How to overcome the fear of a new job and a new team? Fear of a new job: how to get rid of it? Don't be afraid to take a new job
You won’t even remember the last time you woke up with a feeling of trepidation and excitement about the upcoming work day. The joy of new prospects and opportunities for cooperation opening up to you is a thing of the past - when you first got this position. You mostly associate work with routine. Reminds me of your life? It's worth thinking about looking for a new job!
2. You are unhappy
Perhaps it’s even worse: you not only don’t enjoy the new day, but you feel unhappy every morning. There is a high probability that your work, to which you devote almost all your time, is to blame. This is not the fault of your boss or your colleagues. Perhaps you simply once placed yourself incorrectly in a team.
But this does not mean that you are now obliged to suffer for the rest of your days.
Learn from your mistakes and look to the future. an attractive vacancy, and let your new job become your favorite!
3. Your company is doomed
Sometimes we do everything in our power, but circumstances still do not work out in the best way. If you soberly realize that the company is going down, you shouldn’t go down with it. Don’t wait for the sunset - start looking for a new job now, so that later you don’t have to indicate a non-existent job on your resume.
4. You don't like your colleagues at all.
Your colleagues and boss are the people with whom you spend most of your life. And if you take into account the time you devote to sleep, traffic jams, and shopping, then, in fact, they are with you almost all the time. In moments of ups and downs, rejoicing and breakdowns. Most likely, they are really looking forward to you getting back from vacation or sick leave (we won’t go into searching for the true motives). Therefore, there is no point in staying in a company whose employees you do not like.
Even if you like the work you do, the lack of normal contact with colleagues will sooner or later play a negative role in your career.
Think about which people you really enjoy being with. And go to where they work. Then life will become much more enjoyable.
5. Your boss only looks up.
Often, in caring for his promotion, a manager pays attention only to higher management, without providing sufficient support to those who are subordinate to him. This situation is not uncommon. However, such a policy will not lead to positive results. Productive teamwork implies an interest in the overall result of everyone. Do you feel that the leader is playing only for himself? Don't fool yourself - you won't succeed here.
6. You're stressed
Today, more and more people complain of a feeling of constant background anxiety and even panic. Perhaps you are one of them? Then pay attention Special attention to this point in the article. You should not think that anxiety can be causeless if it has become your constant companion, although, at first glance, nothing unusual happens. Most likely, the reason lies precisely in what has become routine and familiar to you - in your work.
You can, of course, resort to the help of a psychologist, sedatives (almost certainly you have already tried this). But these remedies only fight the symptoms. If your anxiety begins in the morning, and in the evening you fly out of the office in the hope of finally hiding in your refuge (home, gym or bar) - this is a sure sign that you need to look for another place of work.
lightwavemedia/Depositphotos.com7. You start getting sick more often
In some cases it can lead to even more negative consequences: poor health becomes habitual, chronic diseases develop. But before you grumble about the deteriorating environment and say that “old age is not a joy,” think about whether you really eat that poorly or don’t get enough rest? If yes, try to change it. But if you wonder how your friends manage to stay full of energy despite the fact that they do not follow all the healthy lifestyle rules that you are obsessed with, and you were not a weak child as a child, then you should change your tactics. Try this time to change not yourself, but the world around you - start with work.
8. You don't share your company's vision.
If you think that the company should work completely differently, then it will be difficult to strive for the same goal with management.
When you're not close at all corporate spirit, moral principles and ethical standards that reign at work, no matter how hard you try to disguise it, the “flock” will not accept you.
You have every right to your own vision of how things should be arranged. But you should not aggressively oppose it to the existing order. Allow others to be different, and yourself to be yourself. And find a job among your own.
9. You can't achieve balance
You are constantly rushing between work and family, feeling that you don’t have time for either. Spending more time with your family, you do not have time to complete your manager’s tasks on time. And by staying late at work, you miss important events for your loved ones. It looks like you have a “work-life” situation. Take a deep breath and soberly admit: you are better off trying yourself in another position. And it’s better if it’s your decision, not your boss’s or your family’s.
