The first hundred days following employment more or less correspond to the trial period. A moment during which it is about discovering and adapting to a new environment, demonstrating one’s skills while setting objectives. Here are some keys to succeeding in your first steps in taking up a position.
At any age and regardless of experience, taking on a new position is challenging and often arouses apprehension. It must be said that there are many issues at stake. One of them consists of taming this new environment, being accepted, knowing how to behave with colleagues and the hierarchy and finally demonstrating one’s skills in the field.
“ Newly graduated Generation Z is often stressed about this unfamiliar environment, which they do not know how it works and which brings together diverse people. », notes Frédéric Ivernel, former HR director and director of communications and strategic marketing at TF1, former HR director and general administrator of the Théâtre du Châtelet, now president of FIV Conseils, a company specializing in managerial and HR approaches and author of “ Succeed in your first steps in business – 100 key days » (Ellipses editions). In the service, everyone knows each other, has their habits, knows what they have to do. The newcomer must integrate into this well-oiled mechanism, take things on the road and keep up with the rhythm.
Flexibility
Arrival in the company can be made easier if an integration plan has been defined. But sometimes it’s not. The teams do not know the arrival date, no office or computer is provided… It is therefore better to be flexible and flexible upon arrival.
Overcome your fears
This new position often questions self-confidence: do you feel up to the tasks entrusted to you? Do we think we are legitimate? The famous imposter syndrome can surface. Contrary to what one might believe, this questioning can arise regardless of age and experience. “ The higher you go in the hierarchy, the less room for error you have. The pressure is greater because the expectations of this new arrival are very high, especially if the position has been vacant for several months », points out Nathalie Legrand, Oasys Dirigeants partner, director of the banking practice. With this new position, you sometimes have to catch up on accumulated delays, which are difficult conditions for getting your bearings smoothly.
Manage your time
Be careful not to give in to a classic mistake: wanting to prove yourself and exhausting yourself doing everything at once. These hundred days are not a sprint and should rather be seen as a marathon. Nathalie Legrand therefore encourages you to take care of yourself. Ideally, you keep control of your schedule in the first weeks to avoid too many appointments. In the same way, we make sure not to work overtime every day, to want to be on all projects at the same time, to have more meetings, etc. Even if it is tempting to want to show what you are capable of, you see in the long term and you take care of yourself.
Curiosity and listening
One of the main skills to use during these first hundred days is listening. “ People love to tell their stories: by asking your colleagues, you learn and show that you are interested in them. It also avoids revealing yourself too quickly. But self-confidence can be built with what others think of us », recalls Frédéric Ivernel. We therefore plan to meet his colleagues, to listen to them to better compare their points of view.
To do this, Natalie Legrand recommends using SWOT analysis (acronym of the English words: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), a technique which makes it possible to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It gives a good vision of the team and allows you to see what can be improved. We also consult our superior to find out their expectations and how they wish to work with us. These discussions make it possible to determine a roadmap, to show empathy and satisfaction at being in the company, in this position.
Help yourself from the past
Even if you were recruited for your skills, your experience, your successes in a previous position, it is better to be humble and respect what already exists. The idea is not to impose your vision of things. “ You don’t invent the future of a company by forgetting its past », says Frédéric Ivernel. An opinion shared by Nathalie Legrand: “ We are not entering virgin territory. We must start from what already exists, from the good things that have been done. It’s not about making a clean slate of the past », she adds. We put ourselves at the disposal of others and we build together from these solid foundations which have demonstrated their effectiveness. We don’t revolutionize, we improve what can be improved.
Have a shared project
It is also important to define a shared project with your N+1 and your team. We give everyone time to ask their questions and we answer them. It’s a way of mobilizing. Then, we share these new objectives and action plans through clear communication.
Mistakes to avoid
Several mistakes are often made when taking up a position. In summary, to encourage this trial period, we avoid burning out by doing everything at once. Better to choose your priorities. Be careful not to trust your past experience too much. “ The current company is not the old one. You have to be wary of your professional reflexes which are not those of the company where you are now and where you are expected », adds Nathalie Legrand. We therefore learn to fit into this new mold and “ we learn to unlearn our reflexes “.
If we understand the workings of the company, of our position, that we are accepted, that we carry out
effectively the tasks requested, the challenge of these first hundred days will be met!
Dorothée Blancheton
