6 signs you will be successful in a new job
Starting a new job offers numerous opportunities—a chance to have a fresh start, to make positive first impressions, and to make strides in your career. But how can you know if you’ll be successful in your new job? Find out in our list below with 6 signs you will be successful in a new job:
1. You get to know people quickly.
The faster you can build your network at your new job, the faster they will be useful to you. Find ways to introduce yourself to as many new people as you can. Consider asking for a list of team members you should meet with during your onboarding process and grow that list as you meet with each person individually.
Even if you are trying to get to know a lot of people at once, do it genuinely—take a real interest in your coworkers’ professional and personal lives, find commonalities, and create real connections. When you make people feel good about themselves, they’ll be more likely to partner with you and help you in your new job.
2. You ask questions.
To be successful in your new job, you’ll need to be curious and speak up with questions. And while you might feel like asking questions can make you appear weak, the opposite is true—it communicates that you care enough about the job and the team to understand exactly what needs to be done.
Don’t be afraid to seek people out who have information you might need to know. Just one caution—make sure to be cognizant of each situation as you ask questions. Don’t be disruptive, and try to gauge if there are answers you can figure out on your own first. The goal is to be inquisitive, but still competent.
Ask about all resources that are available to you to do your job. Ask what your team’s short-term goals are for the next 30, 60, and 90 days and the long-term goals for the next year. Ask what your manager’s biggest pain points are (and try to find ways to help alleviate them). Gathering this information and showing you want to jump in will help you be successful quickly.
3. You know (or find out) what expectations are for you.
To be successful in your new job, you need to know what that success looks like. People who are successful in their jobs meet with their manager early on to understand and establish expectations. They seek to set goals so that they have specific milestones to work towards and they define success early, so that they can make specific plans to achieve that success.
If it’s not already outlined for you, ask what success looks like in your position. Just as it’s important to know what the team’s goals are in the next 30, 60, and 90 days, it’s critical that you understand what success looks like in your role in the next 30, 60, and 90 days. Make sure you have measurable goals that you can track so you can fulfill (or even exceed) expectations.
4. You discover how you can add unique value to the team.
You were hired because your employer found your skill set and experience to be the best fit for the role. But people who are most successful in their job learn quickly how they can use that skill set to add even more value. They find opportunities to solve problems and make their colleagues’ lives easier.
As you look for ways to add value, don’t spend time telling your team how you can help them, show them. People will respect and appreciate a new team member who isn’t simply trying to impress people, but is genuinely jumping in and getting things done.
Consider what your unique strengths are and how those strengths can add value to your team. Learn about what projects are happening and ask to be included in areas where you can help.
5. You identify where you have knowledge gaps and weaknesses.
Making mistakes and struggling with a learning curve is still somewhat inevitable. Successful new hires recognize that they have weaknesses. Instead of ignoring those weaknesses, they pinpoint areas where they need to improve and make a plan to get better.
Practice relying on your new network for help. Consider keeping a list of things you don’t understand, or areas you feel less confident in, and reaching out when you need help.
6. You don’t neglect your own well-being.
People who succeed in new jobs are level headed and realistic—they are skilled at knowing their own limits and they don’t push them too far. Success in a job takes time, consistency, and great care. You’ve heard the adage: it’s a marathon not a sprint. Attempting to work at an unsustainable speed will only lead to burn out.
If you are skilled at setting necessary boundaries, this is also a good sign you’ll be successful in your job. Just because you want to succeed shouldn’t mean that you take on the work of a slacking coworker that’s outside your skill set, or always respond to emails that come in after hours, for example. Decide what is realistic and what’s within your role. If you want to take on extra work to get ahead, only take on an amount that you can handle and that will benefit you. Outside of this, learn to set boundaries to avoid going too far.
Evaluate yourself often in your efforts to find a balance between challenging yourself and not sacrificing your well-being along the way. Make sure to incorporate small breaks and outlets in your day in order to cultivate a sustainable work life.
Need more resources? Check out these links:
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