Common Mistakes of Newcomers

Every person had faced the situation when he/she came to a new company to work, and the first several months did not do smoothly. What did I make wrong? — you may ask. Let us check the common mistakes newcomers often do in a new company and how to avoid them.

Newcomer’s Mistakes

Every newcomer has very little information about the internal structure, processes, and used applications. So, the first mistake is the fear of asking for help if something is not clear. It is an expected situation, and there should be a person who can answer these questions and explain the situation. The most suitable person for this role is a mentor.

Another related issue is the lack of communication and acceptance by a team. The newcomer is not aware of internal team culture and communication best practices, so the employer has to expect mistakes here too. Proper introduction of the newcomer and all team members can either solve this issue entirely or make this process much smoother.

The final common issue is the misunderstanding of expectations. Both employee and employer have some expectations of the actions and responsibilities of each other, and both sides do not always make them clear. The earlier these expectations and clarified and discussed, the faster newcomer may start working as expected.

Employer’s Mistakes

The employer's behavior may cause some mistakes of the newcomer and slow down the adaptation process inside the company. Let us check these issues too.

One of the common mistakes is the lack of initial information. Yes, the employee may know the company name and what the company is doing. Still, he/she may not be aware of the overall vision, company structure, team separation, market position, and many other things that may help the employee to identify himself/herself inside a company. The mentor or HR department should give all this information and answer the initial questions. It is a good idea to prepare a document with all this information and FAQ.

Another issue is the inability to use the employee's skills. Every newcomer has a list of responsibilities and activities he/she has to perform. However, this person can do much more than that, and so he/she may become more valuable for a company. Simple talks regularly starting from the first month may help the employer to use the skills fully and feel better in general.

The final common issue is the same — misunderstanding of expectations. The employer has even more responsibility here as he has to initiate this process and continuously adjust it. Mentor pr somebody from the HR department is the best person to do that.

These are the most common issues that every newcomer may face in a new company. Identify them quickly, discuss and solve them as soon as possible — then you are going to have a great team and a great company as a result!