By Piper C. Reason

Starting a New Job

Starting a new job? Excited? Relieved? Nervous? Here are some thoughts about starting off on the right foot because taking pains to make a good first impression shouldn't end at the job interview. If you've got a new job, you must have made a good impression on HR and probably on your new supervisor. They see your potential – you have the skills and motivation to do the job and seem to be a good fit with the organization. Now you want to prove them right!

Start off on the right foot by showing that you are ready, willing, and eager to learn everything necessary.

Learning Attitude

How do you feel about learning new things? Do you know how you learn best? Your answers to these two questions will have a huge impact on your success.

Regarding your "learning attitude," do you think it's best to start a job knowing you have plenty to learn or to rely on the knowledge you already possess? Do you think learning during your first 30 days can be more important than productivity, or that management only cares about productivity?

No doubt there are exceptions, but most supervisors want employees who are open-minded and able to admit there's lots to learn. And while productivity is always an important factor, in the long run you'll be more productive if you learn how to do things correctly.

Learning Styles

Reading an instruction manual has never worked for me, but I know it has for some. Many adults learn best with hands-on training. In order to build awareness of your preferred style(s), as well as to learn some effective strategies to make use of that information, try one of these on-line assessments:

The Barsch Inventory is comprised of 24 statements and takes approximately fifteen minutes to complete. An explanation and learning tips for each of three preferences – visual, auditory, and kinesthetic – are provided.

The Memletics learning styles inventory asks you to rate yourself on 70 different items and gives you a graph reflecting your score in seven different styles – visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social, solitary. It suggests that you then read more of the information provided about your primary and secondary styles.

If your new supervisor or trainer wants you to sit in the corner reading procedure manuals, you may want to share that while you are happy to do whatever is asked, you will learn most quickly by … watching someone else do it … or by trying it yourself … or …?

Tips for Remembering Names

There is no better way to make a good impression on someone than by remembering his/her name when you first meet. And yet … gee, it's hard to do. That's partly due to the fact that we're not really listening to the name, because we're too busy subconsciously checking the person out visually. When meeting someone on the job for the first time, we're also nervous and anxious to make a good impression, which keeps our memory from kicking in the way we'd like it to.

So try some of these tips for remembering the names of your new supervisors, coworkers, customers, or vendors:

• Want to learn the person's name – remind yourself why it matters. (Success!)
• Don't try to remember too many names at once – start with people most important to your job success (immediate supervisor, trainer, person you're sitting next to, etc.).
• Associate the person's name with something – for example, if the payroll officer's name is Dot, think about having to "dot all of the i's" in order to get your paycheck.
• Repeat the name, first aloud ("It's nice to meet you, Dave") and then silently (this is Dave … it's Tuesday and I've met Dave in the lunchroom).
• Write it down – as you're being introduced. Maybe make a note of his/her job title or role and phone extension. Sometimes just writing something down helps.

Taking Notes

Let me say that again … sometimes just writing it down helps. Whenever I'm training people who don't take notes, I wonder if I'm just wasting my time. Granted, my memory is pretty bad, but there is soooo much to learn at a new job. Frankly, it looks like the new employee figures s/he can just come see me if s/he forgets something. Not the way to make a good impression with me! I have been told by some clients that the reason they don't take notes is because they're afraid it makes them look stupid. Nope… it makes them look conscientious, hard-working, and responsible.

Start your new job on the right foot – with an open mind, an eagerness to learn, and a pad of paper. And never let the words, "Well, that's not how we did it at my last job" leave your lips!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Please consider visiting your local library or a Toadstool Bookshop location near you for these titles.

Your First 30 Days: Building a Professional Image in a New Job by Elwood N. Chapman and Robert B. Maddux, ©1992, Crisp Publications, Inc.
Becoming a Master Student by Dave Ellis, ©2003, Houghton Mifflin Company