With any new employment, there is often training involved, even if you just graduated from one of the finest traditional colleges or the best online universities. You may be given a title as an apprentice, the training may be referred to as new-hire training or the period of time may even be called a probationary period. The employer wants to make sure you are the right “fit” for the position, which will and usually does confirm the successful completion of the hiring process.

Correct Attitude
Although you may feel as though some, perhaps all, of the material being taught or reviewed (if you have been in this or a similar job before) is either unnecessary or a waste of time, keep those feelings to yourself. They may be true or partly true; however, if you value the opportunity afforded by the position, do not verbalize these feelings. Rather look for opportunities to excel at the training you feel is unnecessary. In many cases, it will be abundantly evident to the trainer, or maybe even your boss, that not much of that training is necessary.

For example, you are being hired as an assistant manager of a restaurant. Part of your training is learning to run a cash register, make change and both greet and thank customers for their patronage. You feel very comfortable with such work, because you worked in a fast-food franchise while in college. The trainer observes that you are very comfortable and polite in your communications with customers. Therefore, he spends little time on that training. Soon you find yourself being introduced to the head cook; and the process of receiving and preparing orders is explained in some detail.

Appropriate Work Ethic
However, even if there are facets of the new job which are familiar, expect many others to be hard, especially at first. Expect a learning curve, maybe even a steep learning curve. One of the major reasons you went to college was to learn how to learn. Now you are being tested. With very few exceptions, college will not teach you everything you need to know to do you first job. You can be very sure that your new employer will be watching you closely as you go through new hire training. How quickly do you learn? How well do you follow instructions? Can you work unsupervised? How do you handle frustration? Do you ask for help when necessary, or do you struggle an inordinately long time before asking for help? Do you give up on tasks easily? (Obviously, there may be a fine line between asking for help and figuring out how to do a task by yourself.) These are some of the types of questions your trainer, and employer, must answer.

Expect to work, and work hard, during your first few weeks or even months. Your ability to solve problems, show initiative, exhibit good judgment and stay with a job until completion will all be evaluated carefully. To the extend possible, put yourself in your trainer’s position or your boss’s position. Answer the question, “Am I doing my very best? Am I adding quality and/or value to the company, its product or its service?”

Finishing the Training or Training Period
Upon completion of the training, be sure you have a sense about how well you did. If you are not told, ask. Most employers will provide new employees with an evaluation instrument. This may record how long you spent in training or in specific portions of the training, individual scores on successful completion of certain tasks, etc. Such an instrument may compare your scores with the average scores of past employees. Based on these scores and the comments of your trainer, or trainers, you will be advised when the new-hire training, apprentice or probationary period has ended.

Do not feel as though you now know everything there is to know about the job. In almost every employment, you won’t; and you will be watched carefully. Maintain a good attitude, continue to exhibit an excellent work ethic and always be willing to learn by listening to others and observing others. Then, regardless of the type of employment, you will excel to the best of your ability.

Good luck on your new job, and thank you for reading!

Starting any new employment is challenging. You must decide on the best way to get to work, and which mode of transportation is best. The work environment is new. You are adjusting to new people and new surroundings. And you are dealing with the many uncertainties of achieving stable employment and a steady income. This week we will address something to make any new employment easier and more enjoyable – assuring that you have sufficient resources to do the work.

“Ask and You Shall Receive”
The Lord said this in John 16:24. There is a parallel; but in the new work environment you may only be in this unique position for a few days or weeks. Your boss, and even his superiors, understand there is an adjustment period. Often, its actually very easy for them to think back and put themselves in your position. But you have to ask. So think carefully, what have you been asked to do? Reasonably and practically, what resources do you need to do the work, with high quality and efficiency? Ask now, after a few days or weeks you may not have the favor you do now; in fact later, your boss may even ask, “Why didn’t you tell me you needed… sooner, when you first started?”

