4 Things You Should Learn at Your New Job - The Muse

4 Things You Should Learn at Your New Job - The Muse4 Things You Should Learn at Your New JobLast month, I abfluged my first post-grad school job. So far Im really enjoying it- the work is interesting, and the people are friendly and supportive. It has definitely been an adjustment, however no matter how great a company is, figuring out the lay of the land when youre new is always a little tricky. Of course, there are several standard things youre supposed to do when youre in a new position determine the expectations for your role, build a relationship with your manager, and figure out the context for your projects, just to name a few. However, Ive also found that there are a few important things to learn that arent directly related to your job- but can be crucial to your success as you begin your new role. 1. Other Teams PrioritiesIn plus-rechnen to figuring out how your own team functions on a daily basis, its also important to get a glimpse into how other teams work. In a business , virtually no one operates in a vacuum, so its crucial for you to understand the priorities of the people youll be collaborating with. This will help you better understand where theyre coming from when they make a request of you, and it can go a long way toward helping you successfully propose and execute joint projects in the future. For example, I work at an education technology company on a customer-facing team, and I often get feedback about ways the business could improve its product. In order to successfully act on this feedback, I need to have a very clear picture of the engineering teams priorities, so I can share information with them thats relevant to what theyre working on. 2. Fun FactsI know that icebreakers are the cheesiest things around. They serve an important purpose, though Learning something unique and personal about your new co-workers is one of the best ways to start building good relationships with them. So, dont be afraid to start meetings by asking people ab out themselves and what they like to do when theyre not at work- it will help you get to know people across the office, and its a fun way to take a break from all of the information-heavy conversations you have at the beginning of a new job. 3. The Companys Org ChartThis one is short and sweet Take a careful look at your companys entire organizational chart sometime during the first week of your new job. Understanding how teams are structured and who reports to who is very helpful as you try to get a sense of how youll fit into the organization. Im also an extremely visual person, so looking at an org chart really helps me remember who people are and what they do. If your company doesnt have an org chart, I recommend creating your own by keeping track of the people you meet and how theyre related to one another within the organization. Prezi can be a great tool for this because it lets you create an infinite number of layers, so you dont have to start from scratch every time you dis cover a new group or team. 4. Full Scope of the DayGiven the choice, everyone likes to work slightly different hours during the workday. Before you get too settled into your routine, however, I recommend spending one (long) day in the office to experience the full scope of the companys hours- by coming in when the first person usually gets in and staying until the brde person leaves. This will give you a complete picture of how your new organization flows day to day, which could impact when you choose to work. For example, Im usually a start early, leave early type of person, but after staying late one day, I found that most of the product and data teams start later and leave later. Everyone is usually busy with meetings during the middle of the day, so I learned that if I ever want uninterrupted time with certain people, then I should wait to go by their desk until after 6 PM. The nice thing about being new is that you have a built-in excuse to ask your co-workers questions about h ow they operate. Take advantage of it Everyone likes to talk about themselves, so once you get the conversation going, youre bound to get great information- which will help you succeed in your new role. Photo of office table courtesy of Shutterstock.