Obtaining a new job is no easy fleet. Especially if it’s a position that’s out of your normal realm of expertise. 

It’s hard work. You perfect your application, cover letter, and resume. These items shine brighter than an engagement ring. You aced the interview, you rocked the thank you letters, and now the position is yours. 

What comes next? 

The required two weeks’ notice has passed and now you’re ready to blow their minds.  

Or so you thought. 

Let’s face it, starting a new job is never easy. You go from being an expert to a nobody in the blink of an eye. At least that’s been my experience.

Don’t get me wrong, the road of transition is seldom a steady one but trek we must. 

Like other newbies, I entered my new position with the intent of knocking their illusory socks off. 

So far, things haven’t turned out as well as I would have liked. Well, things are good but I’m running into obstacles. Obstacles that are leaving me a bit confounded. 

Obstacle 1. Replacing my predecessor 

There’s always office talk about the person you’re replacing. Good or bad, either people loved the person or the opposite. My experience has been twofold: my predecessor was loved and liked but they often dropped the ball. The office talk about my predecessor isn’t savory. It’s left some of the people I work with a little wary of me from fear I’ll do the same. This obstacle has led me with an insurmountable desire to prove myself.

Obstacle 2. Proving myself 

In my haste to prove myself, I’m tripping over my own two feet. I want to be so good that I’m making small mistakes. I find myself overanalyzing situations, looking for my errors. I also find myself paranoid I’m making constant mistakes. Add a dash of social anxiety and you’ve got a fine receipt for disaster.

I find myself in situations where I’m overthinking everything. Am I talking too loud? Too much? Do I need to apologize for this or for that? Is this my fault? I mean, who wouldn’t love me? I bring chocolate, I’m nice, I have good hygiene, and I’m a total team player. 

Obstacle 3. Learning the system

Let me be clear as I say I HATE being the new person at a job. In my old role, I was a subject matter expert. Coworkers called on me for help. I always had the answers to questions, even the really hard ones. Now, I’m the newbie. I’m the person that’s constantly asking questions and it blows. 

When you go from being a quarterback to a benchwarmer, you get humbled quick. 

I have to ask the simplest questions and truthfully, it’s humbling. Not knowing the questions to simple questions, is hard. 

Yet despite all the obstacles today, one of my superiors told me I was doing a great job. And she meant it. I could tell by the relief in her eyes. I’m a Pisces; we love pats on the back but hate having our hand held. It’s been two months and I can truthfully say, things are doing well. Especially when I remember to relax and breath. Transitioning into a new job is hard enough but we must have patience. Even with ourselves. We will make mistakes. The trick is to learn from each mistake and strive not to repeat it.

I’m learning the subtle art of patience. I can’t be perfect at something I’m just learning, but I can give it a hundred percent.

Wish me and all the other newbies luck.