The 5 worst mistakes employees can make in a new job

By Erica Lamberg FOXBusiness

Published January 8, 2024 5:00am EST

If the New Year marks the start of a new job, you may want to be on your best behavior as you navigate your fresh opportunity.

Meeting colleagues for the first time, experiencing the company’s learning curve and understanding the corporate culture are all part of joining a new workplace and taking new steps in a career.

While you're likely to have the best intentions, experts say that there are specific things that should be on your radar that could hinder your productivity and success.

Read on about how to make the most of your new position.

New job mistake No. 1: Thinking you know everything

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when starting a new job is not asking enough questions and trying to handle everything by yourself, Andrew McCaskill, a career expert with LinkedIn who is based in Atlanta, Georgia, told FOX Business.

"Not only can this slow down your productivity and inhibit you from learning how your team and company operate, it can also limit your ability to gain valuable feedback that you could use down the line," he said.

Joining a new team isn’t easy — and colleagues aren’t expecting you to know everything the first day on the job

"The more you try to figure things out on your own, the less likely you are to make improvements and the more susceptible you’ll be to making mistakes."

Joining a new team isn’t easy — and colleagues aren’t expecting you to know everything the first day on the job.

But "don’t wait for offers of assistance," said McCaskill.

Instead, "be proactive and ask for help, clarity or more information when you need it."

New job mistake No. 2: Keeping to yourself

While it may be a bit intimidating at first, it’s a good idea to get to know your team — not just for networking purposes, but also to make collaboration easier and your work environment a more enjoyable place to be, said McCaskill.

"Relationships are key to being successful in any role and can also help you feel connected to a company’s culture," he said.

You don't want to miss key opportunities to build important connections with others on your team or in your department

If you isolate yourself or don’t make an effort to put yourself out there, you might miss key opportunities to build important connections, he said.

New job mistake No. 3: Reliving your bad work experiences from prior positions

Living in the past and re-hashing bad experiences from prior jobs can get a new job off to a rocky start.

"Think of starting a new job as a clean slate," recommended McCaskill.

"You don’t want to get too hung up on your previous job or negative experiences, since this can prevent you from taking the next step forward and really blossoming into your new role," he said.

"Not only can this negative mindset affect how you approach your new job, but your team might be able to pick up on it as well, which can reflect poorly on you and your work."

If you do find yourself starting to fall into the same negative mindset from your previous job, try to replace a positive moment for every negative one.

When you start a new job, think of it as "starting a clean slate," said one career expert

"Rather than focusing on what your past employer did wrong, think of the experience as an obstacle you had to overcome and think of all the skills you gained along the way," McCaskill told FOX Business.

New job mistake No. 4: Exhibiting a ‘we did this’ mentality

It could be a mistake to constantly reference and compare a previous company in a new role.

"It may leave a bad impression on new colleagues," said Charlotte-based Amy Mosher, chief people officer at isolved.

While it may be easy to draw on past experiences, it’s important to find a balance between being helpful and providing overbearing comparisons, she noted.

"If you enter every meeting with a ‘we did this at X’ mentality, new employees will likely burn some relationships early on," Mosher explained.

"Employees should learn from their previous company — and even share what they can without jeopardizing propriety rules — but quickly shift from ‘we’ to ‘they’ in the framing of their previous company."

In short, new employees should embrace their new company fully and the opportunities it offers.

New job mistake No. 5: Failing to educate yourself

A lack of knowledge about your new role, your new employer or your new business leaders may hinder your growth and slow your onboarding process.

Use the early days of new employment to learn more about your role and the company.

"Failing to educate yourself about a new company can extend an employee’s learning curve," said Mosher.

Workers could continue to "struggle to grasp an organization’s goals, have an increased dependency on trainings and demonstrate limited autonomy in their role," she also said.

When an employee enters a new role, the onboarding agenda may have required meetings and trainings — but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn more during their downtime, she said.

"Onboarding presents rare downtime that allows employees to read through an organization’s website, explore existing documents that relate to one’s position, or download any of the company's style guidelines."

