Reflections on starting a new job during lockdown - Kirsty Asquith
On 20th March 2020, I was offered a telephone interview for Mars, on 23rd March the UK entered into lockdown #1, on 25th March I had my telephone interview and on 4th May I started remotely in my new role.
After one year, I have taken some time to reflect on what it’s been like to apply for, interview and start in a new organisation all from my kitchen table. I hope that sharing these thoughts will help anyone about to start a new position.
Starting a new job always has its challenges, starting a new job remotely, in the middle of a global pandemic seemed to present lots more difficulties but also a wealth of opportunities.
Five things I’ve learnt about starting in my role remotely
Technology
This was always going to be a challenging area, every organisation has their own unique ways with technology.
I would say that on the whole, when I’ve needed something there has been a route to get it, however this has often been a challenge.
As the saying goes ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’, and when I’m asked questions like ‘what does the icon need to look like?’ This is tough to answer when you have no idea what Atlas is, what it does or why on earth you would need it. Initially,
I was asked to use my own personal computer to work from home and whilst I appreciate that the beginning of the first lockdown was difficult for everyone, it felt even more challenging trying to use a machine that has only ever been used for Netflix.
The issue of using my own laptop was quickly rectified and working became a whole lot easier when I had access to the network.
Asking for help
In a normal office environment I’d be a little more curious, I’m usually the person that would desperately try and make eye contact over the desks or follow you to the kitchen to ask you about the thing I’d been stuck on for hours, this way of working has been completely removed and forced me to step out of my comfort zone, speak up and ask directly without some of the chitchat.
This has been one of the biggest challenges. I’ve found that I’ve saved up all my questions then tried to find 30mins with someone who might be able to help, by which point, the context has been lost, or I’ve neglected to tell someone the most crucial thing.
I’ve been worried about stealing time from people or worried that if I ping them a message on Teams I’ll be a nuisance and distract them from very important work. Going forward, I’m going to ping that question straight away and not hold back to avoid the feeling of being lost and alone in an issue.
If we’re not talking, I’m not learning
In previous jobs there would have be opportunities to learn without actively learning.
By this I mean, by just sitting in an office you get to hear conversations, acronyms and the preferred terminology used by the organisation.
I would have figured out who sat where and who was friends with who and how I could speak to a range of people to find out thing that I needed.
Throughout the whole onboarding process, it became apparent that when a meeting had finished, I’d sit back on my kitchen chair and that was it. End of.
There was no follow up chat or the ability to ask a quick question. I wasn’t learning through osmosis, I had to sit and really think about what I’d been told or trust that what I’d understood was the gospel truth. At times this has felt hugely isolating and I’m sure many people have felt the same.
Friendships can be formed and they can be great
For the most part starting this role during lockdown I feel I have had greater access to a wider range of people.
The relationships I’ve formed have been based on one to one conversations that have felt more pointed towards needing to get to know each other and quickly.
It also helps that the people I have come across have been honest, friendly and show a genuine interest in who I am and what I have to offer. I feel truly honoured to have met some great friends even in such a short time frame. I’ve met many dogs, cats and children and feel I have a well-rounded view of the people I work with.
Taking things a little slower
This may be a unique selling point for Mars, I’ve been surrounded by colleagues who also seem to understand that learning a new role remotely is going to be tougher than usual.
In Summary
I’ve been thinking about how to summarise the last 12 months, they have gone by so quickly.
I feel ever so fortunate to have joined such a nice team, the role so far has been enjoyable and even a little bit fun sometimes. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Mars but on the whole, most people I have come across have been welcoming, understanding, patient and willing to share with me their top tips for navigating through this large and complex organisation. I really feel the culture set by Mars is exactly the right fit for me and one day I long to explore the shop that you all talk about with such excitement.
As we plan for a future that might see us working remotely a little more I hope the reflections above help support any newcomers and I would like to say that, after you’ve read this my door (or Teams chatbox) is always open.
PS, anyone I’ve met remotely so far, I’ve got a little list of how tall I think they are. I can’t wait to one day meet everyone in person and figure out if I guessed correctly. Also, I’m short so pretty much everyone else is taller than me so that helps my guessing.
So remember…
If there is a new piece of software you haven’t used before, ask for someone to share their screen and train you on it.
Don’t be afraid to ask for support, you are not expected to know everything.
Ask to sit in on a virtual meeting to learn more about the business or another team.
Take moments to get to know people, why not arrange a daily 10-minute virtual coffee with someone different from the company every day.
Remember you are not the only one to go through this, take it slowly and be kind to yourself.
Good luck with your new role… you will be great
