Off to a good start

So there you are, ready for that new CxD job, ready to start that exciting contracting gig, or finally securing that coveted CxD position in your company’s conversational team. Congratulations!

To make sure I get up to speed as soon as possible when I start working with a new client, I use an onboarding checklist: a list of check items, reminders and questions that help me getting settled in in no time.

Extra attention: remote onboarding

Starting on a new assignment or with a new job can already be challenging when you’re onsite. But working remote can be even harder: no people around you that you can ask, no office to explore, no coffee machine or lunch break for those impromptu introductions. That’s why I included extra items for remote onboarding.

Hello?

One of the biggest challenges in your first days of remote onboarding is how to meet people. Period. When all you have is digital access to, say Microsoft Teams or Slack, you’re basically in a black box. And even if you have been onboarded work-wise, and know what to do, you need a few names of people that you can socialise with. That is, talk to, without having to be very work-specific, or without having a particular question that needs answering.

Tip: schedule your own onboarding tour

What works really well for me, is to plan an onboarding tour. I schedule a 10 minute introduction with one person, explain them that I’m new to the organisation, and at the end ask that person for two other people that they think I should talk to. I repeat this for each person, so within a week, I have a large network of potential people I can talk to. And what’s cool, is that they’ll probably mention this to each other too, so they’ll know that you’re coming.

Tip: 5 minute online tea break

Another possibility that your colleagues might thank you for later: a 5 minute joint tea break. It might feel like ‘not-working’, but this kind of informal fun contact is crucial for building rapport with your colleagues, to get a sense of the company culture and the team’s values.

Online: over-communicate

This one is for the employers and the contractors: realise that your new remote colleagues literally enter a black box. In terms of UX, they don’t have a lot of affordances to work with you yet. And even though you might think you’ve communicated effectively, I’d invite you to communicate again. Do that extra check-in with your new colleague a bit more often than you think necessary.

Want to add more items? Let me know!

This checklist is the product of my own experiences after 20+ years of starting new jobs and more than 4 years of contracting work. Nevertheless, it’s bound to lack items that I haven’t encountered or experienced. If you have more items that you’d like to see on the checklist, just let me know!