How to Succeed During Your Probationary Period
2 December 2008
Read by 1610 persons
You've just been hired, and now you need to succeed in a crucial step: taking up your position and, therefore, your probationary period. Proving yourself relies as much on your skills as on your personality and interpersonal qualities.
Rest assured, the company is delighted to have recruited you, and the recruiter is certain to have made the right choice. The recruitment communication and procedures have undoubtedly taken time and cost money. Your employer therefore mainly wants you to succeed in this probationary period!
Several phases are to be considered during a probationary period.
Before starting: the Understanding phase:
Succeeding in your probationary period begins even before taking up the position, that is to say between signing your contract and your first day of work... in this phase, which we will call the understanding phase.
In this preliminary step, you must gather and digest all the information on the company context, the organizational chart, files, clients, competitors... This information, which you will complete once you are really in the company, can come from all sources: press and brochures, web, network... Graduates from your school may work in this company, even in other departments, subsidiaries or countries, and will be an essential source of information... Your "ex"-peers are experts.
Presentation phase:
If the company hasn't taken the time to introduce you to the different members of your team, go around your department and introduce yourself. Do the same for colleagues in other departments with whom you will be working. In short, cultivate relationships: have lunch as often as possible with your colleagues and participate in activities that create social bonds, such as "after-work drinks".
Don't pay attention to gossip, don't be distant or overly friendly: adopt the right tone. Show your interest and enthusiasm for the company and the position: in short, without being naive, let them know you're happy to be there!
Observation phase:
Become familiar with the company culture, values, and customs: formal or informal language, dress code, breaks, hours... If in doubt, ask your colleagues about the internal rules rather than your supervisor.
You benefit for a few days from the right to ask any questions... even naive ones... take advantage of it and ask your manager all the questions, who may not always be as available later on. Also ask your colleagues. Don't imagine that this calls your autonomy into question, but it will help you avoid making mistakes.
Also know that you are undoubtedly expected, but perhaps not with open arms by everyone. Some colleagues may see you as a rival in the organization... Knowing this will help you adopt the right behavior and anticipate potential pitfalls...
Position taking phase:
From the start, you must have a clear vision of your supervisor's expectations: don't hesitate to redefine priorities. Focus on the essentials, prioritize the tasks assigned to you, show your autonomy without getting involved in all the subjects right away.
Get involved but don't try to impose yourself and revolutionize the organization. You can show initiative, but be careful not to appear to know everything better than experienced employees and risk appearing pretentious.
Remain humble, even if some company habits seem surprising to you.
However, a recent graduate is not expected to reproduce the past but also to be a factor of change: be energetic, curious and open! Compensate for your lack of experience with your enthusiasm...
In your time management, be flexible and adaptable, keep some time for the important relationships during this phase and for unforeseen events in the company. Respect deadlines in project management.
Also, align your hours with those of your colleagues; don't arrive at dawn to leave at night if your work doesn't require it: you would appear to be a poorly organized employee.
Be open to feedback, even negative: it should help you improve.
Don't stay locked in your office "producing": communicate, regularly have quick check-ins with your supervisor and a mid-term review if necessary.
Finally, the probationary period is frequently renewed; it's often more a company habit than a concern about your recruitment: don't take it badly but take advantage of it to redefine expectations with your supervisor.
Finally, succeeding in your probationary period also means being able to end it yourself if you feel that the company's values and practices do not suit you.
Manuelle Malot
Posted on May 10, 2009
lexpansion.com
Rest assured, the company is delighted to have recruited you, and the recruiter is certain to have made the right choice. The recruitment communication and procedures have undoubtedly taken time and cost money. Your employer therefore mainly wants you to succeed in this probationary period!
Several phases are to be considered during a probationary period.
Before starting: the Understanding phase:
Succeeding in your probationary period begins even before taking up the position, that is to say between signing your contract and your first day of work... in this phase, which we will call the understanding phase.
In this preliminary step, you must gather and digest all the information on the company context, the organizational chart, files, clients, competitors... This information, which you will complete once you are really in the company, can come from all sources: press and brochures, web, network... Graduates from your school may work in this company, even in other departments, subsidiaries or countries, and will be an essential source of information... Your "ex"-peers are experts.
Presentation phase:
If the company hasn't taken the time to introduce you to the different members of your team, go around your department and introduce yourself. Do the same for colleagues in other departments with whom you will be working. In short, cultivate relationships: have lunch as often as possible with your colleagues and participate in activities that create social bonds, such as "after-work drinks".
Don't pay attention to gossip, don't be distant or overly friendly: adopt the right tone. Show your interest and enthusiasm for the company and the position: in short, without being naive, let them know you're happy to be there!
Observation phase:
Become familiar with the company culture, values, and customs: formal or informal language, dress code, breaks, hours... If in doubt, ask your colleagues about the internal rules rather than your supervisor.
You benefit for a few days from the right to ask any questions... even naive ones... take advantage of it and ask your manager all the questions, who may not always be as available later on. Also ask your colleagues. Don't imagine that this calls your autonomy into question, but it will help you avoid making mistakes.
Also know that you are undoubtedly expected, but perhaps not with open arms by everyone. Some colleagues may see you as a rival in the organization... Knowing this will help you adopt the right behavior and anticipate potential pitfalls...
Position taking phase:
From the start, you must have a clear vision of your supervisor's expectations: don't hesitate to redefine priorities. Focus on the essentials, prioritize the tasks assigned to you, show your autonomy without getting involved in all the subjects right away.
Get involved but don't try to impose yourself and revolutionize the organization. You can show initiative, but be careful not to appear to know everything better than experienced employees and risk appearing pretentious.
Remain humble, even if some company habits seem surprising to you.
However, a recent graduate is not expected to reproduce the past but also to be a factor of change: be energetic, curious and open! Compensate for your lack of experience with your enthusiasm...
In your time management, be flexible and adaptable, keep some time for the important relationships during this phase and for unforeseen events in the company. Respect deadlines in project management.
Also, align your hours with those of your colleagues; don't arrive at dawn to leave at night if your work doesn't require it: you would appear to be a poorly organized employee.
Be open to feedback, even negative: it should help you improve.
Don't stay locked in your office "producing": communicate, regularly have quick check-ins with your supervisor and a mid-term review if necessary.
Finally, the probationary period is frequently renewed; it's often more a company habit than a concern about your recruitment: don't take it badly but take advantage of it to redefine expectations with your supervisor.
Finally, succeeding in your probationary period also means being able to end it yourself if you feel that the company's values and practices do not suit you.
Manuelle Malot
Posted on May 10, 2009
lexpansion.com
