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While working remotely is certainly nothing new, it has become much more of the norm for everyone over the past year. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing have caused employers to adapt or even completely forgo their office spaces for a safer, virtual model. Remote work, work from home, WFH, whatever you want to call it, is the reality most of us are living. With a wave of furloughs and layoffs that resulted from the pandemic, it may be the case that you have found yourself starting a new job remotely. Or, if your situation is anything like mine, you started your first job in the corporate world without ever having stepped foot in a real corporate office.
Navigating a new job can seem a little intimidating. Now throw in the extra hurdle of not physically being there; left to figure out the new processes, workflows, and personalities from the comfort of your home office. As someone who has both experienced entering the workforce in the thick of COVID, and as a recruiter helping walk several candidates through their first encounters with remote work, let me offer you a few key pieces of advice:
Understand that it might be a slow build: It might take you a little longer to get access to some of the tools and resources you need. You may have to wait for equipment to be shipped out to you. Gaining access to internal databases may take a few days to set up remotely. It’s ok to sit back and go with the flow for a few days. Trust me, you will be hitting the ground running in no time. You may even miss some of that extra quiet time you had your first few days.
Don’t be afraid to reach out: Get to know the other people on your team. There’s no shame in Slacking your peers to set up a quick introductory call. It can make your job a lot easier when you know what the others on your team do as well. Plus, this is a great way to make use of some of that extra time you have during your first week.
Bonus points for going the extra mile and joining in on the Zoom happy hours or company book club. They might be a little awkward at first, but it’s definitely worth your while to break the ice.
Ask as many questions as you can: When you are home working by yourself, it can be easy to not know if you’re on track. This is especially true if you’re starting in a brand-new industry or have made a total career switch. I certainly found myself falling into a tailspin of worry because I had no way of knowing if what I was doing my first few weeks was right. Just know there’s no shame in asking what you might think is a dumb question and asking for feedback. The last thing you want is to be several weeks in and find out you’ve been doing something wrong because you were too afraid to ask in the first place. The sooner you get your questions answered, the faster you will be setting yourself up for success.
Check out our blog for some more tips on interviewing and resume building, or reach out to us at possibilities@solvingit.com to connect with one of our recruiters.
Photo by Vlada Karpovich
