How to enjoy your onboarding process at a new job

As a new recruit, you may find yourself experiencing a range of emotions during the onboarding process. You probably feel some level of excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and uncertainty about what the future holds. 

Although there is so much information to take in and a new environment to adjust to, you can find peace, and even pleasure, within the storm of events.

Enjoyment is born out of positive anticipation, mindfulness, and gratitude. When we pick up our phones to scroll through social media, we are filled with positive anticipation, we are very much present in the act of consuming entertaining content and we are grateful to have some form of relief from the world around us. That explains why a lot of us can scroll through social media, lose track of time and conclude it as a pleasurable time. 

Here are ways to apply the same logic to your work to ensure you enjoy your onboarding process by being engaged, grateful and positive. 

Find pleasure in your onboarding process

1. Keep an open-mind

An open mind can facilitate enjoyment by allowing you to experience new things and engage in several enriching experiences. 

Keeping an open mind means being receptive to the new ideas, perspectives, and experiences your new workplace brings. You also have to let go of preconceived notions in order to become flexible and adaptable in your thinking and approach to your new workplace.

An open mind comes with its benefits;

• It allows you to be fully present and mindful of the onboarding process
• Your mind becomes more receptive to learning new information about your new job
• It fosters adaptability because you are more willing to consider alternative solutions and perspectives, which can help you adapt more effectively to changing circumstances
• Because you have an open mind and are willing to see things from different viewpoints, you would become more creative and innovative 

2. Anticipate positively

When we look forward to an experience, our brains release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. This positive anticipation contributes to your enjoyment of an onboarding experience. 

To anticipate positively, keep your inner voice positive. Our inner dialogue affects our enjoyment of an experience. When we use positive self-talk and focus on our strengths, abilities, and the bright side (like starting afresh and building a new social network), we are more likely to enjoy the onboarding process.

3. Set goals

Goals ensure one thing, that you are focused and immersed in a certain activity. They provide a sense of purpose and a positive feeling of accomplishment. 

Goals, especially when SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound), also give a jolt of motivation that would make you a productive employee. 

Set specific goals for yourself during the onboarding process. For example, you might set a goal to get familiar with the company’s software systems within a certain timeframe or to meet with a certain number of colleagues each week.

4. Get to know your colleagues

We thrive by association. Key into the natural instinct to make meaningful relationships by getting to know your colleagues during the onboarding process. You can ask them about their roles, experiences, and advice for success at the company. This will help you to generate positive emotions.

5. Become a living breathing questionnaire 

Don’t be afraid to ask questions during the onboarding process. This will help you to become engaged, to clarify information, and to better understand the company culture and expectations. It also provides a slew of other benefits;

• Providing clarification on key aspects of the job like the procedure for completing tasks. 
• Identify and solve problems. By seeking input from others, you can develop more effective solutions to work challenges. 
• Emotions follow actions. When you ask questions (action), you become curious (emotion) about your job. The thing about curiosity is it plays an important role in promoting enjoyment because it stimulates the brain’s reward centers to release the feel-good hormone (dopamine) after we discover new things or answers to our questions. 

 

Conclusion

The key to enjoying the onboarding process is to stay engaged, curious, and open to new experiences. With the right mindset and approach, the onboarding process can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience.