5 Toughest Challenges When Starting a New Job — and how to overcome them
5 Toughest Challenges When Starting a New Job — and how to overcome them
It is hard finding a new job, so when you land one you need to make sure you keep it. The challenge of the first day, week or month with a new employer can be overwhelming, especially if you aren’t prepared. But, do you know what the 5 toughest challenges when starting a new job are?
Best Starting a New Job Advice Books
1. Reaching breakeven point in 90 days
Research shows that 17% of employees leave within the first 3 months which is about the typical duration of a new hire probationary period. This means new starters have 90 days to reach the breakeven point – when the company needs you as much as you need it. This is perhaps the toughest challenge when starting a new job.
Aimed at new starters, first-time or even experienced managers, this book, ‘The First 90 Days – Proven Strategies to Get up to Speed Faster‘ by Michael D Watkins, an expert on role transitions, can help you overcome this breakeven point challenge by outlining proven strategies that will dramatically shorten the time it takes to reach what he calls the “breakeven point” – when your organization needs you as much as you need the job. This book is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 4000 reviews.
Click to Buy ‘The First 90 Days – Proven Strategies to Get up to Speed Faster hardcopy or paperback or,
2. Getting a Quick Win Early on…
Research that high-performing employees tended to secure a quick win early on in their tenure as this was shown to give them the confidence to take on challenges, put forward ideas and progress. Doing this requires making an immediate impact by hitting the ground running, securing quick wins, and low-hanging fruit, making this one of the toughest challenges when starting a new job.
Again this book, ‘The First 90 Days – Proven Strategies to Get up to Speed Faster‘ by Michael D Watkins can help overcome this early quick win challenge because it also is a road map for taking charge quickly and effectively during critical career transition periods – whether you are a first-time manager, a mid-career professional on your way up, or a newly minted CEO. This book is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 4000 reviews.
Click to buy ‘The First 90 Days – Proven Strategies to Get up to Speed Faster hardcopy or paperback or,
3. Getting to know a new boss and colleagues
A survey by Accountemps of 1,400 employees and managers of the toughest challenges when starting a new job revealed that one in five respondents cited getting to know a new boss and colleagues as the greatest hurdle.
Since its initial publication this book, ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age‘ by Dale Carnegie has sold a total of 15 million copies and can help you overcome this getting to know people challenge, by teaching you how to:
- make friends quickly and easily
- increase your popularity
- persuade people to follow your way of thinking
- boost enthusiasm among your colleagues
The book continues to sell briskly today, but Carnegie never anticipated the ways in which the digital age would provide new tools and challenges for winning friends and influencing people. Brent Cole, working in tandem with Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc., has reimagined the original book for the digital age, updating and reframing Carnegie’s insights.
Click to Buy ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age‘ hard copy or paperback or,
4. Learning New Processes and Procedures
Forty-four percent of employees and 60 percent of managers interviewed said mastering new processes and procedures tops their list of concerns when joining a company. Be proactive about this, create a list of learning and information goals and establish a timeline for achieving them and then meet it. One hugely helpful thing you can do is ensure you have all the right knowledge and training in place before you start, giving you not only that useful information, but also the confidence to use it in your work. If you want to work in the beauty industry, aesthetics training is crucial, for example.
5. 5 Toughest Challenges When Starting a New Job
A survey by Accountemps of 1,400 employees and managers has shed light on the five toughest challenges when starting a new job.
| Workers | Managers | |||||
| Learning new processes and procedures | 44% | 60% | ||||
| Getting to know a new boss and coworkers | 20% | 20% | ||||
| Learning how to use new technology and tools | 17% | 12% | ||||
| Fitting into the corporate culture | 12% | 7% | ||||
| Other, don’t know, no answer | 7% | 1% | ||||
| Total | 100% | 100% | ||||
Best Starting a New Job Advice Books
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