Physical Resources
For example, maybe you need a better chair at your desk; the present one just is not comfortable. You are used to a split computer keyboard (one with “QWERT” on one side and “YUIOP” on the other). You also could use a couple portable USB flash drives for bringing important electronic documents to meetings. There is only one chair in your office for clients and other visitors; you really should have two or three. And a whiteboard would be very helpful as you explain a new theory or process to clients.

Obviously, the list of possible examples could be long. But ask early, not after weeks of struggling without such resources. Additionally, show some discretion. Do not make a physical list, except for your reference. Unless your boss asks to give him or her a list, usually the items should be communicated verbally, just a few at a time. Do not be demanding; rather, say something like, “You know, I really could use a whiteboard and some markers in my office.” If the items have been given some thought, usually you will not even have to explain why you need them.

Human Resources
Do you need an administrative assistant or secretary? Is one even mentioned in your “work description”? If the answer to one or both of these is “yes,” inquire politely but immediately, “When will I be assigned my administrative assistant?” Give your boss some time. He or she, and the company, may be in a period of adjustment also. This may be especially true if you are filling a new position. Look over and study the organizational chart. Who do you report to? Who do they report to? Who is under your area of responsibility? You need to know these answers immediately and definitively.

Also, if you report to more than one person, you are being put in a very difficult position. At the appropriate time and place, try to get this changed. Everyone should have only one superior; otherwise, you will always be deciding which one’s work should be given priority – a very untenable and awkward situation.

The Work Description / Position Description
Do you have a work description? If not, and you are working for an established company, especially a large established company, ask; there probably is one somewhere. Or, do not hesitate to ask if you can create one. Your boss, and his or her superior, will most likely welcome your help and appreciate your initiative in asking. However, be sure you already have some expertise in this area and have significant confidence in the work you will be performing. Unless you have had an extensive period of internship or “on-the-job-training,” this may not be the case, especially if this is your first employment out of college.

Thank you for reading!

Fitting in to a new environment is always challenging. But one of the most important keys is humility. You may come with significant background in the discipline of your new job, or you feel very confident about your knowledge of the subject, especially if you did very well academically and have much confidence in your knowledge of the discipline. However, don’t talk and act as if you know more than others. Most likely, you do know quite a bit. But, head knowledge of the basics, or even a high level of understanding of the theories or processes, does not mean you know how to apply them in the practical world.

Have A Flexible Personality With Individuals
This is often very difficult for those with strong personalities, who may have the attitude, “Well, this is the way I am and if someone doesn’t like it, that’s too bad.” Depending on the colleague, this attitude will almost always get you off on the “wrong foot” with them. Until you get to know them better and understand how the company, division or department works, show some humility. Don’t come up with your “better ideas” just yet. You may indeed have a better way of doing something, but show some discretion in how you suggest it and when you suggest it.

As I began my teaching career, here is a simple example from my first flight instructing work. My new employer, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), had a different prelanding checklist than I used in my training to be come a flight instructor, which I had just finished. But I did not object to it or tell them that I had a better idea or tell them, “You ought to do it this way. …” Much later I learned that ERAU had created many procedures for introducing and teaching procedures and maneuvers. While these were not the only way to accomplish them safely and efficiently, the were very good. And more importantly, they were an excellent way to teach new flight students, who later could be (and were) given the opportunity to vary from the “Riddle way.” Students later were given this liberty; as long as it was safe and complied with the Federal Aviation Administration’s guidelines, as spelled out in the appropriate Practical Test Standards, it was acceptable.

Appropriate Attitude With Your Boss
Obviously, you want to have a good relationship with your boss. Therefore, the above also applies here. However, with him or her you do not want to even insinuate the wrong attitude. Your boss will quickly extrapolate that insinuation into the future and expect possible problems. “Yes sir…” and “No sir…” should be your reply to every request, especially during the first few days or weeks of your new employment. If you really do not agree with what he is saying or asking you to do, then take it up with a colleague; but even then, do not act as though you are superior. Again, show some discretion with your suggestions. Strive to understand why your new employer does things differently; there probably are a very good, practical and common sense reasons.

