AIBU to ask for you to share your tips for starting a new job

[AccioPizza]

Hi all!

I'm starting a new job next week which I'm really excited about. It's within the same company but I'll be working from another office about an hour away within a completely different part of the company.

The role is similar to a PA role and I wondered if any Mumsnetters have any advice when starting a new role and if anyone does this kind of role currently do you have any tips?

Thank you!

Take as many notes as you can (I also start a personal 'glossary' explaining unfamiliar acronyms or terminology) and ask as many questions as you can - the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

If they're not scheduled for you, schedule in regular 1-2-1s with your manager/supervisor to ensure you're on track and doing what is expected of you. I ask explicitly "is there anything else you would expect me to be doing by this point that I'm not?"

Make friends with your local IT guys if you have any, they're the people you need onside when your AV equipment suddenly doesn't work properly right before a big conference or presentation!

Write up minutes as soon after the meeting as you can, while they're fresh in your head.

Put everything in your calendar/task list/diary/whatever you use, don't rely on memory. File stuff straight away, don't let it build up either in paper or emails.

Enjoy it and good luck!

Make up your own organizational chart, initially include staff members and roles and any responsibilities that aren’t obvious.

Wait to form your own opinions about people, definitely don't rely on what people tell you about other people, they may be biased. That doesn't mean to say you shouldn't consider that they may be right, especially if you are being warned about 'difficult' people, just that you should keep an open mind until you know for sure. Don't gossip, and be very careful about what you say to people - in my (very large) organisation there are multiple husbands/wives (current and divorced) with different names, same sex and different sex couples, parents and children, siblings, best friends, enemies, ex-partners etc. etc. and it is easy to say the wrong thing inadvertently. Never assume you can take liberties, if you ask for time off/late lunch/leaving early/coming in late etc. get the response in writing or have a witness just in case anyone thinks you are taking liberties. And always ALWAYS be nice, be polite, and be honest!

AND - never eat smelly food in the office or pinch anyone else's milk.

Avoid office politics and (politely) avoid anyone who tries to drag you into it. Be friendly to everyone but don't become "friends" with anyone for a good few months until you've figured out the dynamic in your new workplace.

Hi congrats!

So as PP said make lots of notes and keep them organised so you can reference back.

I start and end every day with a To Do List so I can gather my thoughts and actions.

Also just ask if you need help with anything. Normal people will happily help you if you can't remember how to do something as long as you've had a logical think about it first. Better to get advice to do it right!

Make a tea/coffee list too so you can recall easy what people have and how.

Good luck x

Thanks so much for all the great advice so far - really appreciate it

I would suggest one thing... As a new starter, you may be given information ("You know Julie from accounts? She is having an affair with John from invoicing!!") and some fairly biased opinions ("Ruby as a manager is a right bitch - don't be taken in by her nice-on-the-surface attitude!")

Rather than react to any of this lot, just nod and say hmmm, and form your own opinions.

I know it sounds a bit patronising, but it is one of the minefields I walked into :-)

Make the tea and take your turn at washing up/clearing the kitchen/staffroom! |Find out what the arrangements are regarding any rota or tea club and make sure you take (slightly more than) your turn right from the start.

Don;t listen to any bitching about your predecessor. Llikewise , take anything about how brilliant they were with a pinch of salt.

Wear comfortable shoes

Make the tea and take your turn at washing up/clearing the kitchen/staffroom! |Find out what the arrangements are regarding any rota or tea club and make sure you take (slightly more than) your turn right from the start.

Not sure I agree with this one.

You don't want to find yourself cast in the role of tea-maker/general dogsbody if that is not actually part of your job description. There's a risk that you could end up being expected to all kinds of grunt work on top of your regular workload and then if you want to stop doing it because you're too busy it could become an issue.

Be very suspicious of anyone who tried to be extra nice or your new best friend.

Instead be equally nice and polite to everyone, deflect personal questions, and let relationships grow slowly so you can suss out who can be trusted!!

Bitter experience!!

