1st Month: By the end of the first month you should…

The first month is all about pacing yourself with your coworkers.  Letting them know the pace you can work with and seeing you can meet or exceed their expectations.  Finding out their humor, the feel of the office.  Some offices are church formal, while others look like the 1970’s Atari, by now you’ll know if this is the place for you. If it is the right fit these are some suggestions to make acclimation easier.

Be comfortable in your work place:
– Know the names & positions of your coworkers, the chain of command, and where you fit.
– Know a quiet spot nearby you can go for lunch when you need to clear your head.
– Know the best commute and how it can reduce your stress. Sometimes working an hour late/early can save you half an hour on your commute. Yes, you’ll spend more time at work but you won’t feel like you’re loosing 5 hours a week to traffic. It’s surprising how much that can brighten you day.

Handle your stress:
– Stress is a part of every job and you’ll still be stressed at the end of your first month. You should be stressed at the end of your first month. If you aren’t then either the job isn’t challenging enough for you or you don’t care enough about the job and you need find a job you’re more passionate about.

Get to know your co-workers:
– Everyone is busy, but make the time to get to know those who you interact with daily.
– Each week pick someone and try to take them to lunch. It is a little way to say thank you and to learn more about your co-workers.
– If they can’t make lunch, try a drink after work.  Lunch is preferable because it keeps the focus on work and puts a hard timeline on interaction. But if it isn’t possible, let them pick the place and keep it to an hour.  Don’t put yourself in a position where you could look unprofessional.
– These weekly meetings can continue after you’ve met everyone.  They can allow you to seek help for personal projects, or find out how you can do more for the company.  Keep the rotation up and let everyone know that they have an outlet to voice grievances that are of a more personal nature.  Small complaints like too much cologne are best addressed outside of the work place in a friendlier environment and without everyone hearing it.

Start expanding your role in the company:
– Look for a committee or an extra assignment to take on, lighten everyones’ load. Look for a non-essential job to take over.  It could be as small as picking up the coffee for the in house machine once a week or joining the safety committee.  The safety committee is a great place to learn about the office space and it has many important responsibilities that often get over looked.  It also has the benefit of taking up minimal time.  It is a way to show you care about the company and those who work here.

Expand your profile outside of the company:
– The first month of a new job often requires personal sacrifices as to your personal time. You’ll often have to reduce or eliminate your outside social groups to make the time to learn your new job.  After the first month, hopefully you can start attending those groups again.
– In addition try to find one or two new groups that your co-workers attend.  These groups are key to both building a rapport with coworkers and increasing the brand name of your company.  Don’t fool yourself, that is apart of your job.  You’re a programmer and everywhere you go you will represent the company, do right by them.

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This is a lot to keep in mind on as you finish your first month. Hopefully, most of this will happen naturally.  You will enjoy those who you work with and it won’t take effort to spend time with them.  The one month mark is about where you should know if you are a cultural fit.  It’s still too early to decide if the type of work is right for you, but by now you should know if your are a match for the people.  If you need to leave I’ll address that later under THE GRACEFUL EXIT.

This was the second part of three.
Next, time : 1st year.