Onboarding Diary – Thoughts from a newbie

Hey there,

My name is Jess Moran and I am the newest member to the team here at HR Search. Hooray! This is my first experience of remote on-boarding, which is so exciting and also terrifying! Today in this post I want to share with you all my experience with remote onboarding and also to remind everyone we’re all in the same boat.

Let’s get started.

General – new starter bits and bobs

• It’s always a learning curve when you join a new organisation and you feel like you need to ‘know it all’, but it’s important to get comfortable knowing what you don’t know as it is only a temporary feeling. My experience onboarding with HR Search has been amazing, I have been welcomed with so much warmth, happiness and support from the beginning. Your first few weeks on boarding is so important. Use the time to set yourself up for success. Get into a routine. Pick up the phone and chat to new colleagues, brave making the connection, drop them a message on LinkedIn.

Remote on-boarding

• On-boarding has now become digital. This is my first experience with this and it is definitely challenging. Am I moving fast enough? Am I doing enough? Have I proved I was the right hire? These are questions that I was asking myself and imposter syndrome can quickly creep in as you are on your own and not around your colleagues in the office. I soon realised I am exactly where I need to be, I am up to date and I am constantly evolving each day. If you are starting a new role with remote onboarding, trust the process. Don’t overload yourself with information. Digest it!

Finding your zen space

• I think it’s so important to make sure your workspace is clear with no clutter and makes you feel zen! You should love your workspace. I love to light a candle or a wax melt. A fan has been the latest addition to my workspace, the Irish summer has come as a surprise to us all, so its important to keep a cold fresh workspace. I’m currently creating my workspace and it has been trial and error with lighting, background, desk setup but I am loving it so far. Invest in making it a nice space to be in.

There’s no-one beside you

• You cannot turn around and say ‘quick question for you’ as your alone in your home office! It’s so important you don’t shy away from asking questions just because someone isn’t physically beside you, it is more than okay to drop someone a message or ask to jump on a quick call, if anything it shows how you want to learn and grow within the company. Remember, no question is a silly one. Even if it is the smallest question! Don’t be afraid to question the status quo if you don’t understand something. From the start at HR Search I was told my opinion will always be valued, which is a huge value of mine.

Embrace and enjoy it!

• I think this on-boarding experience may be the biggest and best learning curves that I will have in my career. Remote on-boarding will push me to think outside of the box, to do more research and different ideas I may not have thought about if the world was ‘normal’. I will always look back on this onboarding week to realise my strengths and resilience to keep going and most importantly have fun!