How to Survive Starting a New Job With the New Editor-in-Chief of Lifehacker
This week, in the Update section, we discuss the challenges of starting a new job and share some of your horror stories from your very bad early days. It’s like the first day of school, but your career is at stake.
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This Week’s Discussion: Getting Started Right in a New Job
Last week we asked you to share your worst first day at work experience and you certainly did it. From an eerily empty office to being hit by a truck on your way out, some of you had some pretty rough early days. Fortunately, these horror stories are not typical of most new work.
Starting a new job is an exciting and stressful experience. You’ve probably spent countless hours fiddling with your resume and rewriting cover letters, going through the arduous interview process, and finally being rewarded with an offer. You should be proud! But when the day does come, your sense of accomplishment quickly fades away because you have to come and do the job facing so many unknowns. How do you navigate your new workplace? What can you do to understand the new culture? What kind of relationship will you have with your new boss? What if you’re the new boss? This is exactly the situation in which the new editor-in-chief of Lifehacker, Melissa Kirsch, finds herself.
This week we will be joining the show with Adrian Granzella Larssen, Editor-in-Chief of The Muse . Adrian offers Melissa and all new hires advice on how to meet your expectations and prepare for your new job. You should strive to find a balance between eagerness and speed, and take the time to understand how your new workplace functions. To ask questions! And just be yourself – as long as you don’t pretend to be too friendly with your new colleagues and accidentally stick your foot in your mouth with a bad joke.
Our weekly updates
Every week to add some minor enhancements to The Upgrade . Here’s a quick recap:
- Andy: I recently reviewed How to Practice , the Dalai Lama’s guide to living a meaningful life, and I was reminded to put the needs of others ahead of my own. It may sound a little sanctimonious, but I kept it in mind – to live to enrich the people around me.
- Melissa: Melissa says she’s used to just turning on the TV after a long day at work and switching to automatic mode simply because it’s easy. But now she pauses, skips meaningless shows, and actually makes time to spend an intentionally calm, quiet evening.
- Adrian: Guest Adrian this week has decided that she wants to get back into the habit of writing regularly and is using Stephen King’s On Writing as a source of motivation.
How can I ask a question?
There are two ways to ask a question:
- Call (347) 687-8109 and write down the question. The calls are awesome! We love them and we can play yours on the show!
- Send your question to upgrade@lifehacker.com .
Try to keep your questions as short as possible. That means 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions may be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they apply to more people. Anyway, we look forward to hearing from you!