Being successful at your new job

There are three types of strategies that can help you adjust to the workplace and learn about your new job:

• Passive strategies
• Active strategies
• Interactive strategies

Passive strategies

• Reading
  Organisational manuals, documents, company intranet, website, industry magazines, employee handbooks and the organisational chart can all be useful.
• Attending
  Induction events, training, meetings.
• Waiting
  Keep your eyes open and your mouth closed. You may obtain useful information by chance. Even if you think you know it already, listen and you might learn something new.
• Gathering
  Make notes. Reflect on the information you gather to improve your understanding.
• Following
  Ask your manager for a trainer if you haven’t been allocated someone. Use long-term employees to provide guidance and support.

Active strategies

• Minimising
  Identify opportunities to get involved in projects where minimal learning is required. This gives you an opportunity to show your current abilities.
• Doing
  Go in at the ‘deep end’, get on with the tasks you are given, work hard and learn from the process.
• Proving
  Find opportunities to display your strengths.
• Giving
  Offer to help. Give information and advice to co-workers.
• Role modelling
  Observe interaction between people and notice what happens. Find a mentor. Use colleagues as examples and copy their behaviour.
• Pushing
  Advertise your abilities to get your preferred role.

Interactive strategies

• Socialising
  Take part in social events — but take care to remain professional.
• Networking
  Develop useful work-related relationships. Note down the names of people you meet. Set up meetings to find out what they do and how it relates to your role. Join professional associations.
• Talking
  Engage in small talk. Pick up information in passing.
• Teaming
  Put in the effort to be seen as a team player.
• Befriending
  Establish social relationships. Make eye contact, smile, and be courteous. Ask appropriate questions that show you’re interested.
• Negotiating
  Discuss and establish priorities. Set and agree on expectations with colleagues, superiors and peers.
• Exchanging
  Trade resources with colleagues in return for roles and projects.
• Testing
  Discuss experiences with other newcomers for comparison. Ask for feedback on performance.

Use a combination of strategies
You may prefer a particular strategy (eg, passive), but sometimes it will be appropriate to use different ones. If you feel uncomfortable with some of the suggestions, it may be useful to challenge yourself and extend the techniques you use.