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Andrew Baisden
Andrew Baisden

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5 steps for performing well in a new job

When you start a new job it is important that you are well prepared and ready to absorb everything that you can. Those first few months are either going to make you or break you it all comes down to your mindset and how motivated you are to be a success is this new role.

I have worked in the industry for a few years and during that time I have learned a lot of things. I also recently started a new full-time role as well. Here are 4 steps for performing well in a new job.

1. Ask lots of questions

A new job means that there are going to be a lot of unknowns. You need to ask as many questions as possible no matter how arbitrary they might sound. It is better to find out the answers to your questions instead of waiting until the last minute and looking clueless because you decided to hold in all your thoughts.

Your first few months should be all about information gathering. Figuring out how everything works, the people you report to etc... Leave no stone unturned and keep a note of everything that is said. That way you can get up to speed fast on projects which hopefully leads to less hand holding and micro management in the future.

2. Learn the setup

Every company has a different structure and set of rules to follow. Your coding style might have to be adapted so that you align with your new companies work style. So for example the JavaScript framework setup might not be the same way that you are used to doing it. Some people prefer double quotes and others prefer single quotes. The same applies to writing comments too. The closer your goals align with the company the easier it will be for you to integrate into your new team.

It is also true for GIT workflows, documentation, and testing. Follow the guidelines and specifications outlined by your team and then you will find that you all get along well when working on projects.

3. Show your worth to the company

Those first few months tend to be quite hard as you feel the need to prove your value and validate why you deserve the role. Put in a good high work rate and get up to speed as quickly as possible. The more you contribute to the company the less you will have to worry about in the future. Build the groundwork now so that you are good to go for smooth sailing further down the line.

4. Have good connections

Another area that requires lots of effort would be finding common ground, and bonding well with your team mates. This would come under the area of having a good culture fit. Jobs are not all about working you need to remember that you have to behave as a human too and not just a robot that writes code all day.

Relationships also make the job more engrossing and leads to the team having a good bond. If you work in an office then it is not too hard to accomplish some of these things it is quite different with remote working though. So have friendly idle talks over IM with your team or having video calls or meetings is quite a good way to keep in touch when it is not possible to be there in person.

5. Put in the time

You have to put in the hours if you want to be a successful developer in your new role. Learn as much as you can about the company and its ethos and find ways to incorporate your learnings so that you can help your team to grow further. This can include learning about new tools, technologies and trends which could benefit the business. And also doing your own self learning so that you can be the best at your job.

Final Thoughts

I really hope that you enjoyed reading this article and learned something from it. As a content creator and technical writer I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping other people reach their goals. Let's connect across social media you can find all of my social media profiles and blogs on linktree.

Peace ✌️

Oldest comments (3)

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maddy profile image
Maddy

Great article, well done Andrew!!

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aaronmccollum profile image
Aaron McCollum

This is good stuff!

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zazapeta profile image
Ghazouane • Edited

True story here & great advices !