How to Maximize Your New Employment Experience

Are you starting a career with a new company? Do you want to make a good first impression but aren’t quite sure how? There are three main competencies that will enable you to thrive in a new work environment:

• Relationship building.
• Curiosity.
• Commitment to the job.

Chances are, you already use these competencies in your daily life. This blog post will help you determine how you can exercise these competencies in a new work environment to establish a rewarding employment experience.

Relationship Building – the ability to create relationships with your colleagues and organizational stakeholders.

Why is this competency important?
Through building relationships with company stakeholders such as your colleagues, you can make network connections. These connections can provide you with valuable resources and enable you to excel in your career, as well as to create friendships that bring you daily enjoyment at work.
How can I exercise this competency?

• Get to know the names and roles of everyone in your department, and when you feel comfortable, begin to reach out to employees in other departments. In most circumstances, your supervisor will facilitate introductions; however, don’t be afraid to reach out to your colleagues on your own.
• If the organization you are working for offers clubs or committees, see if there is room for you to get involved. This can be a great opportunity to talk about subjects unrelated to work and meet people working in other departments.
• Say yes to social events related to work, such as staff parties and appreciation events, as this can also help you meet people in other departments.

Curiosity – having a desire to learn new information.

Why is this competency important?
Demonstrating a strong willingness to learn will enable you to learn quickly and develop methods regarding how to carry out your work more effectively. Moreover, it communicates to your colleagues and supervisors that you are eager to grow your skillset, meaning you have the potential to be a part of different projects and tasks in the future.
How can I exercise this competency?

• Ask questions! People are often more than happy to help a new employee understand their role and other parts of the company. Just make sure you’re not asking the same questions multiple times.
• Discuss your expected learning outcomes with your supervisor and create a plan regarding how you’re going to meet your goals.
• Get involved with different projects and tasks to assist you in learning new skills.
• Write down all the things you learn on the job in a notebook as you learn them, when possible. This can be a great resource to include in a review with your supervisor as well as a point of reflection for personal development.

Commitment to the Job – showing a willingness to work hard to complete work tasks.

Why is this competency important?
Working diligently to complete tasks can be straightforward method to earn the respect of your supervisors and colleagues, leading to opportunities to join new tasks and projects. This can result in raises, promotions and other workplace advancements.
How can I exercise this competency?

• When showing up to work, always be punctual and presentable. This indicates to your supervisor that you are responsible and that your day is already off to a strong start.
• Learn methods that assist you in completing assigned tasks more effectively.
• Work towards practicing a high attention to detail to ensure that the work you are producing is error-free.
• If applicable, use project management software or other resources that will enable you to record the progress made on tasks. This can be shown to supervisors during reviews.

Securing a co-op placement can help you build on these competencies. Check out Skills for the Future Workforce to learn more about skills and competencies that will be required in the future.