The first few weeks on the job

You may have had several discussions during the interview process as to the benchmarks for the first three to six months on the job and have a game plan somewhat laid out. But the first few days, weeks, and months in any new job are really all about getting your bearings and finding your rhythm. Employers don’t usually expect to see any real performance results in that initial phase. What they do expect to see is how you proceed to work yourself into the structure of the company, and establish working relationships with your peers and clients.

The first order of business is meeting the people. Nothing takes priority over this. This should in fact be scheduled immediately. Typically, your new boss or someone from HR will take you on a tour and introduce you to everyone. This can take a few days depending on the size of your company.  In fact, there are certain persons with whom you will likely have specific scheduled introduction meetings.  These will include the person or persons whom you report to and those with whom you will be working most closely.  If your organization has several branches or offices which interact or share resources, a trip will likely be immediately planned for you to go and meet the team at other facilities. Establishing your working relationships is the single most important step in succeeding at any new job. The people matter most.  And people need to meet in person to really start to bond and develop rapport.  Good managers know this and will do whatever they have to do to facilitate your face to face meetings with all personnel.

The same will be true in the case of your clients.  If you are to be immediately assigned specific accounts, it will be important that you contact to your clients right away. It is harder to develop relationships under pressure; casual meetings like coffee or lunch are often arranged.