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As a recruiter at Progressive, I have the incredibly rewarding job of helping college students transition from school to their new career. Over the years, I’ve seen how doing the following five things can lead to a successful onboarding experience.
1. Build working relationships right away.
Learn about the people around you. Get to know what matters to them, what they value, and what drives their behaviors so that you can better connect and work with them. Embrace the diversity of those around you and be an active part of creating an inclusive workplace.
2. Get to know your manager’s leadership style.
Observe and ask questions to learn how your manager leads. Keep your learnings in mind when performing your job responsibilities. This takes time for all new employees, so be patient and trust that you’ll learn more with each interaction.
3. Engage with the company’s onboarding and development resources.
It’s important to approach your first 90 days as a period of training. Identify centers of influence and embrace a learning mindset. You’re there to train and ask questions. Just remember, making mistakes means you’re trying and learning from them.
4. Know your strengths and identify your opportunities.
Remember that you were hired to bring new ideas, skills, and experience to your role and team. Use your newness to your advantage. And be honest with yourself about areas where you can expand your knowledge and develop even further.
5. Research the company benefits.
The main thing is to know what’s available to you right away so you can start taking advantage of it from the get-go. From retirement plans and health and wellness offerings to tuition assistance and employee discounts, there’s likely a lot to explore.
Finally, while your job description tells you what you need to do, it rarely touches on how you need to do it to be successful. The most valuable advice I can share here is to be yourself. Throw yourself into learning your role, team, manager, and company. Don’t be afraid of failure. Learn from mistakes and keep the momentum going during the first 90 days and beyond. Allow yourself time to adapt to the culture and your new social setting. Before you know it, you’ll be up and running in your new role!
