Starting a new job is an opportunity for a fresh start. It is also an opportunity to learn new things. During my first three months here, I have spent a lot of time listening and learning. The first WATCH & GO video I looked at when I started here was What to Say When You’re New On The Job.
This video shows you how not to fear not knowing the answers and that questions are your most powerful learning aid. It’s that classic saying, ‘there is no such thing as a stupid question’. People would much rather you ask the questions than get stressed and upset over not knowing the answers. And, often, people want to share their tips and tricks with you. It is in nobody’s interest for you to get it wrong.
The second lesson you learn from What to Say When You’re New On The Job is that it’s ok to make mistakes. You need to make mistakes to learn. Yes, it is embarrassing, yes, you will probably cause somebody a headache. But they won’t dislike you, they don’t think that hiring you was a heinous crime.
What to Say When You’re New On The Job also highlights the importance of having a strategy to optimise your learning in those first few weeks to minimise these mistakes. Talk with your line manager about how you work best. I like task lists and when I first started here, I worked my way through a list of jobs which pertained to my role. This allowed me to familiarise myself with the systems and protocols we use. It also gave me a direction and focus to my work.
As a new starter, you must also recognise that having a new team member means a change for everybody else involved. This presents challenges for your new colleagues too. Another WATCH & GO video, What To Say When There Is A New Team Member, offers advice on how to approach such situations.
In What To Say When There Is A New Team Member, we see how many people squander the opportunity of engaging with a new colleague by bamboozling the new starter with an overload of information and irrelevant ideas. The video shows how to be positive and to focus the new colleague on what they really need to know. The next time you have a new starter, watch this video to consider how best to help them. Think about how you felt and what you struggled with; answer their questions and most importantly of all, think about how you can support them through their fast learning curve.
Whether you are a new starter, or a colleague welcoming a new person to your team, there is a WATCH & GO video to help make the transition into a new role as seamless as possible for everyone involved.
Alice Thynne
June 2019