When you’re new to a job, there’s a lot to learn. You might not know all the best ways to get things done or how to handle certain situations. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of tips for new employees: they’ll help you succeed in your first few weeks on the job!

Do your research

Whether you’ve already been hired or are still sending applications, you should do your research on the company, the industry, and role you’re applying for. How big is it? What kind of products do they make? How many people work there? What do they look like (in terms of personality, age, race and gender)? Does the company practice what they preach? Do their mission and vision reflect your own values?

Favorable answers to these questions can mean a longer, more satisfying tenure which is a chance for you to grow and build your career. Find everything you can by reading their website, social media, articles written about them, and by learning who their direct competitors are and how they compare.

Make a list of questions on the first two weeks

The first day can feel overwhelming as that is when your onboarding is being done. You’ll be blasted by a ton of information on the company, its employees, their roles, the processes, and how you fit in with all of it. Make sure to take down notes and every single question you may have. Ask the relevant questions after every segment of your onboarding so the hiring manager or onboarding officer can answer them thoroughly, instead of you interrupting them while they are explaining.

Make this a habit during your first two weeks. Note down your questions while you familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of your typical work day, then ask the appropriate people before the end of the day. Make sure you try to find the answers yourself first but if you’re still unsure, ask away. Don’t be self-conscious about how many questions you may have, this is expected of every new employee anywhere and shows proactiveness. Remember that asking is always better than assuming and finding out later you were wrong.

Get to know your colleagues

Use your first few months to get to know everyone in the company. Make a table of their names, roles, rank, personalities, and note those you could have possible friendships with. Nurture these relationships by asking for and giving a hand at work, and by showing interest in their lives outside of work too. Be careful not to be too intrusive or too eager, but just the right amount of friendliness. If you have any unfavorable thoughts about the company thus far, do not share them. Let them share their own, if any, and ask for advice on how to work around it in the context of your role. 

Work friends are important because they can help motivate you on the job and it always helps to have insight from other employees on the company culture. Company politics can be intimidating and annoying, but it helps to know the players and how you fare in the game in order to succeed.

Identify a possible mentor

Once you’ve had a fair grasp on your teammates, find out who you can possibly learn a lot from career-wise. This can be your immediate manager or the team leader or even the big boss. Make sure you let them know that you are interested in being mentored by them and if they have time and are willing to take you under their wing. This is also a great motivator to succeed, by being directly accountable to someone who can be witness to and measure your growth, and who can also assign to you your purpose.

Take notes and listen carefully

When you’re at a meeting or in another setting, take notes on what you hear, read and see. Make sure to include any feelings or insights that come up as well. When you have time to think about how things make you feel or affect you emotionally, write those down too!

When it comes to taking notes during presentations or discussions about your new job: don’t just listen for information; also pay attention to body language cues like facial expressions and gestures (this will help improve your ability to communicate effectively).

Learn to use the tools right away

There are some tools you’ll use every day, and others that only come into play when a project requires them. The sooner you learn how to use them, the better off you’ll be.

Learning how to use the tools right away will help with getting more done in less time—if a task takes longer than normal because it needs multiple steps or the steps require special equipment, it’s unlikely that someone else will have those things on hand. You can cut down on wasted time by learning what tools are needed for each step of your process before starting work on an assignment or project.

Learn new skills

If the company allows you to learn new skills on their time, take advantage of it! Whenever you catch yourself having some downtime at work, use the time to find ways to improve on your role so that you can contribute more to the company. Focus on one thing at a time to learn, take notes, and keep a record of when you apply them to the job and if it had any positive impact on the company or even if it just shows a possible positive impact. You can use this to leverage a promotion or raise in the future.

Bonus: Partner with Remote Workmate

Remote Workmate prides itself on matching Filipino remote workers with the right clients from the US, UK, and Australia. We support our Workmates from onboarding to the rest of their professional relationship with our clients. Our Client Success Managers make sure both sides are happy and satisfied with one another to help cultivate a strong, long-term professional career.

We also have our Thank You Workmate initiative in which we recognize a deserving Workmate every month to help them stay motivated and give credit where it’s due!

Interested in starting your career with us? Take a look at our listings today!