She added, "Employees can really set themselves apart by taking the extra initiative to be an educated new hire and early brand adopter."

The 5 worst mistakes employees can make in a new job

员工在新的工作中可能犯的5个最严重的错误

If the New Year marks the start of a new job, you may want to be on your best behavior as you navigate your fresh opportunity.

如果新年标志着一份新工作的开始，你会希望在把握新的机会时拿出自己最好的表现。

Meeting colleagues for the first time, experiencing the company’s learning curve and understanding the corporate culture are all part of joining a new workplace and taking new steps in a career.

第一次与同事见面，体验公司的学习路线，了解企业文化，这些都是加入新的公司以及在职业生涯中迈出新步伐的一部分。

While you're likely to have the best intentions, experts say that there are specific things that should be on your radar that could hinder your productivity and success.

尽管您可能怀有最好的意图，但专家表示，有一些事情可能会影响您的工作效率和成功，这些事情应该引起您的注意。

Read on about how to make the most of your new position.

继续阅读了解如何将你的新工作做好。

New job mistake No. 1: Thinking you know everything

新工作错误第一名：认为自己什么都知道

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when starting a new job is not asking enough questions and trying to handle everything by yourself, Andrew McCaskill, a career expert with LinkedIn who is based in Atlanta, Georgia, told FOX Business.

总部位于Georgia州亚特兰大的LinkedIn职业专家Andrew McCaskill告诉FOX，在开始新工作时，你可能会犯的最大错误之一是没有一直问问题，并试图自己处理所有的事情。

"Not only can this slow down your productivity and inhibit you from learning how your team and company operate, it can also limit your ability to gain valuable feedback that you could use down the line," he said.

“这不仅会降低你的工作效率，阻碍你学习团队和公司的运作方式，你也不能获得宝贵的反馈意见，这些反馈对将来有帮助”，他说道。

"The more you try to figure things out on your own, the less likely you are to make improvements and the more susceptible you’ll be to making mistakes."

“你越是试图自己解决问题，你就越不可能进步，也越容易犯错误”。

Joining a new team isn’t easy — and colleagues aren’t expecting you to know everything the first day on the job.

加入一个新的团队不是件容易的事，同事不会预期你工作的第一天就知道所有的东西。

But "don’t wait for offers of assistance," said McCaskill.

但“不要等别人来提供帮助”，McCaskill说道。

Instead, "be proactive and ask for help, clarity or more information when you need it."

相反，“要主动，在你需要的时候去寻求帮助、澄清和要求更多的信息”。

New job mistake No. 2: Keeping to yourself

新工作错误第二名：独处

While it may be a bit intimidating at first, it’s a good idea to get to know your team — not just for networking purposes, but also to make collaboration easier and your work environment a more enjoyable place to be, said McCaskill.

虽然一开始可能有点令人胆怯，但去了解你的团队是个好方法——不仅是为了建立人际关系，还可以让合作更容易，让你的工作环境更愉快，McCaskill说道。

"Relationships are key to being successful in any role and can also help you feel connected to a company’s culture," he said.

“人际关系是任何角色成功的关键，也可以帮你感受到与公司文化的联系”。

If you isolate yourself or don’t make an effort to put yourself out there, you might miss key opportunities to build important connections, he said.

如果你把自己孤立起来，不努力融入进去，你可能会失去建立重要联系的关键机会，他说道。

New job mistake No. 3: Reliving your bad work experiences from prior positions

新工作错误第三名：重温你先前职位的糟糕工作经验

Living in the past and re-hashing bad experiences from prior jobs can get a new job off to a rocky start.

活在过去，反复思考先前职位的糟糕经验，会让你的新工作的开始很艰难。

"Think of starting a new job as a clean slate," recommended McCaskill.

“把新工作当成新的开始”，McCaskill建议道。

"You don’t want to get too hung up on your previous job or negative experiences, since this can prevent you from taking the next step forward and really blossoming into your new role," he said.

