Recruitment Series, Part Three: How to Succeed in a Role

Recruitment Series, Part Three: How to Succeed in a Role  

Congratulations, you got the job! All the interviews, job sites, and networking events paid off. At this stage of the process, you are feeling relieved and ready to dive right into your new role. However, this is an important time to remember that there is still a lot ahead of you. Beginning a new position requires a commitment to learning new processes, in-depth-training, orientations, meeting new team members and leadership, all while becoming comfortable with the demands of your new role. It can be a lot to take in, so it’s important to stay organized and clear-minded in the first few months in a new job. 

Continue to utilize and follow the job posting. 

• A consistent point made throughout this entire series is the importance of the job posting. As reflected in both Part One: The Search Experience and Part Two: How to Succeed in an Interview, the job posting is your version of a formal job description and should work as a road map. Once you start the role, it is something you can reflect on as you are navigating the ins and outs of succeeding in this new position. You should follow the job posting to ensure you are meeting your manager’s expectations in the role.  

• Additionally, it is important that you have these conversations with your colleagues and superiors. Understanding clear parameters of the scope of work you are expected to produce will ensure that you are on the same page as your team.  

• Following the job posting will also ensure that you are correctly aligned with the goals of your organization, which leads me into my next tip of this series. 

Set your own personal goals in addition to working towards the organization’s goals.  

• Throughout the interview process, you most likely became familiar with the organization’s vision, mission and core values on a broad level. Now you need to decipher what role you play in actualizing these goals. Whether it’s a top engineering design firm or a small mom and pop shop, the organization will hire individuals that prioritize the vision of the company. Setting measurable personal goals along with ones that ultimately aid in your organization’s goals will set you up for success in this position and in your career.  

Find a buddy/mentor. 

• Starting at a new company can be slightly overwhelming. Along with navigating the aspects of the role, there are a myriad of other things that you don’t necessarily learn through onboarding processes. Less technical things like best practice to book a conference room for a meeting, to the best coffee shops around your new office are often learned over time. Do not overlook the practicality of relying on a member of your team to act as a “buddy” to show you the ins and outs of the office. Being comfortable in your space can allow you to confidently complete your projects and tasks. 

Apply the way you learn, and if you don’t know, discover your learning style!  

• Finally, understanding your own learning style is key to your success. There are three styles of learning: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
  • Visual learners learn best when they see what is being taught instead of being “talked at”. This type of learning style focuses on visualizing concepts to best understand and will often opt out of active participation and instead take an observation role in group discussions. Technical roles, such as civil engineering jobs, are often occupied by visual learners. 
  • Auditory learners find the most success through conversation and high participation in group settings. This style of learning relies on absorbing the information actively in conversation, as they listen and converse with other participants.  
  • Kinesthetic learners learn best by doing. These individuals retain information best through movement or touch memory. Completing a new task on their own is often the best way to learn a process.  
• No learning style is right or wrong, but it is extremely beneficial for people to understand which way they best learn. This will ensure that you are processing your projects and tasks in a way that resonates with you, and ultimately brings you and your organization success.  

At the end of the day, you got this job because the organization believed you to be the best fit. Be yourself, optimize your learning behaviors and don’t forget about that job posting! You have taken all the correct steps to find success in your role, and now it is time to cultivate success for your new team and organization.