Tips & Tricks to Survive a New Job

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  bobbified on 17/08/2020 - 20:56

  Is the new manager male or female?

  (here I am, waiting for someone to ask what the difference is….. )

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 17/08/2020 - 21:09

    +2

    (nobody ask!)

  • 

    twofoursix on 17/08/2020 - 21:15

    Male….

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      bobbified on 17/08/2020 - 21:27

      +1

      Your advice about trying to stay away from the politics is good! But if she doesn't already get along with the rest of the team, going out of her way to score brownie points is likely to make things worse for her in the eyes of everyone else in her team. I'm obviously generalising here, but from my own experiences, male managers tend to stay out of politics if they can so as long as her work output is as expected, I think she'll be fine. However, she may need to grow thick skin (if she hasn't already) because males tend to just say things as it is without sugarcoating it. When it comes to work, being able to not take things personally is very important.

      • 

        try2bhelpful on 18/08/2020 - 06:20

        Yeah, generalising is one word for it.

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  dasher86 on 17/08/2020 - 21:50

  I suggest she pays attention to all her stakeholders and take some time to sit with them and ask them what they do.
  Find out how her role impacts there role.

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  Kangal on 17/08/2020 - 23:08

  +10

  Start 10-15mins early.
  Cheerfully say Good Morning to every staff (even in other departments) that is in the vicinity
  Better to ask a stupid question, than to make a stupid mistake
  Work Qualitatively not quantitatively (ie/ measure twice, cut once = don't make any/many mistakes)
  Don't take long breaks
  Talk behind people's backs, but only and always positively (ie Joe is awesome, he went above and beyond today)
  Remain happy during work hours, make people less stressful when they're around you
  Communicate abundantly (ie I don't know if we're supposed to order it, but the bags seem to be running low)
  When you finish early, ask if there are other tasks you can do
  If you need to stay back 10-15mins, do so without resentment (people can tell)

  Do the above for 1 month, and people will take notice. Do it for 6 months, and you should pass probation with flying colours. Do it for a year and more, and you should be on the front-row for pay rises and promotions.

  (PS: this doesn't mean to be weak. You need to be both strong, simultaneous to provide a service. I think JBP might be able to explain it more eloquently.)

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  try2bhelpful on 18/08/2020 - 07:46

  The first thing is for her to understand why she isn’t becoming part of the team. I can understand “cliques” but is it more of a closed shop or something underlying. Unless she intends to use the new manager to catapult out of there she needs to become part of the team.

  The most important thing she needs to do is understand what her job is and how she can do it better. Even as a rookie she has the ability to observe and analyse. Are the things that can be done to improve processes, are there questions she can ask the others to assist her? For my first, real, graduate job my induction was “follow that person around and do what they do”. It was a brilliant idea because it gave me an insiders view of how the work was done and a fast track into becoming a member of the group. It was IT in the ‘80s and we we’re across everything. No job was beneath us but it gave us links into many parts of the company and built up a network that would be invaluable later on.

  Many years later I was whining to my manager that things, just, weren’t happening properly so he told me to lay everything out in a power point presentation. The issues, the challenges and solutions. It was like giving birth; however, it was incredibly cleansing. I’d clarified my thoughts and, more importantly from my inner six year old’s perspective, they couldn’t deny they knew. I gave it to my manager, he requested I present it to his manager; the reaction was incredibly positive. I would suggest she tries this. It will clarify what she is doing, how she is doing it, how she can improve, the questions she needs answering. If asked, in the right manner, seeking the knowledge of the more experienced members is a good way to get an entry into the team. However, she needs to have done the background work first. It will, also, allow her to discuss with the new manager how they see her role going forward.

  The best way to impress a manager is to understand your job and be able to do it well. Be willing to go the extra mile to get things done. Step up and be willing to, positively, drive change. I have a few mantras I live by. “Go ovaries out”, “I’m tap dancing on quicksand” and “your most important asset is your reputation, so nurture it”. If you’ve built the safety net then try out the trapeze. However, you need to make sure the manager is aware of what you are doing if there is likely to be blow back on them.

  Best of luck to her. It can be tough starting out but the secret is understanding that most of us think that people will, eventually, “find out” we don’t really know what we are doing. In the meantime we do the best we can.