How to Succeed at Your First Online Job

If you’ve just landed your first online job, you might be wondering how to make a success of it. After all, working online or working remotely is a relatively new experience for millions of people around the world, and it does come with challenges. However, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to improve your chances of winning at your first online job.

We’ve compiled a guide to excelling at your first online job and carving out a path to success for all future work.

Celebrate Your Accomplishment

Searching, applying, and being interviewed for a new job can be exhausting, stressful, and demoralizing. Job search fatigue is real, so take some time to celebrate your new job.

If you’ve spent a long time searching for new employment, you may also feel anxious about starting the job, especially if you’re working remotely. To give your confidence a boost, it’s a good idea to draw up a list of your top skills and areas of growth and display it in your workspace. This should help you if you start doubting your ability.

Acknowledge That You Have Much to Learn

Your first online job is a learning curve, and it will take some time for you to adjust to your new way of working. You should go easy on yourself if you feel as though you’re taking a long time to get used to your new job. Give yourself a few months to settle into your new role.

Find out as possible about your job, the tools you use, and the company you work for during your first few months. This will help you to learn the norms and behaviors within your new work ecosystem so you can better insert yourself as a member of the team.

Create a New Workspace

Mark the occasion of starting your first online job by setting up a workspace at home or by refreshing your existing workspace. This can help you make a psychological shift from home to work.

Even though you’re still in the same apartment or house, you’ll feel like you’re ‘at work’. This can promote productivity and prevent procrastination, as it puts you in a working mindset.

Set Standards of Communication

Communicating digitally with your team leader and teammates is an essential part of working online. When getting to know your team leads and other members, ask them if they have a preferred communication method if they would prefer you to contact them at a particular time of day, and how often you should communicate.

It’s a good idea to tell your new team members what your communication preferences are too, so they can meet you halfway. Make sure your email is set up correctly too and establish what the expected turnaround times are for replies and when adding an out-of-office is appropriate.

Ask About Expectations

Have an in-depth conversation with your manager a few days into your new online job and ask them what they expect of you in your new role. Find out what your manager hopes you will accomplish in the first six months to a year.

When you know what your boss’s priorities are, you can align your priorities and determine how your skills or those you can learn will help you and your team. Depending on your role, you may want to learn how to use new software, take an online bookkeeping course, or study a niche topic relating to your industry.

Conclusion

By using these tips and maintaining a positive attitude, you’ll be ready to not only face the challenge of your first online job but also approach it in a way that helps you to succeed.

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