NEW JOB?HERE'S HOW TO

FEEL LIKE YOU BELONG

It doesn’t matter how much self-confidence you have, starting a new job in a newworkplace & figuring out the politics of a new office can be incredibly disorientingon a personal level. While you might begin your first day all excited about the newchallenges ahead, you’re also likely to be feeling nervous, daunted and quitestressed.

This is all perfectly natural, however, and it’s important to remember that your newemployer, as well as the colleagues you’ll be working with, will not be expectingmiracles straight away and that they’ll want to help you settle in as quickly and assmoothly as possible. They’ll have been the ‘newbie’ too at some time or other,remember.

Here's how to feel like you belong according to "This is Where You Belong: The Artand Science of Loving the Place You Live" by Melody Warnick.

The process of making new friends can bechallenging. However, you still have to gothrough that process. It’s important you don’toverpower your new work colleagues with‘chit-chat’ during your first few days anddon’t get involved in office gossip either –you’re there to work after all. However, thatdoesn’t mean you should bury your head inpaperwork or hide behind your computerscreen either. Take your cues from yourcolleagues and if they are chatting away asthey’re working, make sure you join in too.The sooner you get to know your colleagues,the more settled, comfortable and ‘part ofthe firm’ you’ll feel.Be considerate and respectful too.

STEP 1: FIND YOUR TRIBE"The most disheartening thing about moving to a new place is the lack of social

network."

STEP 2: ASK FOR HELP

Your supervisor & colleagues don't expect you to know everythingstraight away so they’ll be expecting a barrage of questions from youanyway so you shouldn’t feel stupid asking a lot of questions.Remember, companies would rather you asked a hundred questionsthan blindly try to carry out your duties as it can prove very costly bothin monetary times and in time lost if you carry on regardless only tofind that the errors you’ve made need to all be fixed later.

Also, people love to give advice. It makes them feel closer to you and itmakes them want you to succeed. Every office has the equivalent of thelocal town historian. Spending time with this person can save you fromjumping on a project that everyone knows is doomed or office localculture.

"Identifying people who can tell you about the local culture and how thingswork is incredibly valuable."

Whether you have an office job or youwork in a manual capacity, you’re

bound to come up against some kind oftools or machinery that you’ve never

worked with before so find out theequipment you need to use and how it

works. It’s often handy to scribbledown a few notes or stick Post-It

instructions up as learning how newmachinery works can sometimes be

complex and, if someone has taken afair amount of time explaining howsomething works, you should try to

grasp the basics straight away so thatyou don’t have to keep pulling themaway from their work to repeat the

instructions.

STEP 3: LEARN HOWTHE EQUIPMENTWORKS

As a ‘newbie’, you’ll probably find that you won’t often be given too much to do overthe course of your first few days as your employer will be more interested in helping

you settle in initially and to just give you a ‘feel’ of what you’re going to be facedwith later.

However, if you find that you’ve taken to your new role like a ‘duck to water’, don’tjust sit there playing with your phone and staring out of the window but be proactiveand ask your supervisor or colleagues nearby if you can do anything else for them.

They may be glad of the extra help.

STEP 4: BE PROACTIVE

STEP 5: GO ALL IN

A sense of belonging requires accepting a paradox. In an at-willeconomy, you or your employer could end your relationship tomorrow.For sheer self-preservation, it feels wisest to hold back emotionally,and yet happiness comes from going all in, putting in the extra effortthat can improve any situation in the long run.

Warnick believes that it is possible to hold these dueling ideas in yourhead simultaneously. "Acknowledging that moving on is part of lifedoesn’t prevent us from investing and becoming engaged while we’rethere," she says. After all, most of us are willing to go all in with ourfamily relationships, even though these can end too. We recognize thatthe joy of authentic connection is worth the potential pain.It’s pretty much the same at work.

"Go the extra mile and you’ll be sad to leave, which is actually kind of what youwant"

THANK YOUFOR READING!

REFERENCE:F a s t C o m p a n y ( 2 0 1 6 ) . N e w J o b ?H e r e ' s H o w T o F e l l L i k e Y o uB e l o n g . R e t r i e v e d f r o mh t t p s : / / w w w . f a s t c o m p a n y . c o m / 3 0 6 20 6 0 / n e w - j o b - h e r e s - h o w - t o - f e e l -l i k e - y o u - b e l o n g