Congratulations! You’ve just got accepted into your dream company. All of your hard work has paid off and multiple rounds of interviews and screenings later, here. you. are. Now, as you gear up for your first foray into the 'professional jungle', that time in-between your job offer and your first day can feel nerve-racking. Don’t you worry though, we’re here to offer you some assistance.
Before we proceed further, you must consider two things:
the work culture of your new company
and
the kind of relationships you want to maintain within this space.
While the former is important for your well-being, your interactions with your peers also play a pivotal role in forming your own culture within your team. After all, professional success isn’t only reliant on completing your tasks and meeting deadlines, the relationships you maintain matter too.
Having said that, we get it. It is not easy for everyone to initiate conversations. It does have its perks though.
And so, how do you get rid of the first-day jitters and acclimate to the new team you’ve joined?
Simple, you talk to them.
Be it socially or professionally, getting to know someone follows the same route – you talk to them, build a conversation with questions, and then you take it forward based on how the interaction is going.
Seems easy enough, doesn’t it? And yet many of us aren’t able to build conversations or relationships. And that's okay. We can't tell you to change your style. You're cool.
What we can tell you is that building a relationship can really be a cakewalk, just follow our cue.
Let’s start with the one person whom you could interact with the most. Your guiding light and possibly the mentor who will shape your experience and help you realise your potential: your manager.
To build the right kind of connection with your manager, it’s important to remember the multifaceted nature of their role. They don’t just assign and review tasks for teams. As the custodians of the company’s culture, they have a lot on their plate, and making an effort to understand this is key to building a healthy rapport with them.
Your first step, much like any other conversation is - ask questions. The right ones of course.
What does a day in their life look like and what are some of their interests?
Sure, this is a professional environment. But at the end of the day, we’re all people and there’s a lot more to us than work. Ask them about their personal interests or even something as simple as their weekend plans. Tell them about yours too. That’s how you foster a sense of camaraderie with them.
What is their past work experience?
Get to know about their professional journey, it will give you valuable insights about your own. It will also help you understand what made them the professional they are today. When a person tells you about their growth journey, their wins and losses, the struggles etc., it develops familiarity & empathy. The result is that the relationship you share with your manager becomes more ‘people-first’ instead of ‘work only’.
Why is this organisation better than their previous one?
If you’re trying to get a pulse of the dynamics within your new company, their experience may hold some of the insight you’re seeking. They will also be able to paint a very clear picture of what the company is doing; you will know about their personal contributions towards improving the work culture too.
What’s their preferred working style?
Because truth be told, everyone’s got one and your manager is no exception. Take note of how they prefer to communicate – be it emails over chat messages, or calls over emails, and align yourself with them to maintain a happy work relationship.
How do they manage their teams?
While managing a group of people is no easy feat, every manager has their way of working that helps. Ask them about any processes they’ve set or would like to set. This will help you adapt your style to theirs and develop a relationship that can complement each other’s strengths.
Bonus Question:
If your manager had your job right now, what’s something that they’d be mindful of?
Dive into their mind for anything they’d possibly do differently. Paired with their experience so far, their insight can help you navigate your journey better. What this would also do is get you clarity from the get-go about how they envision your role.
After all, what’s better than a transparent and unfiltered idea of their expectations from you?
See? Not as daunting as it seems, now, is it?
And these questions are just from the top of our heads! Once you start conversing, your daily interactions will definitely take the lead and before you know it, you’ll have seamlessly become a part of the team.
So, dear reader, whether you’re fresh out of college, new to a company or just looking to better your relationships at work, we hope this guide will help ease your fears. Above all, remember to be honest about your intentions regarding work, along with your desire to find the right company culture. And should your manager be surprised by how candid you’re being, point them to this article – we’re here for you!
Psst! This blog was made with💚 and created after some thought by a real person.#NoGenerativeAI