10. Your productivity has dropped
Even if you're still getting things done, but you feel like you're no longer productive, it might be time to make a change. Finding tips is easy. But try not to get caught up in all these ideas of self-development, motivation and personal growth - know when to stop and remember the goal. If you are not planning to become a business coach, then you need to look the other way. Namely - in the area of your professional interests. But perhaps in another position or in another company.
11. Your abilities are not used
This is not the first time you have been denied a promotion, and attempts to take on more complex tasks have not been successful. It seems that your management simply does not want to admit that you are capable of giving more to the company. Don't let your ambitions be ruined. Try to find another place where your talents will be given the green light.
12. Your responsibilities are growing, but your salary is not.
There may be different reasons for this situation, but in any case, you should not take it for granted. If a reduction in the company has led to the fact that you have twice as much work to do, and meanwhile your salary is not proportional, it means that management is pursuing an unfair policy.
Even if you're offered a promotion, make sure your salary increases in proportion to your responsibilities before celebrating.
Don't give in to vanity and don't chase a fancy job title. If you feel like your work is undervalued, look for another job!
13. Your ideas are not heard
Are your proposals no longer appreciated, and are your ideas brushed aside like annoying flies? This is a bad trend. Of course, you shouldn’t give up your resignation if it happened once or twice. Maybe you need to change the way you present your thoughts. However, if they don’t want to take your opinion into account time after time without explanation, you shouldn’t be disappointed in yourself and in the world - you should look for a new job.
14. They don’t say thank you
If, on the contrary, your suggestions are used with all their might, and the company’s successful decisions are largely built on your ideas, but no one says thank you - this is an unhealthy atmosphere. It is possible, of course, that the manager is reflected in the amount of payments. In such a situation, honestly determine for yourself whether only a material assessment of your own merits is enough for you. If not, and especially in the case when your ideas are simply blatantly appropriated by someone else, you have every moral right to quit and find a place where you will be sincerely grateful.
15. You are stagnant
Are you bored. At your job, you perform the same type of tasks day after day and don’t learn anything new. Most likely, you have already outgrown this position.
Answer yourself this question: are you developing here as a professional?
If there is no opportunity for growth in this company, you should move on and look for a position in another.
Gladkov/Depositphotos.com 16. People criticize you
In any situation in a work environment, there is only room for criticism of your work. If the boss gets personal and showers you personally with negative assessments, these are problems of his character and upbringing. If you are unable to change the style of such communication to a more productive one, do not be offended, do not be insolent - it is better to look for another job under the guidance of an adequate professional.
17. You are insulted
It is completely unacceptable for you to be harassed by a colleague. If you are a victim of bullying, sexual harassment or any other aggressive behavior, if you are deceived in financial matters or if promises are not kept, immediately!
18. You promise yourself to quit
Many people have been promising themselves and their loved ones for years that they will change jobs. However, this never comes to fruition. Over and over again, you wait until “they throw you a new bone,” and use it to justify the fact that you do nothing. Seeing the good in any situation is the path to peace. But this is not always the path to development.
Don't fool yourself - take active steps to build a successful career and a happy life.
19. You don't dream of a leadership position.
Are you working diligently and completing all the tasks assigned by management? Do you even imagine yourself in your dreams as a leader? If not, then you are in the wrong place. Not everyone, of course, can be a boss or director, but at least becoming a project manager is a natural development in the workplace. If you don't see yourself in this position in the next few years, you should think about changing your career.
20. You are afraid to think about the future.
In such a situation, changing jobs should be a top priority. This decision will not be easy to make, because you have long made a whole list of excuses for yourself. Write down on paper all the reasons why you think that you will not succeed in your career. Crumple it up and throw it in the trash!
Remember your childhood dreams, make a list of your skills and a list of what you would like to learn. Find common ground and start moving towards improving your life.