Defo do not make the tea!!

You can risk making it once maybe 2 months in

Be very suspicious of anyone who tried to be extra nice or your new best friend.

Yes, definitely this!

They will turn out to be the person that nobody else in the office can stand and by that point it will be difficult to shake them off.

I disagree LoveinTokyo. The more senior the role the more important is it to be seen to be willing to do the "dogsbody" roles. You don;t have to let them take advantage but making your colleagues a cuppa is just a nice thing to do, regardless of whether it's part of your job description. Likewise clearing up after yourself. Nothing more unpleasant than a team member who thinks clearing the sink is beneath them.

Don't talk about Brexit!

Clearing up after yourself is different, and obviously everybody should do it. But I wouldn't get into "tea rounds" if I could avoid it. You don't want to become thought of as "the tea person".

I still disagree. No harm at all in being the tea person, although that's not what I'm suggesting. It's such an easy win in terms of team building etc. to make sure you take your turn.

I guess it depends on the workplace, how many people in the team, the general vibe etc. But in general I think getting involved in some kind of tea round system is ridiculous. If you want a cup of tea or coffee you should be able to go and get one without feeling obliged to offer to make one for everyone else there. It turns a two minute job into a ten minute job and will massively eat into your day if you end up regularly doing it for people who don't reciprocate.

Not everyone is going to want a drink at the same time. Everyone's an adult and capable of getting themselves a drink when they want one.

If you voluntarily take on the role of "tea person" then you're taking the risk that people will see you as the tea person and not as "deputy manager" / "marketing assistant" / "junior associate" or whatever your role actually is.

A good way round the tea/coffee landmine is to only drink water at work. It's healthier, you'll never be accused of pinching the milk and it's much easier - while still inclusive - to ask your team mates if they want any water when you're going to get your own (assuming you have a cooler in the office, of course!)

Thanks all! We have a coffee shop or can use the hot drink machines in our company, so at least a tea run or group is one minefield I can avoid!

This is my tip for taking minutes in large meetings where you don't know everyone's names...

Right at the beginning, subtly draw a little "map" of the table with the names of everyone (including the people you do know) and where they are sitting relative to each other. Hopefully if its a large meeting with representatives from different companies there will be introductions at the beginning, and you can get the names then.
If not, I write a little initial that makes sense to me ("PS" for "pink shirt" for eg).

Then, if I end up with notes along the lines of "PS agreed to action..." I can ask "who was the guy in the pink shirt sat next to Julie?" after the meeting and get the correct names typed into the minutes.

Sounds really odd, but works for me and I'm terrible at names!

With regards to tea making, I think it depends on your seniority and how male dominated your workplace is. If you are quite senior - fine to make the tea.
But if you are in a middling role in a male dominated workplace, I would be careful of getting pigeon holed into a "lady who makes the tea" role. Depends on what your male colleagues are doing, but it can be tricky to navigate the subliminal expectations some people have over the roles of women in the workplace iyswim.

Absolutely blast it for the first month. Do all the extra hours, take work home, volunteer for all kinds of stuff, be enthusiastic if not overly enthusiastic. After a month you can take your foot off the gas somewhat but your reputation will already be established.

If you're going into a magement grade do the opposite. Do nothing for the first month while you get the lay of the land.

Put faces to names. Go and ask people questions face to face rather than sending an email where possible. Follow up with an email if you need a written record.

Ive had a rather unsettled person of work after being made redundant 8 years ago - 2 further redundancies and two maternity leaves, so I've become accustomed to starting afresh (and I'm a PA, too).

I always draw a rough map of the office, and when I meet someone new, write where they sit on the map.

Don't expect to know or understand everything straight away. It takes months to really get the basics down. As others have said, don't be afraid to ask questions and take loads of notes.

When you get introduced to someone new, try and retain their name for long enough to write it down somewhere. Then look them up on LinkedIn (on private mode - you don't have to add them) and commit their face and role to memory. Or if you have an internal phone book with people's photos, that's even better.