Library Worklife

Volume 4, No. 2 • February 2007

Work/Life

Getting to Know You

How to Effectively Introduce Yourself in a New Job

By Paula Seeger

Whether you start a new job or take on a new role in an old job, you must establish your new position with others. After two recent job transitions, I have found a useful way to introduce myself to the specific people with whom I hope to collaborate in my position. The following formula has brought me success.

1. Make the First Move.

I’ve learned that you can’t wait for an invitation. If you want to learn something, try something or change something, you have to make the first move. And don’t complain if you are not prepared to act upon your complaint. If you aren’t happy in a situation, how are you willing and able to change it? Similarly, don’t assume that someone will hunt you down to tell you about professional opportunities. If you are curious, ask. Success comes through trial and error and asking a lot of questions. Draft your own personal procedures manual.

2. Master the Informational Interview.

Your supervisors will have provided you with a basic job description, but much of what we learn to help us do our job better isn’t written down. Learn who can answer your questions and ask for a meeting with this person. Everyone’s busy, but a caring colleague will think back to his or her own first days on the job, he or she would be able to find 15 or 30 minutes to meet with you. Make it worth his or her while. Be organized and come prepared to the meeting. Prepare pertinent questions about his or her position and specifically how it relates to yours. Ask if you can follow up with him or her if you have further questions. Taking initiative proves that you’ve figured out what you need to know to do your job, and that you can identify and fill gaps in your knowledge. You’ve made the first move and gone after the information you’ve sought. In return, have something to give back.

3. Determine What You Can Offer to Others.

Are there projects that call for collaboration? Offer your department or staff as a test in the project. Serve on committees and taskforces. Offer your time to colleagues with special endeavors. Take time to learn a new skill and then use it to help your colleagues, students, or supervisor. Yes, some of these require a bit of sacrifice on your part, but you can also use your initiative and willingness as an advantage to gaining your own information or assistance. Your introduction to others will benefit in the long run.

4. Follow Up and Continue.

After you’ve been introduced, stay involved. Periodically check in with the colleagues who have helped you. Continue to offer assistance with projects. You are more informed when you are involved, and the people who benefit from your assistance are more likely to assist you in the future. Never stop asking questions: by questioning, you prove that you are willing to learn new things about your position.

In my first transition I took a new role with the same library. Since I already knew my colleagues and supervisors, I was far more comfortable asking for informational interviews. My prior experience allowed me to ask specific questions about my new role. My second job transition was much more difficult. I was brand new to the library and campus, and I had to break the ice with new colleagues. But by pursuing informational interviews I strengthened my confidence. As I introduced myself, I learned about others’ jobs in relation to mine and found ways both to innovate and to collaborate with my new colleagues. Your introduction to others will be a mutual benefit in the long run.

Paula Seeger is Circulation Librarian at the University of Minnesota Law Library.

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