5 Things You MUST Do After Starting a New Job!
About this video
Jeff Su builds this video on an article by Zara Zhang — a Harvard graduate and former Harvard Crimson editor who worked at venture capital firm GGV Capital and as a product marketing manager at ByteDance — arguing that the quality that sets new graduates up for success is the ability to make things happen. Su combines her framework with his own experience into five things new joiners should do. First, know who does what regardless of title: schedule one-on-ones and coffee chats with cross-functional colleagues to learn their KPIs, their personal goals and aspirations, and the resources they can access, and always end by asking who else they recommend reaching out to. Second, know how to ask for help: the best teachers are people just one step ahead (as a new account manager he learned the most from colleagues who had joined six months earlier), show what you have already tried, and prioritize questions tied to your core KPIs. Third, know when to escalate: escalation fits expected pushback over extra workload or subpar work affecting your deliverables, but getting the executing person’s buy-in usually beats going over their head, and your manager should be made aware first. Fourth, host meetings that do not fail their attendees: align with stakeholders individually beforehand, present only information relevant to the attendees, and send a recap email with clear action items and owners. Fifth, know your boss: he cites research that 57% of employees have left a job because of their manager, and advises regularly documenting wins — saved thank-you emails, screenshots of praise, quantified results — so your manager has material to advocate for you in calibration meetings.
Key takeaways
- Learn who actually does what by asking colleagues about their KPIs, personal goals, and accessible resources in one-on-ones
- End every networking chat by asking who else you should reach out to, so the network snowballs
- Ask for help from people one step ahead of you, show what you already tried, and prioritize KPI-related questions
- Escalate only after trying for the executor’s buy-in, and loop your manager in before going over someone’s head
- Document your wins continuously so your manager can advocate for you with evidence at review time
Episode details: published March 15, 2022 · 7:04 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Jeff Su’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.
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