jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Advertise a Job
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Current Jobs

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters with Examples
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Career Progression Stories
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
  • Women in Higher Education
  • FE Career Advice
    • FE CV & Interview Tips
    • Working in FE
    • Managing your Career in FE
    • FE Jobs Profiles
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Job Profiles
      • Biological Science Jobs
      • Health and Medical Jobs
      • Engineering and Technology Jobs
      • Computer Science Jobs
      • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
      • Professional Service Jobs
        • Business Development Manager Jobs Profile
        • Chef Jobs Profile
        • Civil Service Jobs Profile
        • Email Marketing Jobs Profile
        • SEO Jobs Profile
        • Office Admin Jobs
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South Africa
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Dubai
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Work in Vietnam – Country Profile
      • Work in Uzbekistan – Country Profile
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • PhD and Studentship Advice
    • PhD
    • Studentship Resources
    • Vlogs
  • Need help advertising a job?
  • About jobs.ac.uk
  • Ask A Professional
  • Academic Spotlight Interviews
  • Menu
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • Free CV Templates
      • Cover Letters with Examples
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Career Progression Stories
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
      • Working From Home
    • Women in Higher Education
    • FE Career Advice
      • FE CV & Interview Tips
      • Working in FE
      • Managing your Career in FE
      • FE Jobs Profiles
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Vlogs
      • Job Profiles
        • Biological Science Jobs
        • Health and Medical Jobs
        • Engineering and Technology Jobs
        • Computer Science Jobs
        • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
        • Professional Service Jobs
        • Civil Service jobs
    • Webinars
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Work in Egypt – Country Profile
        • Work in Ghana – Country Profile
        • Work in Kenya – Country Profile
        • Work in Nigeria – Country Profile
        • Work in South Africa – Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Work in Canada – Country Profile
        • Work in the United States of America – Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Work in Bahrain – Country Profile
        • Work in Brunei – Country Profile
        • Work in China – Country Profile
        • Work in Hong Kong – Country Profile
        • Work in India – Country Profile
        • Work in Japan – Country Profile
        • Work in Kazakhstan – Country Profile
        • Work in Malaysia – Country Profile
        • Work in Qatar – Country Profile
        • Work in Saudi Arabia – Country Profile
        • Work in Singapore – Country Profile
        • Work in South Korea – Country Profile
        • Work in Turkey – Country Profile
        • Work in United Arab Emirates – Country Profile
      • Dubai
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Work in Denmark – Country Profile
        • Work in Finland – Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Work in Germany – Country Profile
        • Work in Ireland – Country Profile
        • Work in Italy – Country Profile
        • Work in the Netherlands – Country Profile
        • Work in Norway – Country Profile
        • Work in Russia – Country Profile
        • Work in Spain – Country Profile
        • Work in Sweden – Country Profile
        • Work in Switzerland – Country Profile
        • Work in the United Kingdom – Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Work in Australia – Country profile
        • Work in New Zealand – Country Profile
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs
    • Need help advertising a job?
    • About jobs.ac.uk

Key Questions To Ask When Starting A New Job

Woman asking key question when starting a new job

The hardest part is over. You have applied, been invited to interview, and got the job. Well done! However, now you will be faced with a range of new challenges as you prepare to start your new job. Here are some questions to consider and find the answers to in the first few days of a new job.

1. Who is my supervisor or mentor?

Your supervisor or mentor will be able to guide you in answering the rest of these questions so your first thing to do on starting a new job should be to locate him or her and introduce yourself. Good employers will make sure that your supervisor and mentor spend some time with you on your first day. Usually, if you are employed in a teaching role in FE, your supervisor will be the head of the department.

2. What are my initial priorities/duties?

Obviously you need to know exactly what your job will entail. You might have a good idea about this based on the job description, but on arrival you may find that the priorities of your company or institution are different to those you anticipated. Your role and how you receive information on it will depend on whether you are covering someone’s job, replacing a leaving employee or starting a newly created job. A pack of handover materials may be provided by the previous employee or you may be left to get on with your job with very little guidance.

3. Do I have a probationary period and how will my performance be appraised?

It is vital that you inform yourself of your terms of employment, which will be outlined in your contract. Most jobs have a probationary period in which you and your employer can decide to end your employment if problems arise. Make sure that you are aware of how long this period is. During that period your performance will be monitored so clarify with your line manager what will be required of you. You will also be offered a period of reduced work to ease yourself into a new job.

4. What are the promotion and career development prospects here?

It may seem a little premature to be thinking about promotion when you have just started a new job, but it is important to make plans for your future career development. Talk to your new colleagues and find out how long it took them to achieve promotion. Take time to become familiar with the hierarchical structure of your new institution or company. Talk to your supervisor and make it clear that you will be interested in finding out about training opportunities to improve your performance in your role and develop as a member of staff.

What did you think of our article? - please rate

5 / 5. 1


Share this article

Reader Interactions

You may also like:

  • Closeup keyword EdTech (EduTech, Educational technology) on tablet

    Embracing EdTech advances in Further Education

  • Speaker at Business convention and Presentation.

    A Guide to Community Teaching and Learning

  • online brand - social media icons

    Developing Your Online Brand

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 × 5 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

EDI button for Article

How important is EDI in HE?

Latest Jobs

  • Associate Dean - Creative Programmes 50373

    Education - Global University Systems, London College of Contemporary Arts

    Location: London

    Salary: Competitive


  • Research Technician Plant and Soil Ecology

    Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University

    Location: Lancaster

    Salary: £26,338 - £29,959


  • Head of Department - Access to Higher Education (LUM377/1874)

    Luminate Education Group

    Location: Leeds

    Salary: A spot point between £47,518 to £51,911 dependent on experience


  • Associate Dean in Research/Knowledge Exchange College of Leadership and Innovation

    Buckinghamshire New University

    Location: High Wycombe

    Salary: Spot salary


  • Research Fellow - OSMOSIS research programme

    Nursing, City St George’s, University of London

    Location: London

    Salary: £42,882 - £49,559


  • Researcher (Service User/ Lived Experience/ Survivor Researcher)

    Nursing, City St George’s, University of London

    Location: London

    Salary: £39,355 - £41,671


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025