You can and must give yourself and the world more than a dull wait for the end of the working day!
In this article, I will not consider the case when you just got the first serious job in your life. Everything here is completely new. Everything is unusual. And countless pieces of advice can be given on professional and social adaptation.
Rule one. Let's open the chakras and calm down.
So, it’s your first day sitting in a new chair and you immediately want to impress the new management with your remarkable talents. It won't work. You are under stress.
Whether you are so nervous that your hands are shaking or feel a little nervous - it already depends on your personality traits. When in such a limbo you try to prove that you are the best, it leads to unnecessary fuss. You will make twice as many mistakes.
By the way, if you made a mistake, don't be afraid to admit it. Try to suggest options for fixing it. Now let’s take a deep breath, remember that only angels are without flaws, and even those in heaven, and open the chakras to receive as much information as possible from the outside.
Rule two. Let's ask questions and warm our ears.
But information will flow at you in an endless stream. And keeping most of it in your head is task number one in the first days of work.
You are lucky if you are greeted by a wise mentor at the door of your office. And he told you the following:
- Job descriptions. Strictly speaking, what responsibilities are assigned to you and to what extent.
- Inner order rules. Is it customary to have tea and cookies at the workplace, how many times a day can you go out for a smoke break, how much time is allotted for lunch.
- It would be ideal if you were privy to some of the little details. Let's say the boss doesn't like it when people hum under their breath in the workplace. But, most likely, you will have to obtain such information yourself.
So let's warm our ears! That is, we learn about the rules of the dress code, if it exists. If loose clothing is allowed, try not to dress too provocatively in the first days. Later, you will be able to determine what is acceptable in a given team and what is best avoided. Appearance a new employee can become one of the annoying factors for the “old guys”.
Rule four, five, six, etc.
No need for gossip. Washing seeds is an unworthy activity. And for a new employee it’s simply unacceptable.
Do not talk about personal topics on your mobile phone, much less on your office phone. As a last resort, you should leave the work area.
Don't be late. Remember, accuracy is the courtesy of kings!
Don't stay up late. Evening gatherings most likely mean that you cannot properly plan your work day or are trying to curry favor with your superiors. Neither one nor the other will count towards you.
Of course, it’s also not worth running headlong as soon as the arrows reach six in the evening. We maintain balance.
Remember, any organization is a complex mechanism. And you will be able to become a full-fledged cog only in a few months. I hope these rules will help you spend these months without unnecessary nerves!
Almost all of us are familiar with the feeling of anxiety before the first day at a new job. In this article we will try to explain the reasons for the occurrence of such a condition due to, by and large, an almost ordinary event. For some, moving to a new job is a real problem. We all know the feeling when “our hearts demand change,” but an inner anxious “worm” gnaws and forces us to sit still. The article will focus specifically on fear of a new job, not to be confused with ordinary fear.
Fear of a new job is a natural state. No matter how oppressed we are by our previous service, no matter how offended we are by our boss or outraged by low earnings - all this is a comfort zone that has set teeth on edge. Even if you say: “What kind of comfort is this?” - This is true. The comfort is that you know what awaits you. There is no unknown for you: yes, a small salary, yes, a harmful director, yes, the work is primitive - but there are no surprises. This is comfort.
Fear when changing jobs arises precisely from not knowing what to expect. After all, employment affects several factors at once: job responsibilities, interaction with people (boss, employees, clients), working conditions, wage. Dissatisfaction with any of these points can lead to the fact that the job becomes hell and ends in dismissal.
Fear of a new job can be caused by a combination of reasons. Most often it overtakes people experiencing general self-doubt. A person with low self-esteem tends to experience great anxiety about what others will think of him. A new place means a new experience, and it’s not a fact that it will be successful.
Such a person is especially let down by his fear of asking a question again, so as not to seem incompetent. And in a new position, a lot of questions always arise, the lack of answers to which increases anxiety even more, and the circle closes.
