As you may have heard in this podcast episode, I’m changing jobs this month!
It’s an exciting time, but it definitely has the potential to be overwhelming, too. I wanted to make sure that I stayed focused on my priorities, so developing some helpful reflective questions as I navigate this transition period was just what I needed.
Here’s what I came up with for the first days, weeks, and months of this new job:
What will help me feel comfortable going back to an office environment? In addition to the safety measures that I’ll want to take because of the pandemic, are there other things that I can bring with me to the office, such as my favorite tea, that will help me feel more comfortable there?
How am I defining success in the first weeks and months of this new role? There are going to be different definitions of success for my role from my boss, the campus stakeholders, and others. I want to make sure that I have a clear sense of my own definitions of what will help me feel successful.
What are my strengths and skills that I really want to lean into during this transition period? I think that I’ll feel more confident in this new role if I can intentionally leverage my strengths. Thinking through the strengths and skills that may be most applicable for this job will help me to know what I should be relying on first.
What am I most concerned or worried about in taking on this new role? Transitions can be challenging for a number of reasons, so thinking through each thing that is weighing on me will help me to create a plan to mitigate those concerns as best I can.
What will be challenging about this transition period? Since everyone handles transitions differently, I want to think about what will be the hardest parts for me. For example, I already know that having less solitude time during the day will be a struggle, so I need to plan for more fatigue.
What will help me stay organized as I collect and process a lot of new information? In my last new role, I implemented a note taking system in Notion to help me collect and process new information. Now that I’m using ClickUp, I’ll want to think about whether I need to design any new systems there as I start this new job.
What steps can I take with my home and personal life to support this career transition? I know that my house will not be completely unpacked by the time I start this new job, but what else will help me to feel supported in this transition? I’ll probably talk through some ideas with my partner about this.
How can I build in time for recovery, solitude, and rest during this transition time? I know that there will definitely be times where I will feel overwhelmed in taking on this new role, so finding the space for recovery time is going to be a must. I’ll be building this into my calendar as best I can, starting with taking evenings off from coaching appointments for a while.
What questions would you include on this list if you were starting a new role?