Dealing with stress because you’ve just landed a new job? The elation and excitement come first. It's the “Oh my gosh, I can't believe I got it!” feeling. You go out and celebrate with family and friends, and you're excited about all the new possibilities before you.
After that, however, the panic begins. This is the “Oh my gosh, what if I can't do the job?” feeling. You start to get nervous about your new responsibilities, the new corporate culture, and the new people with whom you'll be working.
While starting a new job can be a stressful experience, this important transition doesn't have to be full of tension and anxiety. With the right strategies and with a positive outlook, stepping into your new role can be exciting and enjoyable.
In this article you’ll also learn some tips for building solid relationships with your new colleagues.
Dealing Wіth Strеѕѕ of a New Job
- Focus on a Few Quick Wins
During this time, try to focus on small, early wins. It's important to secure early wins because these help build momentum and establish your credibility. But make sure you know how your new company defines a win.
- Build the New Skills You Need
It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you start a new job. You might worry that you won't be able to perform in the way that you're expected to.
- To help you start building competence in your new role, create a learning plan that addresses any skill gaps that may exist.
- As your next action, list the skills you'll need for this position, and identify any that you need to develop or improve. Then plan how you'll eliminate weaknesses and learn the new skills that you need.
- Learning each new skill should be a goal during your first few months.
- Learn Who's Who
When you start in a new department or organization, learning who everybody is – and what they do – can be critical to your success on the job. This is true for the team with which you'll be working directly, and also for other key players who might hold more power than their positions seem to show.
- Start with your own team. Determine who does what, and make sure you're clear on exactly what they do.
- After you've settled into your new role for a while, you can start learning who does what well. This information will help you in the future when you're assigning tasks and projects.
- Make sure you understand from your first day why you were hired and what your goals are for the first 6–12 months. This can help with your direction in the weeks to come.
- Ask for help when you need it. It's not weak to ask for help. If you don't know how or where to find the information you need, you'll waste your time if you search for it yourself. Ask your boss or colleagues for help when you need it.
- Try to identify stability zones to help you find peace and stability in your new environment. Many people feel overwhelmed when they start with a new company. Everything is dramatically different, which can leave you feeling stressed and chaotic.
- Avoid making comparisons between your new company and your old company. Your new team doesn't want to hear “At my old job, we used to…” Focus on what you need to do now, not what or how you did something in the past.
- Be patient. If someone on your new team does not respond well to you, don't take it personally – at least in the beginning. Remember, you might be in a role that someone else used to have, and that person might have been a friend of this team member. It will take time to establish trust.
Many people become stressed over a new job because they punish themselves with too much pressure to perform from day one. No one – least of all, your new boss – expects you to jump in and start solving major problems right away.
So, don't expect it of yourself either. Jumping in with both feet to start “proving your worth” could cause you to make mistakes that you could easily avoid once you know more about the company and your new role.
People generally find that it takes around 90 days to become fully effective in a new role.
