UX IRL: Ep. 37: Starting a new job

Hello! Here are our show notes for episode 37 of UX IRL: Starting a new job. We hit the highlights in this article, but get the full context by listening to the episode:

We’re covering approaches to starting a new job (fast and slow) and we also learn more about Mary Fran’s new job! What has starting a new job been like for you? Talk to us on the zeroheight Slack community! (bit.ly/zheroes-signup), comment below or reply on Twitter @uxinreallife or Instagram @ux.inreallife.

Mary Fran’s new job!

A few episodes ago, Mary Fran mentioned she had started a new job! She’s working remotely as a Sr. Product Designer at Reciprocity. It’s a company that helps people manage your security processes, from vendors to software to practices. They help customers comprehend potential vulnerabilities and risks in an easy-to-understand manner.

While she enjoyed trying out consulting, she likes being in-house again, especially at a mid-size company. What she’s most excited about is that she’s getting to work with one of her mentors, Wren!

Why are we talking about this?

It’s a great follow-up from our previous episode, Tough Interview Questions (Ep. 36)!

Starting a new job can mean many things, like entering a new product space, working with different tools and processes, working with a new team, and building new working relationships. There’s also a transition period we all go through that can be challenging to navigate.

Michelle’s also been guilty of this, too. As a manager, she’s seen new hires put a lot of pressure on themselves to succeed, which can be overwhelming. It’s essential to understand what to prioritize and what not to.

We hope talking about this today will help people navigate this transition easier.

UX IRL Takeaway: There’s a lot to think of when starting a new job — onboarding, admin stuff, new people, etc., but don’t forget to think about how you’ll approach ramping up on the world and product and contributing to the team!

What’s your approach to starting a new job?

As we like to say, “it depends!” We think it’s an excellent opportunity to discuss with your manager what starting the new job should look like in your first and second week, your first month, etc. Understanding how much ramp-up time you have can help direct your focus. If there isn’t a clear plan, you can ask your manager what the expectations are.

Typically when you leave a job, you’re in a position where you’re a subject-matter expert, familiar with how things are done and are taking on quite a lot of responsibility. When you start a new job, you don’t know all the ins and outs, and you’re not as busy, so it can feel like you’re just sitting around. This can be a tough transition. We recommend asking your manager the expected pace for onboarding and learning the product. If they don’t have a 30–60–90 day plan, you can ask and work with your manager on creating that plan.

Companies will often give you a buddy to help with onboarding. You can ask them questions that you might feel uncomfortable asking your manager. They’re an excellent resource for learning about the company culture. If you can, ask them how long it takes to learn the product. When Michelle started at Citrix, a designer told her it would take her a year to understand the product. She was shocked, but it actually took a year to know the product well.

Mary Fran also encourages people to take this time to get to know teammates and the product space.

UX IRL Takeaway: Don’t assume how long it’ll take to learn a product.

Scenario 1: A lot of runway to onboard

There are two scenarios you can run into when starting a new job. The first is when you have a lot of runway to onboard or feel like you have a lot of idle time. The other is when you must hit the ground running and learn as much as possible. We’ll talk about that later, but here are some things to remember when you have a comfortable pace to onboard.

We’ve been in this situation a few times. It was initially uncomfortable, especially when you’re unsure what to do. We recommend trying to do some of the following things to make the time feel productive.

Do a listening tour. This idea comes from Leah Buley’s book The User Experience Team of One. She recommends meeting 1–1 with teammates. In these conversations, you can get to know them individually and learn about what they work on.

When there isn’t a checklist, Mary Fran will create a plan that includes who she should meet, what she should read up on, etc. Having that guide will give you some direction.

Contribute to your team. You might feel like you don’t know enough about the product space to contribute, but there are still ways you can add value to your team. While Mary Fran was waiting for a project, she read up on things and shared links and resources with the team. Being proactive in this aspect is something your teammates will appreciate and remember.

Don’t be hard on yourself. We often put a lot of pressure on ourselves in this scenario because we are so used to being busy and know we’re not working at the capacity we can. We beat ourselves up for it even if we shouldn’t. If you’re feeling like this, try bringing it up with your manager and get their perspective on how you’re doing. It will probably be much different from what you’ve been thinking!

Observe and ask questions. Michelle uses these slower opportunities to observe how the team works and asks questions to learn things. If you still feel the urge to contribute, you can provide subject matter expertise. She usually prefaces it with, “I’m not familiar with the product, but as a UX best practice have you considered….” Sometimes they might say they have and explain why that didn’t work. This also helps you learn more about the product as you build your library of knowledge.

