Week 1 on the Job: How to Exceed Expectations

After jumping through hoops like formatting a professional resume, writing an award-winning cover letter and rising above the pile of candidates to secure this coveted position, you have finally started your first week of work. The next question you need to ask yourself is this: “How am I going to exceed expectations in this role?”

The answer to this question will be manageable, but also challenging: As exciting as your first week is, it’s also a little overwhelming. Your schedule will be packed down to the minute with meetings, presentations and training sessions. You’ll learn about company policies and procedures, as well as how your role contributes to the company’s mission. You’ll be expected to process a lot of information at once–but the great news is that the company is trying to incorporate you into the team as quickly as possible and set you up for success in your role.

But how can you set yourself up for success this early on? We put together a list of steps you should take during your first week in order to earn your place as a stand-out employee.

Schedule one-on-ones with your co-workers.

If your company doesn’t already encourage this, start scheduling 15-minute sessions with your co-workers and your supervisor–whether coffee dates or meetings at the office.  These one-on-ones are essential not only for getting to know your team members, but also for learning how your role can support their own. Ask about their experience as well as their vision for the company over the next 6 months, and then bring the conversation back to actionable ways that you can make an impact in your position.  Be prepared with questions like, “What have been some of the challenges people who have previously filled this role faced?,” “How do you envision our roles working together?,” or “What would you like to see me accomplish during my first week?” These questions will position you to be aware of the needs of the company and of your co-workers so that you can develop efficient and creative ways to address them.

Fit one or two “nice-to-haves” into your priority list.

In addition to prioritizing your supervisor’s asks, it’s a good idea to try and complete (or at least make solid progress on) one or two “nice-to-haves” this week. You’ll have to listen carefully during your meetings with your supervisor, but these tasks that are often mentioned in passing, like “Eventually, we’ll want to do this” or “…but that’s something we can think about for later.”

If you can manage to get high priority items done along with a couple of “nice-to-have” items, this will impress your supervisor and send a clear message about your work ethic early on.

Keep a record of everything you accomplish this week.

Are you creating a process no one has created before? Organizing a database no one has touched for months? Writing an article that just drove unprecedented traffic back to your company’s site? These are all things that you should have written down by Friday of this week – and every Friday from now on.  Having a track record of the ways that you’re contributing to the company will come in handy when you’re ready to ask for a promotion or when your employer is assessing your candidacy for a year-end bonus. Not to mention, this is a great reminder for yourself: You will accumulate so many skills and tackle so many tasks that it will be easy to forget just how much you’re killing it at this job.

Good luck on your first week!

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