Own Your Onboarding

Congratulations on the new job!

Whether you are promoting into a new role at your existing company or starting somewhere completely new, this guide and checklist will help you determine what to focus on each week of your first month in the new role.

You prepared, you applied, you interviewed, and of all the candidates that could have been selected, you were. If you are feeling overwhelmed on your first day or in your first week, you are not alone. It’s natural to feel this way when you are trying to organize and understand a lot of new information.

Remember that you are qualified and capable.

Now, let’s get started.

Week One

Your goal will be to learn what the company does, generally how your role fits into this, and where to find tools and resources needed to do your job.

To do this:

  • Use downtime to browse the company internet and intranet

    • bookmark frequently used tools and resources
      (for example: project management tool, calendar app)

  • Meet people with meaning

    • when you attend meetings, take note of who is in the room and introduce yourself

    • comment on something interesting about a person
      (for example: a coffee preference or special notebook)

    • ask a question during the meeting

  • Challenge yourself to research and then describe what the company does at a high-level

    • share it with a friend or family member when they ask about your new job

      💡practicing will prepare you for questions that may soon come up at work

Week Two

Your goal this week will be to build on what you learned last week by making connections.

  • Identify and articulate how your department works with other departments

To do this:

  • Draw an org chart in your notebook

    • edit when you learn something new, writing helps to etch names into your memory

  • Build on last week’s challenge to describe how your role contributes to the work done by your company

    • if you don’t yet understand this, ask questions until you do

  • Set a 30-day goal

    • ask your manager what the expectation is of you within 30 days

    • consider knowledge you need to build or skills you need to master to contribute to your team’s work

    • if you are able to, contribute to a project

Week Three

Your goal this week will be to learn about and master a skill needed for your role.

To do this:

  • Identify gaps and areas for your development

    • select a skill to focus on in your second week

  • Get to know your team members

    • schedule both formal and informal meetings with team members, be explicit about what you want to know

Week Four

Your goal this week will be to put it all together! Build on skill mastery from last week, and continue to learn.

To do this:

  • Meet with your manager

    • Request feedback on your progress

  • Set a 60-day and a 90-day goal

    • Outline steps you will take to meet your goals using the SMART Goals framework

Taking the steps above will help you acclimate to your new job and environment. Share comments on your experiences below.

Ramona RoblesComment