Taking a new job in Brussels? Height action you should take before your first day.

Height valuable tips to seamlessly transition into a new position within the EU bubble. This article will help you make a strong and successful start in your new role.

Starting a new position in the EU bubble can be both exciting and overwhelming.

To help ease the transition, here are eight tips that you can follow. I applied most of them myself when taking my current position last year, and they definitely helped me transition to a very different job from those I had before.

Most of them should not take to long to act on. Half an hour a day is plenty of time.

Congratulations on your new job. Now—how do you prepare? — Picture by Katya on Unsplash

Here are eight tips to help you settle into a new position in the EU bubble.

1. Celebrate. You deserve it. Say goodbye to your former colleagues and prepare for a new and exciting mission.

2. Re-read the job description. These are the tasks that you will be asked to perform. Ask your future manager for clarification.

3. Meet with your future colleagues and manager. Take the initiative and ask them for a coffee. This way, you will already know some of the people you will work the most on your first day and have a glimpse at the organisation’s internal structure and work environment.

4. Train yourself. Will you be working on a specific area of expertise (energy policy, EU-funded project management…)? You better start reading and documenting yourself. This way, you’ll be operational from day one.

5. Learn about the organisation. Not only by browsing its website but also by attending events that are scheduled by the time you join, discussing with coworkers, reading the materials published in the past years, etc. The more information, the better.

6. Establish goals in collaboration with your manager. Ask her: “In six or twelve months, what indicator will tell you that I did a good job?” This will reveal what your soon-to-be boss is expecting from you in detail.*

7. Identify your need for internal training. Is there a certain software that your new employer is using? You could take the time to train yourself—either with the organisation's support or by yourself. By the way, improving at Excel is an underrated skill. Try that.

8. Pro-tip. Propose a contribution paper. If the position is a newly created one, you can propose to your future manager to establish a strategy for the position. Are you the first in-house PA officer of the organisation? Try to come up with a PA strategy for the next year. Put a handful of bullet points on a one-pager to show your manager you are proactive (and start working on the company’s goals from day-1).

Now, I’d love to ear from you: how do you prepare before taking a new job?

Let us know in the comment. A lot of young professionals reading The Beubble would love to know about them.