“不要执着于你之前的工作或者负面的经验，因为它们会阻碍你迈出下一步，真正的进入新的角色”，他说道。

"Not only can this negative mindset affect how you approach your new job, but your team might be able to pick up on it as well, which can reflect poorly on you and your work."

“这种负面的心态不仅会影响你融入新的工作，你的团队可能也会受到影响，这会对你和你的工作产生不良的影响”。

If you do find yourself starting to fall into the same negative mindset from your previous job, try to replace a positive moment for every negative one.

如果你真的发现自己开始陷入与前一份工作相同的消极心态，试着用积极的时刻代替每一个消极的时刻。

"Rather than focusing on what your past employer did wrong, think of the experience as an obstacle you had to overcome and think of all the skills you gained along the way," McCaskill told FOX Business.

“与其把注意力集中在你过去的雇主做错了什么，不如把这段经历看作是你必须克服的障碍，并想想你在这一过程中获得的所有技能”，McCaskill告诉Fox。

New job mistake No. 4: Exhibiting a ‘we did this’ mentality

新工作错误第四名：表现出“我们做过”的心态

It could be a mistake to constantly reference and compare a previous company in a new role.

在新的岗位上不断的拿以前的公司进行参考和对比是错误的。

"It may leave a bad impression on new colleagues," said Charlotte-based Amy Mosher, chief people officer at isolved.

“这可能会给新的同事留下糟糕的印象”，总部位于夏洛特的isolved公司的首席人事官Amy Mosher说道。

While it may be easy to draw on past experiences, it’s important to find a balance between being helpful and providing overbearing comparisons, she noted.

虽然借鉴过去的经验可能比较容易，但是需要在有所帮助和过度比较之间找到一个平衡的点。

"If you enter every meeting with a ‘we did this at X’ mentality, new employees will likely burn some relationships early on," Mosher explained.

“如果你每次参加会议都抱着‘我们在X上做过这个’的心态，新的员工很可能会在开始就损害一些关系”，Mosher解释道。

"Employees should learn from their previous company — and even share what they can without jeopardizing propriety rules — but quickly shift from ‘we’ to ‘they’ in the framing of their previous company."

“员工应该从之前的公司中学习，甚至在不破坏礼节规则的情况下分享他们所能分享的。但在以前公司的框架中，尽快把‘我们’转变成‘他们’”。

In short, new employees should embrace their new company fully and the opportunities it offers.

简而言之，新员工应该全力拥抱新公司和新公司带来的机遇。

New job mistake No. 5: Failing to educate yourself

新工作错误第五名：不自我学习

A lack of knowledge about your new role, your new employer or your new business leaders may hinder your growth and slow your onboarding process.

对你的新角色、新雇主或新业务领导缺乏了解可能会阻碍你的成长，减缓你的入职过程。

Use the early days of new employment to learn more about your role and the company.

利用新工作的早期时间去了解更多关于你的角色和公司的信息。

"Failing to educate yourself about a new company can extend an employee’s learning curve," said Mosher.

“如果不能对新公司进行学习，会延长员工的学习曲线”，Mosher说道。

Workers could continue to "struggle to grasp an organization’s goals, have an increased dependency on trainings and demonstrate limited autonomy in their role," she also said.

她还表示，员工可能会一直“难以理解组织的目标，更加依赖培训，并在工作中表现出有限的自主性”。

When an employee enters a new role, the onboarding agenda may have required meetings and trainings — but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn more during their downtime, she said.

当员工进入一个新的岗位时，入职安排可能会有会议和培训，但这并不意味着他们在休息期间不能去学习更多的东西，她说道。

"Onboarding presents rare downtime that allows employees to read through an organization’s website, explore existing documents that relate to one’s position, or download any of the company's style guidelines."

“入职期间不多的休息时间，员工可以浏览公司的网站，浏览现有的和职位相关的文件，或者下载公司的风格指南”。

She added, "Employees can really set themselves apart by taking the extra initiative to be an educated new hire and early brand adopter."

她补充道，"员工可以通过额外的主动性成为受过良好教育的新员工和早期品牌倡导者，从而使自己脱颖而出"。