How to successfully join a culture where you don’t fit in

10.22.2015

Hamster

Photo and video from Mashable

Have you ever interviewed at an office where you know you don’t fit in? It might be a situation where their industry is focused on something that is nearly foreign to you, everyone is younger/ older than you, or it’s louder/quieter than any office you’ve ever experienced. However, you are amazing at what you do, and they need you. How could you possibly be expected to fit in without feeling like the hamster in this video? Everyone seems to fit perfectly, and you know you’re going to want to do backflips because that’s just “who you are.”

Make a Good First Impression.
You’ve heard it a million times. “You only have one chance to make a good first impression.” In this situation, it is 100 percent true. The last thing you want to do is give the impression that you’re worried about how you’re going to fit within the organization, or you seem so standoffish that you seem to think that you’re “better” than your new co-workers. You want to appear warm, friendly and excited about the opportunity to join a great team. They are great, aren’t they? Otherwise you wouldn’t be joining them, right?

Socialize.
If you work in a closed layout office, don’t wait for everyone to swing by your office to introduce themselves. Get the “lay of the land” after your boss/manager introduces you early in the day and figure out who you need to get to know. Make sure you spend  a few minutes with the key people you’ll be working with, and do your best to find things in common with them and forge a connection right away. The faster you can get to know your co-workers, the easier the transition to feeling like “you’re one of the group” will be.

Don’t do office gossip.
Unfortunately, a lot of people tend to bond over their dislike of someone or something in an office setting. Don’t use this strategy to gain favor with your new co-workers. This is dangerous because the co-worker that is driving the office gossip could very well turn you into their subject of discussion. Another unintended consequence of being part of office gossip is the drain it takes on your productivity. If you become known as the one having the “latest scoop,” you’ll find your popularity might spike, but so will the number of people stopping by your desk, potentially bringing your ability to do your work to a screeching halt. Instead, determine if you can turn the gossip you hear into a positive conversation, not a negative one that perpetuates the rumour mill. Your approach to handling office gossip as the “newbie” has the potential to set a positive example that the rest of the team follows, making your new office an even better place to work.

Don’t complain.
This is tied to our previous advice of “Don’t do office gossip.” Complaining falls into the same category of unflattering office behavior. Yes, “misery loves company,” but the high-performing individuals in the group will likely distance themselves from the “complainers” in the group, and opt not to tap your talent when they can use your help with a project/ initiative. This results in you having to work harder to raise your profile within your group, and look for positive ways to set yourself apart from your co-workers that your leadership will notice. Everyone has a bad day, and people will understand an occasional expression of frustration, but if you never have anything positive to say, you might find yourself labeled as a “complainer” and dealing with all the other unpleasant things that go along with that distinction.

Give credit.
From day one, give credit where credit is due. When your manager or boss is walking you around your new office and sings your praises of your former work/ contributions, be sure to talk about the other people involved in your success. This will indicate to your new team that you are in fact a team player, and they can look forward to expecting the same kind of acknowledgement when they do a great job working with you. We know that it seems counter-intuitive to talk about how talented your former colleagues might be, but an impressive reputation combined with a generous helping of humility will go a long way toward making that great first impression.

Even if you feel like the hamster doing backflips among his cage mates who are all just milling around on your first day at your new office, if you use these five strategies to make a great first impression, you’ll feel like “one of the group” in no time.