Legal People’s Step by Step Guide to Changing Jobs

In this article we discuss how to go about changing jobs so that your start at a new firm puts your best foot forward. We also consider why you should leave your previous employer on good terms and how to best build those new relationships and support networks you will need in a new role. 

Changing jobs can be an anxious, stressful, and yet exciting time for anyone. Change, whilst as good as a holiday, can be a scary concept. In a new job, at a new company you will no longer be surrounded by the same colleagues, do the same commute, take the same meetings, or visit your same familiar coffee haunts. You will need to discover and learn about new clients, new tasks, and potentially new systems. There will be new ways of doing things and new processes to learn. It is when you get out of your comfort zone that personal growth occurs. Taking that next step on the career ladder can be easier if you follow our easy step by step guide.

1.   Find Out What You Do Not Know

Use the time before you start a new job at a different firm to work out what it is that you need to learn. You might like to visit some colleague’s profiles on LinkedIn to find out about their skills, areas of expertise and backgrounds. This information is also often available via their company website.

If there are people working for your new firm that you are connected to, you might like to introduce yourself or catch up for a coffee to start to understand the ins and outs of the company culture. This is a good time to ask about any in-house systems that you could learn about or key clients that you could research. Consider taking the time to network with new colleagues by attending any upcoming company events as this can give you an opportunity to meet socially before you come on board officially.

2.   Make Key Introductions

You may have met your immediate supervisor during the hiring process. Find out whether it is possible to have a pre-start date to catch up with them to learn about key projects, clients, cases, and understand any current bottlenecks or problems that need to be solved. See if you can ascertain their management style, understand whether they have an open-door policy, and how they like to be given status updates. Consider any tweaks you may need to make to your own working style to ensure you have a productive and successful working relationship.

3.   Maintain Good Relationships

It will be useful in the future to have maintained good relationships with the employer you are leaving. Whilst they will of course be disappointed that you have ended your tenure with them, most businesses understand that career decisions are not personal. Sometimes former employees even return to a previous employer at a future date. Work out who it is at your employer that you would like to stay in contact with and ensure you have a way of doing this. Often reaching out on LinkedIn and connecting in this way can help you stay in touch. Make sure you thank those that have given you opportunities during your time at the organisation and wish them well in the future. It can be useful to remember that colleagues have often been known to pop up in the future as bosses and even clients.

4.   Learn About The Onboarding

Have the hiring manager or recruiter put you in touch with the team that are responsible for your onboarding and make sure you understand how this process will work. Will there be compliance training or induction processes at the start of your tenure? Is there anything you can be doing whilst you are waiting to start? Find out about how you get your laptop and security access on the first day and exactly where you need to report to.

5.   Stay Positive

Remember to always talk about your previous employer in a positive manner. Nobody wants to hear about how you did not get along with a previous boss or to hear about internal politics from another firm. Remember that in the early days at a new firm, you are still being evaluated and remaining positive helps make a good first impression.

 6.   Once You Start

Just a suggestion, but we often find food is an excellent icebreaker for new starters. Bring donuts/cake/sausage rolls/healthy-treat-of-choice and make new work friends for life!  

It can be a good idea to start any new role with a positive attitude and being open to new ways of doing things. Listening to how a company goes about problem solving, dealing with clients, and handling issues that come up can help inform you as to how things get done. Whist contributing and adding value is important, it can be helpful to be respectful to your colleagues and interested in the corporate history. Taking the time to learn from colleagues with long tenures will help you get up to speed quickly.

One great thing about being a new starter is that, even if you have many years of experience, you will never get the chance to ask simple questions in quite the same way. Ask lots of questions, listen carefully to the answers and make the effort to get to know people.

Introduce yourself to those around you and do not assume they will know who you are. This should include security staff, cleaners, receptionists as well as your immediate colleagues. It can be useful to jot down the names of the people you meet in your first couple of days, just as a reminder as to names. A law firm can be a big place with lots of names to remember. If you get stuck, see if you can refer to the company intranet or LinkedIn as a reminder.

Consider finding out whether there are any social committees or clubs in the office. This can be a useful way to get to know people. Work will be more enjoyable with good social connections, even if you think you already have enough friends in your life!

7.   Set Your Short-Term Goals

What is it that you want to achieve in your new role in the first couple of months? Do not forget to check back in at the end of this time to consider how you have gone and what is left to achieve. Be kind to yourself though, as starting a new job is hard! Do not forget acts of self-care and to keep an eye on your stress levels to keep your mental health in check.

Should you need help in finding a new role in 2023, or even just a confidential career discussion, please get in touch at [email protected]. We are specialists with more than 45 years’ experience recruiting for the Legal Industry. We recruit Lawyers, Support staff and HR professionals in Melbourne, Australia.