Understand the tools and processes. Take this time to understand the team’s tools, their meeting cadence, etc.

Shadow your teammates. If you have a buddy, you can shadow them with their work or meetings they participate in. It allows you to learn more without the pressure of hitting the ground running. When Michelle started at Citrix, she sat in on usability testing sessions and helped take notes. It was a helpful way for her to learn the product, feel engaged, and contribute feedback as a new person.

Find ways you can participate in the company. Michelle joined a few committees at work as a way to meet new people outside of her team. Similarly, Mary Fran involved herself in coordinating team activities.

UX IRL Takeaway: Embrace the calm and enjoy this slower pace — it won’t last forever!

Scenario 2: Hitting the ground running

The other scenario is that your team could have used you much earlier — before you even accepted the offer. So there’s a lot to do and learn at the same time. We talk about some ways to manage this situation.

Prioritize who you have 1–1s with. We still think 1–1s provide value, but rather than meet with everyone, meet with the people you’ll be working with closely. And when things calm down, you can set up 1–1s with other people later. People who you want to meet with include your immediate team, any stakeholders, and cross-functional teammates.

Understand the constraints. If the expectation is to jump in, get a good sense of what you’re working with. Ask about timelines and dependencies or other potential risks. Sometimes teams might not have this information. In this scenario, try being proactive and roughing out some ideas to understand how your work can fit into the bigger picture. At times, people can be better at reacting to something they see rather than formulating things from the start.

Work with your manager on understanding your focus area and priorities. Things might seem overwhelming because you’re still new to everything, but your manager can help identify what you should direct your attention toward.

Build in space for gut checks. As you learn the product, build some time for quick reviews with peers for context. So while you’re a subject matter expert who can do the design work, you can get feedback on how suitable your solutions are for the product. Continue to do so until you feel comfortable working independently.

Search in Slack. We encourage you to reach out to people whenever you have questions, but the other great thing about Slack is searching for answers. One of Michelle’s coworkers mentioned this as a great way to learn about something.

UX IRL Takeaway: Hitting the ground running comes with its own pressures. By prioritizing efforts, it can be much more manageable.

Scenario 3: Not feeling confident about being a subject matter expert

This feeling is often called the “imposter syndrome.” Here, you do know what you’re talking about, but you don’t feel like you do. When navigating a new job, this can feel very uncomfortable.

In this scenario, some of it takes time to build up confidence. It might help to reflect on the areas you feel weak in or that you feel unconfident in. Breaking it into smaller steps can help you focus on a few areas to work on rather than feeling like you’re not capable of anything. If you’re more junior, see if you can pair up with someone to get practice with the things you’re not confident in.

Earlier in Mary Fran’s career, she created a structure or a plan of the steps in a project to help keep her focused and on track. Having this list gave her a starting point to help her move forward.

Keep in mind if you’re a more junior person, your hiring manager hired you knowing that. And if you’re a more senior person, your hiring manager knows there’s a grace period for you to understand things with the product.

Michelle recommends asking, “How are things done here?” Each team is different, so getting to know the processes and shadowing people in their work can give you a better sense of what they expect from you.

Scenario 4: Feeling overconfident as a subject matter expert

Sometimes, people can overcompensate for their lack of product knowledge by coming across as really strong with their subject matter expertise. Michelle’s worked at places where new hires come in like a wrecking ball. So not only are they offering solutions, they’re insisting on them. The enthusiasm is great, but it can also backfire. Michelle recalls she and her teammates were wondering who this person was and why they were coming in so strong. While everyone gave them the benefit of the doubt, it was still jarring. It eventually worked out in the end, but it was very off-putting.

There’s a balance you need to strike. You want to be proactive but not authoritative. Be humble and approachable as you navigate your new job; it’ll go a long way.

Parting advice

Mary Fran’s parting advice includes:

• Be gentle and patient with yourself.
• Gut check with your manager if you have concerns about your progress. It’s probably not an unexpected conversation for your manager to have.
• Embrace that you’re still learning.
• Your teammates will appreciate you being proactive.

Michelle’s parting advice includes the following:

• Pace yourself even if you feel the urge to do more.
• Hiring managers know there’s some level of onboarding with the team and the company, so there’s no need to pressure yourself.
• Physically look at a calendar. This can help you understand how much time has passed.
• Take the time to get to know your coworkers. You don’t have to be best friends, but it helps to learn more about them, what they’re into, etc. It helps build good working relationships, especially if the team has to all collaborate on a tough product or short deadline. It makes working together much more effortless.

We’d love to hear from you!

How have you started a new job? What pro tips do you have to share? Let us know by commenting below!