How to overcome challenges during your first day of work

On your first day of work, you need to step out of your comfort zone. Being in your previous job was your comfort zone where you were comfortable with your colleagues, your assignments, your routine at work as knew the working style of your colleagues.

On your first day, you might not be very sure with regards to what you were supposed to be doing, and assignments with very short deadline could have been thrown to you.

Here are some tips to overcome that.

ENJOY THE PROCESS

We all must start from somewhere. You must understand that during your previous job, the transitioning process was not that easy as well. When you are experiencing discomfort, it means you are challenging yourself, and are progressing. You are also likely a skill which makes you feel incompetent for now, but you must keep reminding yourself that it is all right.

ASK FOR HELP AND ACCEPT IT

This is crucial because it makes more sense to shout for help in the initial stages in comparison to shouting for help a few months down the road when people assumed you should be well familiar with it. It is acceptable for you to put your pride aside and ask for help from someone who have done it before. Do not assume your colleagues are too busy to help you in transition because as the saying goes – never ask never to know.

When you ask, you also gradually build relationships among your colleague. An intelligent person would make use of the resources instead of just self-reliance.

DON’T GIVE UP

Gradually, it will get better. The starting is always the most challenging, but you will get there one day. You will likely be very uncertain, hence not very comfortable in speaking up during meetings or unsure of how is the best approach to handle your boss.

Encountering challenges on your first day of your role?

Have you just recently started work and swarmed with deadlines and challenges. You start to question about what have you really got yourself into and start to have many self-doubts in yourself before convincing you are a wrong hire.

Personally, you tell yourself you should have never applied for this job or feel you are underqualified for this role. Every day, you drag yourself to work although you feel uncomfortable and seem to have lost your purpose.

It is then time to think of the following:

THERE WAS SOMEONE WHO BELIEVED IN YOU

Your hiring manager. Your hiring manager saw something you could bring to the team and was convinced you are the right fit for the job, in comparison to others. Unless you have conducted resume fraud, or fluffed your past working experience – then your hiring manager is usually right.

The entire hiring process takes a while, which includes candidate screening, multiple interviews before finally deciding on you. It is important that you should not be expected to perform the moment you step into office. Everyone requires some time to adjust to the unfamiliar environment and responsibilities.

Your hiring manager may have hired you not because of your skill set, but because of your willingness to learn and saw the potential in you.

CHANGE YOUR MINDSET

When you feel like this is not the right fit for you, you are merely focusing on the negative. You start thinking of the quick exit – which is the easiest path, but it is not the sustainable path. Your negativity will overwhelm your thoughts when you should really be considering on how to overcome these obstacles and how should you be able to start performing.

Remember that being uncomfortable will only push you to acquire new skills and develop new competencies – something which only people with progress will have.