Appropriate Attitude At Meetings
Do more listening than talking, unless you happen to be put in the unenviable position of leader or chair of the meeting; then, be very careful to listen to others and give them ample opportunity to speak. They will understand that you are new and need to be given time to get acclimated to the new work environment. However, if you are not the leader, mostly listen, introduce yourself when asked to do so and leave any and all suggestions for doing things differently to one-on-one conversations with individual colleagues or, after some thought, with your boss. At least for the first few days or weeks (maybe longer), do not bring them up at meetings where you will most likely be seen as a “know it all” or someone with a very inflexible attitude.

Thank you for reading! Your comments and questions are most welcome.

There has been much research in the past five to ten years on sleep, sleep cycles and fatigue. And much of the research, many articles and several books (in the fields of aviation, trucking and many others) are very consistent with each other. A rest period of 15 to 20 minutes about every 4 hours is extremely beneficial for reducing fatigue. I found this particularly effective to eliminate the lack of energy in late morning and again mid to late afternoon. The following description is how I used these findings over the past eight to ten years, with excellent results.

What To Do
Upon rising in the morning I note the time and add four hours. If I get up at 5 AM, then I remember that about 9 AM I will be taking my first 20 minutes break. This 20 minutes is not sleep, and not necessarily even laying down. Rather, I attempt to find a quiet place (my office, with the door closed, usually worked very well for me) where I could simply close my eyes and rest.

The first things that always came to mind were the many work items I should be doing. For me as a college professor, these might include calling a student, correcting papers, reading emails, calling my boss, etc.; the list was often endless! However, during these first few moments of the 20 minute break, I would put these items in priority. Therefore, at the end of about the first five minutes, I would have prioritized my work for at least the next several hours. When my nap was finished, I immediately set to work on priority number one, then two, then three, etc. And I often worked very efficiently! Next, my mind would remember things that I had forgotten to do, but should have done by that time, or things I had just simply forgotten. Sometimes these were extremely important; and without that rest period to bring them to mind, I might have gotten into big trouble! For example, I might remember about submitting a report to my boss, calling my wife, contacting an important client, getting ready for a student coming in for academic advising and many others. It was almost supernatural! At about the ten to twelve minute point in my nap, I usually would have remembered these and set them in the priority list, often making them priority number one; however, sometimes I would actually interrupt the nap to take care of something extremely important, which simply had to be done ASAP!

Next I would simply let my mind go wherever it wanted to go, with some restrictions. As a Christian it was easy to identify immoral or inappropriate areas, but just as easy to identify “things above” (Colossians 3:2). So I would think about the Lord, my family, my many blessings, pleasant environments and memories, etc. And by the time 20 minutes, or at least 15, had gone by, I was ready and eager to work!

Some Cautions
Addicting. The practice of taking this 20 minute break every day can be somewhat addicting. If you practice this for weeks or months at a time and then miss a 20 minute break, prepare to struggle with fatigue at a level that is bearable, but still more difficult than normal.

Bedtime. Do not take a 20 minute nap within four hours of bedtime. It will negatively affect your ability to go to sleep as you normally would. For me, I often would lay awake for 30 minutes to an hour before sleeping.

Driving or Operating Machinery. Some jobs will simply not allow a nap every four hours. During my work in the air as a flight instructor, this became particularly challenging. I just took the 20 minute period when an opportunity came, obviously not in the airplane. Later when I had more office time, it became much easier.

Give It A Try!
I have even recommended this to students, especially as part of my classes teaching teamwork and the human factors of becoming a flight instructor. As appropriate for your work and work schedule, try it! Remember, do not fall asleep, just rest in a quiet place with your eyes closed. When and as appropriate, you might even mention this practice to your boss. Then, if he ever walks into your office and catches you with your eyes closed, you will have an excuse, and an excellent one at that!

Thank you for reading! All comments and questions are most welcome.