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You’ve got the job and it’s your first day. Are you feeling like the new kid at a new school?

Recently, our Head of Learning and Development was talking about the stress of having her daughter starting a new school. It prompted the ‘People’ team here at Morgan McKinley to start having a discussion about how important it is to manage a new employee’s expectations when they join a new company.

Joining a new company is like joining a new school or even relocating to another country. It can be nerve wracking, difficult to know what to expect and exciting all at the same time.

I’m currently going through a transition myself as I’m about to relocate to the Morgan McKinley Australia office in Sydney and I’ve been allocated a buddy so that I can have someone to speak to, which I’m sure will be a great help since it is a new city and new country for me!

What can you do to make sure the transition goes smoothly?

1.      Ask if there is a buddy programme – someone you can chat to and ask questions (How to use the printer, good places to eat close to the office etc). At Morgan McKinley, we are currently in the process of implementing a buddy system where someone in a different team is the buddy to a new joiner.

2.      Take notes – write down a few sentences about each person you meet. What they do in the organisation and what they can help you with in your first weeks/months in the organization. Maybe they are part of the company social committee or have a love of travel like you do?

3.      Ask questions – you are not expected to know everything your first day. Make sure you ask as many questions (even if you think they are ‘stupid’ – there are no ‘stupid’ questions by the way) as you can when given a task to do so that you don’t have to keep going back to your manager. It shows that you care about doing a good job and want to do it right first time.

Keen to hear your opinions. What have your experiences been of starting a new job? Did you feel like the new kid at school?