An important reason may be previous negative experiences. A person tends to transfer his past experiences to a new place and provoke the same problems with his behavior. If your relationship with management did not work out at your previous job, you will perceive any new boss with particular suspicion and anxiety. However, it is worth noting that the manager can also change to old job. But this is not perceived so acutely, because everything else is familiar.
What kind of people are afraid of a new job?
A special fear of a new place is typical for people of a certain type, and here we are talking not only about self-esteem. Problems with communication skills are acutely manifested in situations of a new team. Introverts often experience increased anxiety when changing jobs. Their psyche is structured in such a way that establishing social contacts occurs slowly and in some positions this is a problem. Getting to know new responsibilities and colleagues moves slowly and is not always met with understanding. Introverts know this about themselves and begin to worry in advance.
Temperament also plays a big role. Choleric and melancholic people are not able to remain balanced in stressful situations, and a new job is definitely stressful. Questions and misunderstandings that arise unsettle them, the level of anxiety rises, and emotions take over.
The worst thing is that after this they begin to feel guilty, to work themselves up even more, although in fact, it is quite likely that no one from the environment attached much importance to their behavior. And again the circle of anxiety closes. It is for such people that this notorious exit from the comfort zone is a big problem. They are terribly afraid of both a new job and moving.
The situation often gets worse when it comes to a woman on maternity leave, or a person who suffers at her real job, does not develop and feels an urgent need to change something.
Signs and manifestations of fear
The fear can be so strong that it prevents you from deciding to leave your previous position. A person may be well aware that he has outgrown it, that the salary is not satisfactory, that there are better options in every sense, but acute fear prevents him from taking this step. When a person overcomes himself and decides to change jobs, the body treacherously turns on.
Before an interview or even before the first day of work, amazing metamorphoses begin. A previously calm and cool person begins to run to the toilet, choke, and feel dizzy. These offensive symptoms further increase anxiety: “What if I disgrace myself there, at work? What will they think of me? And everything starts with a vengeance.
The autonomic nervous system responds to stress. Nausea occurs, your legs give way, your heart just jumps out of your chest, your face turns red or pale, your mouth becomes dry, your armpits sweat, your voice breaks. Particularly suspicious people begin to experience problems long before the event. They have nightmares or completely lose sleep, their appetite disappears, and chronic illnesses worsen.
How to overcome fear of a new job
Pathological fear can be caused by serious mental disorders, so if fear leads you to panic attacks, it is better to consult a psychotherapist or at least a consulting psychologist. A specialist will help you figure out what exactly you are afraid of, what your fear is based on, and how you can work with it.
There are often cases when such irrational fear has deep roots and this is only one of the possible manifestations. Nowadays, turning to a psychologist is not something shameful.
Until recently, people had the idea that mentally ill people or those who have a lot of money and free time go to a psychologist. Fortunately, people are gradually beginning to realize that a psychologist is the same specialist as the hairdresser whose services you resort to. After all, doesn’t it seem strange to you that someone who has been specially trained can do your hair better than you yourself? That is why with some problems in your head you should come to a professional, and not suffer yourself or pester your girlfriends and relatives.
However, quite often a person is able to independently overcome the fear of a new job. In order for fear to decrease, you need to admit to yourself that it exists. Honest dialogue with yourself is an important part of the awareness process. Next, “therapy” yourself: what are you afraid of? Who are you afraid of? Follow your thoughts, no matter how absurd they may seem to you.
Try to get to the bottom of the truth. In fact, you have all the answers to your questions in your head. For example, you are afraid of not joining the team. What does this mean to you? Do you want to find friends there? Maybe. What if you don't find it? Yes, you have friends outside of work. After all, you can maintain a formal relationship with your colleagues without getting too close, and this will not harm your reputation in the least.
