Your First 3 Things to Do as a New Hire | John's Tips 2024W36

Set yourself up for success as a new hire with these three essential tips: clarify expectations, learn from peers’ successes, and take over key responsibilities. Read on for more details.

Starting a new role is both exciting and challenging, especially if you are being hired to backfill a role that already existed. To ensure you hit the ground running and make a positive impact from day one, here are the first three things I would advise you to do as a new hire.

Clarify Expectations with Your Team Leads

Before diving too deep into your new responsibilities, take the time to connect with the other leads in your team or triad - such as the lead engineer, designer, architect or engineering manager. Ask each of them what their expectations are for your role.
They will most likely differ from person to person, but where they are similar, those areas are a good place to focus while you are onboarding.

You can show impact in areas that matter to each of them, without over stretching too much while learning how the company works. This helps you to please each of them in some measure from the outset. You’ll align yourself with their priorities but also demonstrate that you're committed to delivering value where it counts most. This approach helps you build early credibility and shows that you’re attuned to the team's needs.

Learn from Your Peers' Successes

Building relationships with your peers is crucial, and a great way to start is by asking them about the projects they believe had the biggest impact. However, an even more effective question might be, "Can you send me documentation for the projects you are most proud of?" The projects that they highlight are likely those that align most closely with the team or company’s values and goals.

By studying these examples, you can extract best practices and key elements to incorporate into your own work. This not only helps you understand what success looks like in your new role but also ensures that your contributions are grounded in approaches, templates or structures that have already been proven to resonate within the team.

You might have noticed I mentioned this one in my last blog, but I do feel strongly about it, and felt it deserved another spotlight.

Take Over Key Responsibilities from Your Predecessor

If you're stepping into a role as a backfill, it's essential to quickly identify and take over the tasks your predecessor was handling. Unless your manager or team has explicitly advised against continuing certain tasks, there will be an unspoken expectation that you'll maintain those responsibilities. After all, these are the duties your predecessor deemed important. As you become more familiar with the company and team dynamics, you can assess whether these tasks are still necessary and make a case for adjusting your responsibilities accordingly.

If you're not fully equipped to handle some of these tasks, take it as an opportunity to upskill. Don’t hesitate to ask your team for help—doing so will not only help you learn faster but also endear yourself to the team by showing them that you are proactive and willing to grow into the position.

By focusing on these three areas, you’ll set yourself up for success, quickly integrate into your team, and begin making meaningful contributions from the start.

This is a new chapter in your career story, and how you approach it will define your growth and the impact you’ll have in this new role. Embrace the learning curve, stay curious, and remember that every small step forward is building the foundation for your future achievements.

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