Starting A New Job Remotely
First day nerves are normal for starting any new job, but when you’re starting a new job remotely, learning the ropes virtually and getting to know your team from behind a computer screen, it’s definitely different! But that’s the life we lead now and I’m ever so grateful to be able to start a new job given the current circumstances. Here’s what I did to hit the ground running as I began my new role as a Social Media Executive at Walker Communications.
Starting A New Job Remotely
Social Media Executive
Monday 1st March 2021
First day nerves are normal for starting any new job, but when you’re starting a new job remotely, learning the ropes virtually and getting to know your team from behind a computer screen, it’s definitely different! But that’s the life we lead now and I’m ever so grateful to be able to start a new job given the current circumstances. Here’s what I did to hit the ground running as I began my new role as a Social Media Executive at Walker Communications.
Created a good workspace for myself
My workspace is vital for my productivity, so when I learnt that I’d be working from home for the foreseeable, I knew that I needed to set up a really good workspace for myself to keep me motivated. The dining room table always worked for revising for my A-Level exams and finishing my degree at home during lockdown 1.0, but I knew this wouldn’t work as well for a 9-5.30 routine. I wanted a space that was completely my own, and an area that was purely for working.
I hopped online and got myself a new desk, desk chair, desk lamp and a laptop stand, all of which were very affordable if you go to the right place. A couple of days later I spent an afternoon assembling them, setting up my workspace and adding a few bits to make the space my own; a couple of house plants, photographs, and my planners and notebooks. I love my new work area and it keeps me motivated every day!
Set up video calls with my colleagues
I’m a real people person so it’s disappointing that I haven’t been able to meet with my colleagues in the office every day. It’s the casual chit chats as the kettle squeaks in the staff room that really builds a workplace relationship, so I knew I’d have to make more of an effort when working remotely. Lucky for me, my colleagues felt the exact same and made such an effort in getting to know me and welcoming me to the team.
From being offered and accepting the role to my start date 6 weeks later, management were great at keeping in contact with me and keeping me in the loop of what would happen next. This was a great relief and helped settle my first day nerves. On my very first day, my manager set up a meeting with my fellow account management team members to meet everyone properly and put faces to the names. I sent “nice to meet you, albeit virtually” and received “welcome to the team” emails and slack messages and towards the end of the week I had a more casual Zoom chat with others in the office to get to know them more personally. I settled in instantly and felt so welcomed, I’ve already built great relationships with my colleagues, which will get even better when we can go back to the workplace.
Identified my go-to people
When starting any job, remotely or not, I’d recommend identifying your go-to people or person on your team. This is someone who you’d be working closely with, most likely someone above you, who would act as somewhat of a mentor as you settle into your new role. When I identified these people, I started to build a virtual connection with them, meaning that I was comfortable and confident in reaching out any time I needed their assistance. They were a great help in making sure I was set up online, able to access all the files I needed to, kept busy with workload, coping with workload and always reassuring me that I was doing a great job and to never be afraid to ask any questions.
Created A Routine
I love routine, without one I feel really lost and demotivated! I knew my routine was majorly going to change once I started my new job, as previously I had been working in retail and therefore used to leaving the house most days, seeing my co-workers physically, working weekends and having flexibility in my hours each week. So, when my working routine was going to change, I created a new day-to-day routine to make sure I had a work-life balance, even when I’d be inside and working from my desk for most of the day.
I created a morning routine; getting up at a good hour, getting dressed (even If you don’t have any Zoom meetings that day, throw on a fresh jumper and comfy leggings, it makes you feel much more productive) writing a to-do list and having my favourite breakfast to start the day right. An evening routine of a little bit of exercise to get my body moving, getting my steps in where I can, reading to escape the screen for a while and catching up with my family, friends and my favourite TV shows. These routines and habits mean I’m still doing what I want to and what makes me feel good every day, even when I’m working at a desk for 8 out of the 16 hours of my day, excluding my lunch break and beloved 11am and 3pm coffee trip to the Kitchen. I also make sure my weekend routine differs from my weekday one, even though we can’t really do much. I love my new routine and it keeps me motivated, productive and most importantly, happy!
