Moving into a new job is always exciting, but it’s a prospect that can be equally daunting, especially if your role has been newly created. But a new role may also mean that there isn’t a clearly defined benchmark and trajectory to follow, which in turn means that it’s up to you to create your own career path. If you find yourself in that position, we’ve put together a list of tips that will help you get started in paving your own way.
Setting the right expectations
Originating an untested role with no previous benchmarks sounds great, right? It couldn’t be further from the truth. New roles are usually created with the expectation of advancing a particular area of the business, so your boss surely will have a set of lofty goals and aggressive KPIs in mind – and it will be up to you to figure out how to reach and execute them.
On day one, you should make it a priority to have a meeting with your new boss and ask directly about how your role can best support the business. Listen carefully to the expectations to ensure that you’ll measure up to your superior’s vision for the role. While you should make the position your own, if you’re not working towards the same goals as your manager, then you won’t keep the role for very long.
Show value early on
Once you are clear on the expectations from management, you can then determine how the company can best benefit from your specific set of skills and experience. Map out your goals for the first year and create a detailed action plan for how you will achieve them. Once you have outlined your approach, you should concentrate your first efforts on lower-hanging fruit. Though your set goals might be long-term, you should strive for showing value early on in order to demonstrate your effectiveness. Showing an early success will manifest your manager’s confidence in you and will help later on should you need more researches to accomplish your goals.
Get with the team
Just because it’s a newly created role, does not mean you get to work by yourself. It’s quite the opposite, as you should make an extra effort to carve out a place for your role in the wider team. After all, getting along with your colleagues is important, no matter your position…
Remember, though, that working relationships always go two ways. While it’s normal to leverage the resources and skills of other colleagues, you shouldn’t be a burden to them. Collaboration and teamwork are key.
Make your mark
After showing an early return on the company’s investment in you, it’s time to solidify your position in the company. As most businesses will support employees that are proactive in pushing the organisation forward, you need to think beyond your own scope. For instance, if you hold the first marketing role in your company and were able to generate significant results, you might want to consider expanding your team to achieve even more than you set out to accomplish. Return to the drawing board and carefully plan what other positions you want to create and how they will prove valuable to the company. To bring a stronger argument, try tying the position you want to establish to an area of the business that has been underperforming or is in need of a performance boost. It’s also a great way to get promoted if you work in a smaller company.
