Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Great questions for your first weeks of work

First week of work

The first week of work can be very intimidating.  But be calm, enjoy the fact that you have started with a clean inbox and no phone messages, no assignment, no deadlines.....

But the first weeks of a new job are the ideal time to set expectations.  Once you know what is expected of you, there is a certain piece of mind.

So, if you don't know already, sit down with your boss in the first weeks and ask about your performance management. Since you have no track record with the organization, there likely are expectations but no judgments.  By figuring this out, you can set your internal systems to know what you need to do & if you have done it on a moment to moment basis.

Here are some good questions but there are more: 
- What is your short and medium objectives for me? 
- What are the metrics or KPI (Key Performance Indicators) for me/ for this position/our unit/our organization? Can I keep track of the numbers myself? Where is that information? How can I run a report?
- What does a top person do in the 30 days? 90 days? 1st year? 
- When will we meet to discuss my performance over the year (weekly 1-1, biweekly, 6 month review, 12 month reviews?). 
- What do great people do in this job different from average people? 
- What do I need to do to be considered a strong team player here?


Another great thing to explore is the decisions behind your hiring..way too many times is a detailed assessment done on a person (aka the hiring process) then all that information is never brought forward. Again, this is helps define the expectations they have for you and some of their judgments.

Here are some typical questions for that line of thinking: 
- What strengths did I have that led you to select me? (since this is what the organization is "buying" then you should know)
 - What gaps were exposed when i was interviewed, compared against others, and compared to the job qualifications? (since this is what you likely should work on).

Of course if you judge some of answers aren't in line with your own expectations, it might be time to review the resume again.....

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