Skip to content
  • Job Openings
  • Career at Barton
  • Departments
  • Our Locations
  • Culture
  • About
  • Blog
  • Job Openings
  • Career at Barton
  • Departments
  • Our Locations
  • Culture
  • About
  • Blog

Your First Month At a New Job

Posted on: June 15th, 2022

Avatar photo

written by

Michelle Lowry

Share this article:
  • envelopeemail
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Entering a new job is daunting to say the least- even more so if it’s your first job after college. That was the position I found myself in one year ago when I started working at Barton. In April 2021 I joined the marketing team as an intern and was offered a full-time position just three weeks later. Even if my time as an intern was brief, I’m glad I had it. My first three weeks at Barton were a steep learning curve, and getting through it gave me a newfound sense of confidence.

One year later I’ve gotten into a comfortable rhythm, but still vividly remember how I started out. If you’re a recent college graduate entering your first professional job, here’s what you should be prepared for:

A Ton of Technical Terms

When I started, I understood about every other word that came out of my coworkers’ mouths. Terms like landing page, hero image, and parent-child were foreign to me. Names turned out to be the biggest hurdle. My coworkers, who had all been with the company for several years, would refer to employees in other departments or offices with zero context, and I was left to fill in the blanks.

The onslaught of new information was daunting at times, but I took it as a learning opportunity. I asked questions when it was appropriate and did a Google or LinkedIn search when it wasn’t. I was thankful (and still am) that my coworkers were kind and helpful whenever I expressed confusion. Since then I’ve learned 99% of the terminology that comes up day-to-day, and I’ve had the opportunity to pay it forward with new employees.

New Software and Programs

Going into marketing, I thought my education in Adobe Creative Suite put me at an advantage. However, I quickly realized I was more like a one-trick pony. Salesforce? Craft CMS? SEMRush? What were those?

Once again, my coworkers were instrumental in helping me learn and understand these new programs. When I learned something new I would write the process down step-by-step on a Google Doc or a sticky note. Having notes to refer to prevented me from annoying my coworkers with the same question over and over. It also became another tool I could pass on to new employees who struggled with the same questions I had.

Learning Workplace Etiquette

‘Don’t microwave fish’ is a good tip, but it’s really the bare minimum. Barton was my first experience in an office environment, and I sometimes struggled to navigate the unspoken social norms. Diplomacy takes on a new meaning when you’re in marketing. Nearly every project our team takes on, from website updates to printed collateral, is a group effort. Our copywriter provides text, our graphic designer makes it attractive, our web leader gets it on the website, and I post it to social media. I learned it’s important to give credit where credit is due, and how to phrase things in order to get an ideal outcome. Critique is a necessary part of group work, and learning to say it gracefully will get you far.

Looking to start your first office job? Apply to Barton! We hire entry-level employees with the goal of training them to be managers. Learn more here.

Avatar photo
About Michelle Lowry

Michelle Lowry is the Social Media and Community Manager at Barton Associates' Peabody, MA, headquarters. Originally from the Boston area, she joined Barton in April 2021 after studying at the University of Vermont.

More Content Like This

The 10 Best Travel Apps Every Locum Tenens Professional Should Have

Your smartphone or tablet is the ultimate travel tool, especially when you take into consideration the variety of downloadable apps out there. For traveling locum tenens professionals, these mobile devices do more than help you stay in contact with loved ones while out on assignment. Whether you need to find...

Essential Free Apps for Business Travel

Editor’s note: originally published in 2015, this post was updated in March 2019. The Google Play store and Apple’s app store are flooded with apps, and many of them can be useful to a locum on assignment or any other business traveler. Here you will find a list of free apps that...

How Machine Learning Is Primed to Affect Population Health Initiatives

Imagine a woman is working on a home improvement project indoors while her husband clears leaves from their house’s gutters. It’s the perfect idyllic Saturday — until she hears a sickening thud just outside. Looking out the window, she notes with horror that he’s fallen from the ladder. Worse, he’s not...

Top 10 Googled Symptoms for 2015 [INFOGRAPHIC]

Clinicians may not always like it when patients Google their symptoms, but that hasn’t stopped them from doing it. According to Google, 1 in 20 google searches are for health-related information. The volume is so high that Google’s Knowledge Graph now displays information for more than 900 conditions. Dave deBronkart,...

Blog Topics

  • About Locum Tenens
  • Barton News
  • Careers
  • Careers Tips & Advice
  • Finance Tips
  • From Classroom to Career
  • Health Tips
  • Healthcare News and Trends
  • Holiday Humor
  • Interview Tips
  • Job Search Resources
  • Job Search Tips
  • Licensing and Credentialing
  • Locum Heroes
  • Networking
  • On The Job (post) Tips
  • Other
  • Pre Job Tips
  • Resources
  • Social Media Tips
  • Staffing Tips
  • Travel Tips

Popular Posts

  • 3 Benefits of Doing an Internship
  • 5 Things to Bring to Your New Job
  • Don’t Let Student Loans Steal Your Holiday Spirit!

Latest Posts

  • How To Find An Affordable Work Wardrobe
  • How To Spruce Up Your Resume With Volunteer Work
  • What To Do After A Job Interview
  • What To Do During A Job Interview
  • What To Do Before A Job Interview

Follow Barton

FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitter

Phone (855) 895-3550
Email talentacquisition@bartonassociates.com
  • Job Openings
  • Career at Barton
  • Departments
  • Our Locations
  • Culture
  • About
  • Blog
FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitter
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Service
  • Barton Corporate
  • Privacy Portal
  • California Residents: Privacy Notice

© Copyright 2023 Barton Associates All Rights Reserved