It’s a fact of the modern job market—almost no one stays anywhere forever. With more job-hopping than ever comes more fresh starts for workers, and while it can be invigorating to start anew, all these new beginnings require concentration and planning. To make this new chapter of your life a successful one, consider these three tips for what to do when starting a new job.
Take Onboarding Seriously
After portfolio submissions, rigorous interviews, and sample work, you can feel as if you’re ready to get to work on day one. This is an admirable sentiment, but you shouldn’t ignore the importance of orientation, shadowing, and the procedural paperwork that goes into onboarding a new hire. Use this time as the company intends—familiarize yourself with IT services, benefits enrollment, communication systems, human resources, and everything else that goes into work besides the work itself.
Roll Over Your Old 401(k)
Before you start thinking too much about a promising new present and future, make sure you tie up all the loose ends with your past employer. If your prior job offered a 401(k) plan, wind down that investment after you’ve left. But don’t cash out or you’ll face stiff penalties and taxes. Instead, transfer those funds into a plan of your own. A self-directed IRA is a creative and independent way to defer taxes while building your retirement fund. In addition to investing in traditional avenues such as stocks, bonds, and the money market, a self-directed IRA allows for creative investments such as precious metals, cryptocurrencies, and hard-money lending.
Don’t Do Too Much, Too Soon
Putting pressure on yourself to excel in every respect is easy when starting a new job. In fact, a little bit of self-imposed stress can be healthy. But if you overwhelm yourself with high expectations out of the gate, you invite the potential to fall flat on your face. Airplanes don’t take off straight into the sky, nor do new employees. Concentrate first on being an effective listener and a fast study, and pace the wisdom about lasting first impressions. Don’t feel it’s incumbent upon you to immediately dazzle every person you meet. There’s time enough for that.
