
Ask HN: Tips/advice for starting a new job? - new-employee
I&#x27;m a data scientist &#x2F; statistician starting a new job in two weeks at a large company. I would appreciate tips and advice (things you wish you knew or did when making a fresh start).
======
this2shallPass
Take lots of notes on things you notice. Build relationships with people.
Figure out what they do and what they care about. That way you'll know who to
go to when you have questions, issues, need favors. Have short intro meetings
with lots of people, ideally informal. Lots of coffee. Ask them what
challenges they're facing, and what you and your team can do to help them.
Consider doing some of those things, especially those things that your manager
/ team / team lead / etc wants you to do. Ask your manager and co-workers who
you should start building relationships with.

------
seanrrwilkins
1\. Manage Up: no matter your level, there's someone you're going to report to
or be accountable to. Get to know them, their function and focus areas,
expectations, how they operation and how they judge value and success.

2\. Network: regardless of the size of your organization, make a list of
people you want to meet across different groups/departments. Make it a point
to schedule 1:1 time to get to know them. Much like the guidance in Pt 1
above, get to know what they do, how they operate, what they value and how
they judge value and success. Ask them about where they need help and if they
see opportunities for you to help in your new role. And always ask them for
referrals to other people you should meet next.

3\. Regular Review Intervals: do this first for yourself, and try to establish
a more regular progress and planning session with your boss. Quarterly is good
to keep this somewhat informal as it will be outside regular performance
review cycles, but regular enough to ensure timeliness and value. It's also
important for your own sanity to keep a realistic view on how things are going
and whether they map to your personal needs and plan. We all get bogged down
in the day to day BS, so this forces a time to reflect and put things in
perspective.

4\. Plan A Vacation: whether you have something booked or not, block a
vacation for sometime in the next 6-9 months. It's easy to get approvals when
you're starting out, if you need that, and it gives you a purpose to find
something meaningful to fill that block of time so you have something to look
forward to.

~~~
JSeymourATL
> 1\. Manage Up:

I might add -- learn to anticipate your Boss/Big Boss's needs. Typically,
timely updates. And _solutions_ to problems.

------
CameronBarre
Get amped up about the business domain.

Learn by watching and being inquisitive, but do not judge publicly.

Don't advocate for what you perceive could be better about anything the
company, team, or even individual does until you understand how the current
situation evolved.

You want to be seen as someone who notices real problems the business faces,
rather than trivial concerns which some new hires tend to point out in a
wholesome attempt to display their knowledge to the new team on day one.

Let your previously acquired experience come to be known over time through
action.

They are hiring you to participate in the production process and they are
expecting a burn-in period. You should identify how you can shorten that
period to a minimum to begin delivering value quicker than expected for the
average new hire.

Be genuine.

Good luck!

------
fuzzygroup
Google your Boss. One of the smartest people I know just started a new job and
when I asked them what they knew about their boss's hobbies and interests,
they hadn't googled them yet.

After my suggestion, they discovered their boss had may of the same interests
and hobbies. Knowing what people care about helps with bonding and small talk.
And while these things may appear trivial at times to us tech folk, small talk
is the social lubrication that really helps build relationships.

~~~
psv1
> when I asked them what they knew about their boss's hobbies and interests,
> they hadn't googled them yet.

It feels a bit too creepy to show knowledge about the interests of people you
don't know just because you googled them. Your point about building
relationships is valid, I just don't think that this is the way to do it.

------
borplk
Be humble and don't get too excited about fixing and improving things on
day/week/month 1. Just listen and observe and be patient for the first 3-6
months. There are often more to things than meets the eye and it will take
time for you to get your head around it.

~~~
brooklynwin
Couldn't agree with this more. In the last company where I worked, there was
(unfortunately) a very high turnover rate. As someone who sat in the office
and saw these new people come and go, you could definitely tell the ones
getting too excited/charged to fix things on day 1 burned out much sooner
because they couldn't really grasp the whole picture.

------
rajacombinator
Take a vacation before starting and enjoy your brief moment of freedom!

------
codeful
read some psychological articles about interpersonal interactions. Group
processes. Do not break existing unwritten rules. There is always a some sort
of climate in a team/workplace. Observe how other people interact formally and
informally. Be more like them and after you are accepted as group member - you
then can pursue your own goals. Get to know other people before you roll out
your ambitions.