Do you want to please everyone? What for? What happens if not everyone likes you? If such questions lead you to the conclusion that your opinion of yourself depends on what those around you think about yourself, then you need to work on self-sufficiency. Concentrating on your strengths and positive qualities helps you overcome fear. Yes, you don’t yet know how successfully you will cope with your new job, however, you have a lot of positive examples in which you achieved good results.
Are you afraid of your boss? And why? What makes you think that he is some kind of evil, or a tyrant, or a stupid person? Why do you think he won't like you? What is it about you that should push him away? Conversely, you may be afraid that he will like you so much that he will begin to behave indecently towards you? What is this fear associated with? Have you had any negative experiences? Why do you think that you cannot defend your boundaries? The answers to all these questions will help you understand your fear thoroughly and, therefore, cope with it.
You may be frightened by seemingly ridiculous questions: what should you call your junior colleagues, “You” or “you”? If it's "you" - won't they consider me too distant, and if it's "you" - I might give the impression of an ill-mannered person. How do you eat here? Carry lunch with you, or go to a cafe? Is there a buffet here? Is it possible to drink coffee during working hours? Will it be convenient for me? workplace? All this is really important, you just need to make yourself understand that it will take time to adapt and there is nothing terrible about it.
And most importantly, during a dialogue with yourself, answer the question: “what if everything is bad? Nothing is working out, the employees are bastards, the boss is a tyrant, the conditions are unsatisfactory.” Nothing! Just quit and look for something that suits you.
There is nothing wrong with this, you are not signing a contract with the devil, you will not be obliged to work at this new job for the rest of your life. This thought often helps overcome fear before starting a new work activity. You just try, and suddenly it’s “yours” and that’s it.
Some useful tips that will help you feel more confident when applying for a new place:
- Firstly, be friendly, smile and don't try to pretend to be anything.
- Secondly, don't be afraid to ask questions. People love to talk about themselves and show their competence in something. However, don't go too far; your questions shouldn't be too personal or intrusive.
- Thirdly, the famous saying about someone else's monastery is very correct. First, observe how the employees of the new team behave. Gradually you will integrate into it, and if you earn authority, then you will be able to correct some aspects that seem inappropriate to you.
- fourthly, don’t let us push through your boundaries, and at the same time, don’t flaunt them. And finally, if you can’t calm down your excitement and anxiety, think about how you react to new people in the team? Would you pay attention to everything that is bothering you now? Do you change your attitude towards a person depending on how he is dressed, or how quickly he has mastered his new job? Don't overestimate others and value yourself.
Life and business coach Larisa Kislova discusses how you can overcome your fear of a new job in the following video:
conclusions
The fear of a new job is familiar to almost all of us to one degree or another. Some people are able to overcome it on their own, while others need to consult a psychologist. This is not surprising, because for many people work is a second home, and they really want it to be pleasant or at least comfortable to go there. Before starting a new job, try to accept the idea that this anxiety is temporary and gradually you will become familiar with all the nuances and feel good. And if not, then to hell with it, you’ll find a new one!
Summer is a traditional period of “quiet” in the labor market. But in the fall, thousands of employees join new teams: some get their first job, while others change companies or areas of activity.
“The first three months of a new job are essentially an extension of the interview process,” says Amanda Augustine, an expert at TheLadders, a job matching service for professionals. “From day one you have to be on your toes,” she explains.
Having spent many years consulting with high-level professionals, Amanda shares some observations about how employees behave in the workplace, who subsequently fit into the team and achieve success.
1. Meet
Don't wait for your colleagues to come up to you to get to know you - take the initiative. Say hello and communicate with new people at every opportunity: in the elevator, in the kitchen, in the smoking room. “Colleagues may not have time for a long conversation with a new person,” says Amanda. “Start with the people who are closest to you, those who work directly with you.” In addition, colleagues themselves are interested in you adapting to work in the company as quickly as possible - after all, your activities affect the overall result.
