How to Establish Credibility in a New Job
Adapted from:
Bucci KK, Hudson WP. How to establish credibility
in a new job. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1994;
51:1831-3.
Whether you are about to begin your first job, change
position, or take on major new responsibilities in
your current job, anticipating a new career opportunity
can be both exciting and anxiety provoking. If you
are starting a new job, the mere fact that you were
hired can be reassuring. Ultimately, though, your
success in a new position or role will be influenced
by the reputation you develop and the confidence
others have in your abilities---in other words, by
the credibility you establish. Here are some ways
of securing credibility you’ll need to enjoy
your new position and get things done.
Learn About the Organization
Devote time during the first few months of your
new position to learn about the organization. Become
familiar with the staff organization chart. Identify
your “customers” and determine their
needs and expectations for your position. Learn about
the community and how the institution and it interact.
Along with studying the organization as a whole,
learn as much as you can about the department or
practice setting where you’ll be working. Assess
how well it is meeting its stated goals. Analyze
strengths and weaknesses and become familiar with
policies, procedures, and resources. Through this
process, you will identify areas where there may
be need for improvement.
Note how others dress and interact and how they
organize their workspaces. Quickly absorbing the
organizational culture will minimize your time as
an outsider.
Establish Professional Relationships
It may take some effort for you to get to know your
coworkers and their backgrounds and interests, but
the future rewards can include professional collaborations,
support for you and your efforts, and a more pleasant
work environment. You should develop good working
relationships with everyone you work with, including
organizational leaders, technicians, secretaries,
and laboratory personnel.
Every organization has its cliques and factions;
you should be careful not to align yourself with
any particular group just to feel accepted. This
could restrict your exposure to the organization
and cut you off from opportunities.
Refrain From Making Major Changes Early
Keep your ideas for change to yourself for the first
few months. Although you may want to share “the
way we did it” at your former job or school,
there are probably good reasons why the new organization’s
approach is different. Your ideas will have more
weight if you take the time to learn if they have
been tried or if they will work. Suggestions made
prematurely may sound insulting or threatening or
may make you look unprepared or naïve. Openness
to differences between where you now work and where
you studied, trained, or worked before will enable
you to blend your experiences with the new approach.
For those assuming a position that enables them
to set new policies or a new direction for a group
of employees, the inclination is sometimes to move
forward quickly and make changes right away. This
can be a mistake for several reasons. First, as mentioned
above, you need time to learn how and why the organization
evolved to where it is today. Second, many people
are uncomfortable with change. Your joining the organization
may be by itself a change that workers will need
time to adjust to.
Time will enable you to establish a relationship
of trust with your coworkers, which you will need
if the proposed changes are difficult for them to
accept. Remember, not all decisions work out, and
your credibility can be weakened if you institute
seemingly haphazard changes early in your tenure.
Develop a Strategy for Success
The most important element of credibility is consistency---sustained
positive contributions, as opposed to infrequent
flashes of brilliance. Consistently successful results
require a broad vision, specific goals, and a spirit
of cooperation.
The vision you bring to your new job must be in
harmony with what your organization or department
is ready for or planning to do. You must not overreach;
your initial efforts should move you stepwise toward
your vision by capitalizing on current opportunities.
Therefore, you should set specific, manageable goals
for specific periods.
Your supervisor is a major resource who can key
you into the dynamics of the organization and external
factors that may affect your plans or area of responsibility.
Try to meet regularly and often with this person
to discuss how things are going. Share your goals
with your boss to determine whether they are realistic
and consistent with his or her expectations for the
position. Periodically review your progress against
your goals and make adjustments when needed. Self-assessment
of your strengths and weaknesses in the context of
your new position can help you address your deficiencies
and build on your skills.
Be cautious when accepting additional responsibilities
early on, since you can quickly overcommit and find
it difficult to achieve any of your goals. However,
requests for you to speak, teach, or write should
rarely be declined, even if these tasks are to be
done on your own time, because these are privileges
within most organizations.
A spirit of cooperation evolves through communication
and compromise with coworkers. After a few months
on the job, share your preliminary plans for any
changes with key parties and get their input. Reach
a consensus without compromising your basic goals.
Although you can’t please everyone, those who
will be affected by your proposals should at least
understand your rationale for change.
Capitalize on Your Learning Opportunities
There are bound to be differences in practice styles
and prescribing patterns among various settings.
Try to remember that dealing with these differences
is part of the learning experience and will broaden
your perspective. Be patient with yourself, and recognize
that credibility takes time to build. Although you
may believe it hurts your credibility to double-check
a dose or to look things up, knowing your limits
and honestly admitting them are truly strengths.
Follow up promptly, and always do your best. In time,
you will become familiar with the nuances of your
new practice setting.
Giving presentations on subjects you know well will
help you to gain confidence and establish your practice
strengths.
Don’t Compete with Your Predecessor
If your predecessor was well liked and respected,
you may feel challenged to maintain your individuality
and confidence. There may be unspoken pressure from
the organization for you to be your predecessor by
modeling his or her approach, strengths, and interests.
Resist this pressure, and give the organization time
to adjust to you rather than vice versa.
The irony is that your “soft” and modest
approach may seem to delay your achievement of credibility
at the very time when you most feel as though you
need to prove yourself. Be patient. If necessary,
you might openly discuss with your boss your intention
to hold off on any changes until the organization
is better prepared for those changes.
If your predecessor was not liked or respected, it
might be useful to learn why. Actively seeking this
knowledge could appear unprofessional, so your best
course is to consider objective information that
is freely offered.
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