Despite the pandemic causing mass unemployment and global uncertainty for the future, the job market did not and has not come to a complete stop. There are companies who are still hiring and many who were in the process of hiring as the social distancing measures went into effect.
For example, at Jarvis Recruitment Group, we have continued our growth and therefore needed to hire a vast number of new staff in various areas. All these staff have settled into our organisation well, despite starting their role completely remote.
Here are our top tips in starting a new job remotely!
Schedule brief check-ins with colleagues
Each organization has its own culture, and this culture is often generated by unspoken goals, norms and language that members of your new team actively engage in. It is difficult to comprehend a culture and to fit in with a new culture without physically observing it. In a physical office, new employees tend to learn the aspects of the workplace culture through everyday interactions with colleagues, such as hearing how they are tackling a problem at hand or listening to the workplace jargon they use.
Whereas, in a virtual setting, you are not submerged in the workplace culture and therefore need to ensure you can manufacture a situation which means you can!
Reach out to your new colleagues and set up quick regular one-on-one discussions. This will help you to understand how they work, the language they use and how to effectively communicate in your new workplace. We also recommend that you play attention to any implicit statements about what they think is most important, as this tends to be a result of the workplace culture. You can also ask any questions you may have in these meetings, so they are a great idea!
Seek a mentoring team.
Mentors are a brilliant tool to help you to progress within your field. When starting a job remotely, there are two types of mentors who are particularly useful. The first is someone who understands the procedures within the organisation. For example, what to do if you are sick or how to claim for expenses. The second is a person who is well connected throughout the organization and can introduce you to colleagues who you may need.
It is so important to establish this mentoring team, as when you are remote, your requests are likely to involve emails, which can take a lot of time for a response. Whereas, if you generate a mentor team, you make it easier for yourself to settle into an organisation.
Let your colleagues know you are new
When you start a job in a physical office, your colleagues will notice you and naturally introduce themselves. Whereas, in a virtual office, your manager will introduce you via email or a virtual meeting. However, in a big and busy team, some colleges may forget they have a new member joining or miss the meeting. That means you need to be more explicit about announcing yourself as the new person in the office.
We suggest sending an email to your colleagues introducing who you are and stating that you are new. Usually if you state that you are new into the organisation, colleagues often want to welcome you and introduce themselves. We also suggest introducing yourself as a new member of staff on any teams/group chats you may be virtually included in.
This will help to establish relationships with your colleagues which are essential for settling in and your future growth.
Ask for help!
In the office, colleagues are constantly reminded that you are a new employee and may need assistance, as they are physically in contact with you every day. Whereas, if you are not physically present, some of your colleges may forget you need additional guidance.
Whilst you may be worried that your colleagues are too busy to help or would prefer not to, this is generally not the case! Your new colleagues want you to settle in and understand how the organisation works. We suggest you email whenever you need help and remind your colleagues your new!
Keep a daily schedule.
In a physical office, it is easy to tackle problems when they arise, as your colleagues who are needed to help with such problems are sat near you. Whereas, when you are working from home, you will have to email your colleagues and wait for replies. If this problem is small, your email may get lost in the noise of your colleagues’ workload or you may forget to attend to it.
We therefore recommend at the end of each day reviewing your day and creating a list of any unresolved issues you may need to chase up. Then when you are next speaking with a supervisor or the colleague in hand, you should raise these unresolved issues and help to complete them. This also will help to demonstrate how proactive you are and what an asset you can be to the organisation.
Last note…
Joining any organisation poses a challenge, but joining an organisation remotely is particularly difficult. However, by being proactive you can settle within a team at greater ease and demonstrate your value more quickly.
Here at Jarvis Cole, we are the leaders in eCommerce recruitment, and are always working with both candidates and clients to get the right talent in the right seats.
Get in touch today to see how we can help you.
