London Inc. September 2024 - 44

SPECIAL EDITORIAL SECTION CAREER TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
HOW to
int
SUCCEED IN A NEWLY
CREATED POSITION
Moving into a new job is always exciting, but it's a prospect that can
be equally daunting, especially if your role has been newly created
a new job is alwa
STARTING A NEWLY created job can be exciting opportunity.
After all, there's no predecessor to live up to or
previous benchmarks to work towards. In a newly created
position, you have the unique opportunity to make the
role your own.
However, there can also be some very real challenges
that come with life in a newly created role, especially if
the new job responsibilities are not yet clearly defined
and your boss is using your first few months in the role to
determine exactly what they should be.
While the usual advice on starting a new job still applies,
when you are beginning a role that has never existed
before there are a few additional tips to remember. Yes,
introducing yourself to your new colleagues, having a
positive attitude and asking questions all count. However,
there are additional efforts to take into account.
1. UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE
Use the first few days on the job to ask questions and gain
a complete understanding of the strategy, motivations and
purpose of your role. For example, try to understand the
circumstances and requirements that led to the creation
of this new job. For instance, is the team overworked? Are
there new challenges that current team members cannot
meet? Or are there other related hiring or business factors
at play that your manager can share? With clear context
around the why this new role was created and how
the organization operates you'll better understand the
purpose you need to fill in the role.
44|londonincmagazine.ca|SEPTEMBER 2024
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2. SET OBJECTIVES FOR YOUR FIRST
THREE MONTHS
Ask your new boss to define and identify what they hope
you will achieve in your first three months in the new role.
Set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely
(SMART) objectives with your manager, then have regular
check-ins to review progress and ensure you are achieving
what they need from you.
Remember, a new role is often undefined or only
vaguely defined initially. This makes it vital to set with your
manager a framework of well-formulated objectives that
won't send you in the wrong direction during your first
few months with the company.
3. KNOW HOW SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED
It's important to understand how success will be measured
- and how often. There's no one-size-fits-all way of
measuring an employee's success, even in an established
role, and for a new hire this brings even greater challenges.
So, discuss with your manager how success will be measured
in your new position. For example, can you create
specific targets or determine another way of measuring
how your work contributes to the organisation's core
objectives and success? By understanding how success will
be measured by the company, you'll be much more likely
to deliver it.
London Inc. September 2024

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