More and more these days, our Recruitment Consultants are finding that new roles are becoming increasingly important to our clients’ businesses. A new role is a position in a business that did not exist before. For example, digital media has quickly become integral to many businesses that previously found they did not need dedicated resources. In these companies, new roles have to be created to perform these functions. Finding talent for these new roles is our challenge, but ensuring that new roles blossom often requires proactive behaviour from you, the new hire.

Don’t assume

We suggest that candidates ask their interviewers what success for the role in question will look like at the 30, 60, 90 and 120 day marks. In roles that have been established for years, there will be an onboarding process that will provide definitive answers to this question. However, new roles are often created to solve new problems and the company may not have thought that far ahead. Sure, your training and experience will be in hot demand as you fill the talent vacuum that exists in your new employer’s office. But how will you ensure that you remain motivated once you have put the fires out that caused the company to hire you in the first place?

Be brave

Science Magazine reckons that fear of failure and fear of success are both serious inhibitors to job effectiveness. In a new role, where you may be asked to manage many of your own targets, neither of these fears should be allowed to restrict your performance. Typically, it is fear of failure that causes problems for new hires.

But remember, you are filling a new role based upon your expertise. This means that your talents are unique in the organization. Most often, the people who have hired you will have confidence in your capabilities and it is important that you have confidence in them too. So, be assertive in your ability to enact process improvement initiatives and speak to your manager about where you can add value to the organization. Nine times out of ten, you will be seeing things that others have not.

Fear of success must be overcome too

Many new hires feel like an impostor when they arrive in a new role. In your previous roles you probably had peers and managers who shared your expertise. But your individuality may seem more prominent in a new role. However, please don’t be afraid of your talents: they are what got you hired. Speak confidently about your insights and plans, and share your expertise. Many experts in their field do not realize how talented they are until they exceed their own expectations. So think big in your new role—it’s what your employer is hoping for.

Share your goals

In most cases, a new role will have plenty of opportunities to expand as time goes on. Find out what the companies long-term goals are and shape your career plans around them. Consider how your short-, medium- and long-term goals can dovetail with those of your employer. Discuss with your team and your managers how you see your ambition complementing those of the organization. By pursuing a career path that adds to your employer’s goals, you will soon find that your ‘new role’ has become part of the fabric that is shaping the company’s success.