Adding Value from Day One: Five Ways to Excel in a New Role
Adding value from day one
From changing offices to changing industries, beginning a new role can be both exciting and challenging.
Even if this is not your first role, adjusting to a new job makes time. Once you have adjusted to your initial onboarding and gotten the basics of your role, these five best practices can help you add value to your company as a new hire.
Meet your coworkers
Beginning with your immediate team, try to meet as many people as possible.
It is possible that part of your onboarding will be meet and greets with your immediate team and/or with any internal collaborator teams (1). If not, ask your manager if you can schedule introductory meetings with key team members, especially anyone who will be assigning you work. While not suggested to spend too much time chatting (either in-app or in-person), it is important to understand who is responsible for each facet of workflow. This will also help you get a feel for the formality of the office or reporting structures. Be sure to introduce yourself with your full name!
“It’s likely many of your new co-workers will be friendly and introduce themselves to you in your first couple of days, but if you want to form lasting bonds with your office mates, you’ll have to continue the conversation.” (3). Consider writing down your coworkers names and connection points during your initial conversation (which will also aid with name recognition).
Pro tip: Also jot down details about your team’s preferences for food, interests, hobbies, and other small tidbits - this information will be helpful in the event you make a later introduction (or will need to shop for a secret office holiday gift).
You will also begin to learn more about your employer and team history. “There is a lot you don’t know about your new organization, regardless of how much research you may have done beforehand. Even if you’re switching roles within the same company, a new team comes with new people and its own history that you haven’t been a part of. If you can, ask trusted coworkers why things are the way they are. Try and understand the unspoken history behind the organization.” (1).
Leverage your strengths
Even without industry experience, new employees can use their existing skillsets to provide immediate value.
Sometimes the simplest way to make an impact is by identifying low lift needs with high visibility. “Is there a gap in the current organization where you can leverage your strengths to make an impact quickly? For example, I’m good at leveraging my creative side to tell a powerful story with slides. I’ve made a lot of PowerPoint decks for senior leaders and done presentations to go along with them. Within my first two weeks, I utilized my talent and created a great slide deck for an important meeting. A win for them and a quick win for me.” (1). Leveraging your existing skillset could also include demonstrating a teamwork-forward mindset, engaging active listening skills, and following through on action items.
As you learn more about your new role and industry, try to independently determine the skillset needed to excel. “One efficient way to make yourself more valuable is to add value by learning and adding new tools. In the digital information age, you can utilize YouTube, courses, coaching, and lots of free training to learn every aspect of what you do for work.” (2). Even the most seasoned professionals have opportunities to hone their skills; by leaning into your own development, you are able to demonstrate a commitment to growth within your role and company.
Questions are your friend
Similar to staying curious about skillsets needed to excel, asking meaningful and effective questions will be key as you begin your career.
“Admitting you don’t know something and asking for help shows you’re not arrogant. Asking questions the right way can even make you appear confident – state what you do know, then what you don’t. The company may even have questions for you in the form of a new-hire survey – that way, they can learn from your onboarding experience and improve the process.” (3).
By asking questions as a new hire, you will demonstrate a willingness to understand the complexities of your company or business unit. Even if you do not understand every concept, try to take notes in meetings from day one, especially if you (or your team) will eventually be responsible for any action items. By recording meeting attendees and topics, you can begin to connect names to faces and roles, while gathering information that may be helpful further into your onboarding. Write down questions to bring to your manager afterward.
Once you are better versed in the topic and how it fits into the scope of your role, you can add value by recalling your notes and supplementing with higher-level, more complex questions to demonstrate an advanced understanding.
For a deeper dive into asking productive and thoughtful questions, check out our recent article, “5 Ways to Ask More Effective Questions in the Workplace” in the FGPM Library here.
Own your development
Every company’s approach to professional development is different..
Professional development is a broad term for continuing to improve your workplace acumen through career skills-building and training, with the goal of career advancement. Some companies take a more hands-off approach by not requiring development participation, but may offer reimbursement for approved initiatives. Some companies may have suggested professional organizations to join or certifications to seek over the course of your career. “Your employer may even offer [internal] development programs as an employee benefit. You can read books, watch videos, hire a coach, or attend training. Commit to adding development growth to skills.” (2).
Work with your organization’s human resources or talent development team to create a development plan that aligns with your goals. There are also a number of career planning tools available online, such as programs and workbooks. You do not have to have every detail of every step planned, but a framework for your first 30, 60, and 90 days is a good place to start. From there, think bigger picture: how do you want the first year, and then five years, of your career to look? What do you want to achieve or how many new connections do you want to make?
Set and understand expectations
As a new hire, try to take time within your first few weeks to clarify the expectations for your role in more detail.
Your new employer may offer company-specific or department-specific expectations, but be sure to understand your job’s overarching function, how it intersects with your team (immediate and inter-departmental), and the office expectations of you as a new hire. “Confirm when and how much you’re expected to work. Knowing these hours will also give you a sense of your team’s dynamics and the company’s culture.” (3).
The beginning of your role is also the best time to demonstrate the expectations you have for yourself and as a young professional. “Don’t be afraid to take initiative and ask for meaningful work.” (3). Begin to introduce your communication style and demonstrate your work quality. That being said, try to prioritize listening and understanding current policies and processes before offering changes. “Find your balance … [and] process all new information before recommending alternatives to existing procedures. Once you’re more settled at your new job, then you can suggest them.” (3). The more information you have, the better your ideas will ultimately be.
Bonus: Be Confident in your abilities
Beginning a new role can be both exciting and demanding. It is the perfect time to make a great first impression and to demonstrate an interest in to your company’s business. We hope these five tactics will help you be confident in the value you bring to your new employer and assist you to put your best foot forward as a new hire.
Citations
Chaffee, Jared R. “How to Add Value in a New Job Within a Month.” Medium, 30 June 2020, https://medium.com/chapters-interludes/how-to-add-value-in-a-new-job-within-a-month-e414bac70ce5.
Dennison, Kara. “5 Strategies That Increase Your Value And Lead To A Higher Salary.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 15 Mar. 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/karadennison/2021/03/15/5-strategies-that-increase-your-value-and-lead-to-a-higher-salary/?sh=3030bf8c3520.
Fallon, Nicole. “New Job? How to Survive 8 First-Week Challenges.” Business News Daily, 23 Jan. 2023, https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7890-first-week-new-job.html.
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