Tips to Starting a New Job – Remotely!

Starting a new job can be intimidating, especially when your onboarding experience becomes entirely virtual. Traditionally, joining a new team is about building relationships, knowledge and rapport with those around you – a task made much easier when you’re physically engaging with your team. But you can still do all of that and more digitally.    

At Pfizer, we’ve created a virtual-friendly onboarding process for our new hires (and their hiring managers) to follow. Through building this process, we’ve identified key steps for a successful onboarding experience:   

First of all, clear communication is paramount. As a new hire, you have a huge amount of new information to manage – from admin-heavy details (like completing new hire documents, how to get your computer and login pass, how to access team folders and materials) to learning who’s who.    

Second, understand what’s expected of you during your onboarding. What information do you need to submit? What trainings do you need to complete? Who are key colleagues you need to meet with? What can you do “on your own”?   

While you’re engaging with and learning more about your team, you may also spot opportunities for how your unique skillset meets their existing needs. What are they working on that you have experience in? Or what projects are you particularly interested in? Providing your support from the start is important in demonstrating your excitement to become a part of the team.   

For more tips on joining a new company and onboarding remotely in an "ever-changing" world, check out this article from Dara Richardson-Heron, Pfizer’s Chief Patient Officer! 

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