A career transition, no matter how big or small, always involves a period of adjustment. Whether you’re being promoted within your company or switching to an entirely different industry, there may be a learning curve you experience. Preparing yourself for a new job doesn’t have to be a headache, however. By following the pointers below, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble heading into your next role.
Rest While You Can
The moment you get thrown into a new job, you’ll likely feel overwhelmed by training, new responsibilities and a long roster of coworkers’ names you need to memorize. Obviously, you won’t be expected to know everything right off the bat, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be overwhelming at first. Hopefully, you will have left yourself a few days off between your final day at your previous job and your first day in your new position. This will allow you the downtime to rest before being inundated with information. Many individuals underestimate the importance of taking this rest before hopping into a new role.
Practice the Commute
Unless your new position will be remote and your only commute will be from your bed to your couch, you might want to consider practicing the commute to your new job. You might feel as if you’ve got the drive down after traveling there for your interview, but a morning commute could look entirely different. Once you factor in traffic and the fact that you may feel rushed to get there on time, you might be looking at a bit of a longer commute on certain mornings. By practicing this commute, you can help familiarize yourself with the route you’ll be taking every morning, learn any detours in case of traffic or an accident and make yourself prepared in advance of your first day.
Contact Your Manager
If you’ve already been informed of who you will be working under, you can take an extra measure to prepare yourself for your job by contacting your manager. You can get some questions answered, such as what the typical dress code is, where you will report on your first day, what the first week will look like and if you should bring anything special with you. By being proactive in this manner, you’ll show great initiative before even properly starting there. Not only will it give you a leg up, but it will also help you feel more prepared and settle some of your nerves.