I covered this in a recent issue of a career newsletter I write [1]. Some snippets from it that I think would help new joiners (not only those joining a new industry):
1. No-one’s going to go out of their way to guide you. Esp at smaller companies, the fact that you’ve been hired means you’re joining a time-poor company, and there likely won’t be a formal onboarding process. So...you’ve got to onboard yourself.
2. Adopt a mindset of personal responsibility. This isn’t going to be a passive process, but an active one.
3. Don't meet everyone for the sake of it. The goal isn't to set-up endless meetings and become a burden. Limit yourself to a few, and make the most out of them. Make your ask clear when you ask someone for their time — e.g. 'I'd like context on X and what's been done so far'
4. Get some small wins on the scoreboard. Although your priority is to learn the key skills of the job, you also want to make a great impression during your first 60 days by showing you’ve made an impact. To do that, identify some smaller projects you can knock out to get a few small wins under your belt.
5. Be ‘seen’. Make your presence known. And communicate upwards so people know you’re busy. How? Tell your manager, “Can I send you a list of 5 things I think I need to hit the ground running? I’ll then set up a 1-1 and we could go through that.”
the full essay's here [2] (and plug: the newsletter I write is called Coached. If occasional career strategy is your thing, feel free to check it out)
I think starting off with the impression of being a small wins person sticks, and people will think of you as "does small tasks well." No promos and whatnot.
It's why being a loud jackass that deploys something horrendous has better outcomes for your career.
Your point 1 has been my experience and I DO NOT understand why the most upvoted post in this post is saying to have one on ones with every team member on the team and also to have one of ones with related teams. I can't think of a time when that has ever been able to happen, especially on outer teams. Yes, it is ideal. But most teams and people feel like they are too busy all the time and also I have found that if you ask too many questions, sometimes that can be used against you if you don't know the team dynamics at play.
1. No-one’s going to go out of their way to guide you. Esp at smaller companies, the fact that you’ve been hired means you’re joining a time-poor company, and there likely won’t be a formal onboarding process. So...you’ve got to onboard yourself.
2. Adopt a mindset of personal responsibility. This isn’t going to be a passive process, but an active one.
3. Don't meet everyone for the sake of it. The goal isn't to set-up endless meetings and become a burden. Limit yourself to a few, and make the most out of them. Make your ask clear when you ask someone for their time — e.g. 'I'd like context on X and what's been done so far'
4. Get some small wins on the scoreboard. Although your priority is to learn the key skills of the job, you also want to make a great impression during your first 60 days by showing you’ve made an impact. To do that, identify some smaller projects you can knock out to get a few small wins under your belt.
5. Be ‘seen’. Make your presence known. And communicate upwards so people know you’re busy. How? Tell your manager, “Can I send you a list of 5 things I think I need to hit the ground running? I’ll then set up a 1-1 and we could go through that.”
the full essay's here [2] (and plug: the newsletter I write is called Coached. If occasional career strategy is your thing, feel free to check it out)
[1] https://coached.com
[2] https://careersupplement.beehiiv.com/p/cs233-onboarding-hard...
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