists to supplement the company’s plan. This way, you can be sure to meet the right people, set strong goals, and gain a solid understanding of the products and services.
• Upskill and reskill. Given the pace of change in the world, there is likely a topic that you could either brush up on or learn from scratch. Use your time in transition to refine your existing skills and build valuable new skills that will help you succeed in your new role. While some people will need to enroll in college or certification programs, consider using free subscription platforms such as YouTube, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning for courses.
• Meet with your manager. During your interviews, pay attention to how your manager likes to receive information. Do they seem to want nitty gritty details or big picture ideas to start? Will they likely want to brainstorm with you about your goals, or will they be more directive in setting your metrics and expectations? Use what you observe to plan how to present your goals and ideas during your onboarding and later in your work with the company.
• Raise your hand. Once you feel comfortable in your role, look at the opportunities to expand your influence and involvement in the company. In what ways can you raise your hand to get involved in new projects or initiatives? Volunteering for new programs or initiatives often allows you to contribute in a valuable way and learn something new.
• Build relationships. As you are meeting new people throughout your transition and in your new role, be deliberate about forming a relationship with them versus merely using them for information. Be sure to follow through on commitments, show gratitude when someone helps you, seek to understand their work and needs, share information and resources they may be interested in, and always make time for conversation beyond work-related tasks and projects.

Ultimately, bringing energy and enthusiasm for learning new ways of doing things in your new role will pay dividends. Every organization, department, and manager approach projects in different ways. Staying open to new ideas, even for tasks you have deep experience with, this will help you demonstrate your flexibility and use your skills in new ways.