New To Town: Tips To Starting In A New Environment

This is my first blog and if I am being honest, I’ve kind of dreaded doing it. A little insight into my backstory. I never considered the wonderful career of recruitment until about 5 months ago. I graduated with a Bachelor of Law and intended to work in a law firm and eventually practice. I recently travelled back to my hometown, Townsville, for my graduation ceremony where I partook in the usual events one does when returning home. Visiting my local pub, meeting friends, enemies, and everyone in between. Most people were interested to know how I was coping in the big city, and I thought I would share with everyone my tips on how to survive in a new city.

Learn to “Swim”

When I was at the pub I locked into a conversation with a friend who had also moved to a new city. He made the analogy about new employees coming in and drowning in the paperwork, training, and new responsibilities. These people often wash out within a couple of months. The ones who “swim” take on challenges and relish their new tasks. It’s important to remember that to be successful you not only have to put in the work but you are required to do things that could be uncomfortable and put you out of your comfort zone. Dive in and do it because it will make you a better swimmer.

Have Trust in Yourself and others

The people that hire you are aware that you have had to relocate. They know the risks involved. They hire you obviously seeing you as a long-term investment in the company. At times it might seem like you are in over your head, but this is a normal reaction; the important thing is that you first don’t get complacent but also have trust that you were hired for a reason. Trust the people around you.  They want to teach you; they want you to succeed. This is not all for their enjoyment, listen to what they say, make notes, and implement their ideas and work ethics.

Enjoy the little victories.

The first couple of weeks in your new job might seem like you are not doing the work that others are. That is because they have more experience. It is important to appreciate the little victories of the job. This could be having a meeting with a client that you wouldn’t have had in your first week. It could be as simple as having your co-workers trust you with something that they were not comfortable with when you first started. As long as you acknowledge the growth you make in the new environment, you are more likely to continue to succeed.

Take extra steps.

This one is more for people who might come into a new job and struggle with the role. To this, I say take extra steps. Most companies have training courses which are designed to assist you. But as I have been told that is just a gateway. It would be beneficial for you to do some research in your own time, and study things related to your field which might be handy when talking to others. I work in the IT Sector for Optimum and didn’t know much about it when I started. After some research and a lot of reading, I’m now able to call myself a novice in IT knowledge. To use my early analogy, I might have drowned if I did not take these extra steps and am now swimming because of it.  

Get to know the city you’re in.

Lastly and most importantly, we spend most of our work time in the office, but if we were to go from the office to home with nothing in between you quickly find yourself going stir-crazy. When I arrived in Brisbane, I decided to meet with people who knew the city and have them show me around. I know others might not be so lucky. I asked my friend in Townsville what he did, and he mentioned that he just did his regular hobbies and made friends that way. I myself am a hiker, and have been going around Brisbane finding hiking trails to enjoy. Doing that has given me an unwitting education in the city of Brisbane. The geography, the people and the places have all come from me getting lost and looking for a place to walk. It goes to show you can learn more about a place in unexpected ways.

MURRAY ROACHE
Consultant

Murray joined the Optimum family in January 2023. With his background in law and customer service, Murray’s strengths lie in identifying client’s needs and then working together to find a solution. Murray loves a good chat with his candidates and thrives on finding the right fit for his clients and candidates alike. He is passionate about helping others find what is most important to them for their career journey.