You were hired because you are smart. Your employer has a high level of confidence in you. You were the best candidate! They want you to succeed.
Here are 5 tips to help you through the employment probation period.
1. Work Longer
A good work practice is to work an extra 15-30min at the end of the day. This will look positively on you.
Consider this, invariably staff who commute a distance will be unexpectedly late due to weather, traffic, public transit delays, etc. The “banked” minutes/day balances out against the days were the trip in takes unexpectedly longer, days where you need to leave a little early, or have a long lunch. It’s a good practice to know in the back of your mind that you have “time banked”.
Related, arrive ready to work. It’s a poor practice to arrive precisely on time only to proceed to get your coffee, engage in small talk, then turn on your computer & get setup to start work.
2. Double and Triple Check Your Work
Mistakes made in the first 90 days have a greater impact on you and your fledgling tenure than when you’re a “long term” employee.
3. Admit Mistakes
We all make mistakes. Admit any mistakes you make. Mistakes are proof that you are trying.
4. Learn
Be inquisitive. You’re new. Ask lots of questions. Take notes. Learn. Doing the opposite implies you’re not interested, don’t understand or not serious.
Seek training. If the company doesn’t provide training or peers have insufficient time, seek out webinars, vendors or training videos on YouTube. For company products, ask which are the top 1, 5, or 10 products you should focus on learning. Read manuals.
5. Manage Your On-boarding
Build a 30-60-90 day on-boarding plan. Minimally, have daily or weekly plans.