2. Make friends with someone who has worked here for a long time and can help with advice.
Find out which colleagues have been working for the company long enough to be aware of all the intricacies of corporate policy. Find a "veteran" who has already learned what approaches work and what doesn't, and ask him to help you get used to the new place. “Every company has its own slang and “inside jokes,” stories from the life of the team,” says Amanda Augustine. “Instead of trying to understand the cultural subtleties on your own, find someone who will help you decipher the local “communication codes” and initiate you into features of the rules of conduct."
In addition, you will need someone to contact with stupid questions: where to get a pencil, who answers computer repairs, when water and cookies will arrive. It’s absurd to go to a manager with such problems, but asking a colleague about little things is quite appropriate.
3. Set expectations
“Work within the expectations of your boss,” advises Amanda. Try to find out during the interview exactly what results are expected from your work and by what criteria you will be assessed. The first 3 months are best spent working on “meeting expectations.”
If you have taken a leadership position, make sure that your new subordinates are aware of your requirements. The first week of work can determine the direction and tone of all future communications.
4. Find out who is playing on your team
Pay attention to how your colleagues react to you. It is quite possible that you took the place that one of the more experienced employees was aiming for. So don't relax right away, but pay attention to non-verbal signals and what they say behind your back. At the same time, you should help your colleagues and generally behave as kindly as possible in order to avoid offense and misunderstandings, at least in the first months of work.
5. Remember where the coffee is
Purely domestic issues can destroy not only the family, but also relationships in the team. A newcomer, although nice and professional, is always moving the sugar bowl in the common kitchen and is incredibly annoying. So try at first to put things back exactly where you got them from, learn the habits of your office and get used to them.
6. Live up to the legend
It doesn’t matter how you managed to get hired, or what exactly you said about your talents and skills during the interview. It is important that at least in the first few weeks you live up to the impression you made at the interview.
If you have focused on your ability to work with social networks or analytical talents, create a company account or start preparing summary reports on office work. It is important that this activity is noticed by management. At the beginning of cooperation, you will already receive enough attention - so don’t be shy to show what you are working on. Get ready full list your tasks and successes. If you don’t need it now, it will be fine for future recertifications or as an argument for your demand to increase your salary.
7. Ask, ask, ask
The worst thing you can do in the first week of work is to remain silent in the corner. If you are planning to build a career in a company or change the usual way of things in the office, first understand how everything actually works here. In addition, the desire to learn about the usual rhythm of office life will help win the favor of colleagues. As you know, it is not customary to go to a foreign monastery with its own rules. And you have a chance to prove that you are willing to learn and adapt to others - at least in small ways.
8. Organize your work
You will have to learn a lot of new information, even if you came to a job that you have been doing for a long time, but in a different company. Organize your workday wisely and conveniently so as not to create more chaos.
Moving to a new job is also a great opportunity to start good habits and break bad habits. If you've been wanting to start using a time planner for a long time, there's no better time.
9. Show yourself in public
Try to “show up” in front of as many people as possible. The faster they remember you and begin to recognize you, the faster they will get used to you as part of the team. Yes, not everyone finds it easy to behave relaxed in a new place. But just free communication and the absence of tension is an indicator that you have become “one of our own” in the team.
But simply “trading face” is not enough. Feel free to speak out on topics in which you consider yourself competent. This will earn you the title of expert in certain areas. And if you make a mistake, as a beginner, it will be forgiven.
10. Make friends with new colleagues on social networks
There are not many opportunities for informal communication in the office. Thank you social networks: in order to get to know a person better and understand how they live, we no longer have to study their habits for years or ask mutual friends. It’s better to start “virtual dating” with professional social networks, for example, with LinkedIn (Facebook, and even more so VKontakte, is perceived by many as an exclusively personal space where you don’t want to allow “just acquaintances”).
11. Get to know your colleagues from your previous job better
It may sound contradictory, but moving to a new place is good time to reacquaint yourself with people from the previous team. You may be surprised to learn that the most interesting colleagues are not those with whom you worked on the same project, but, for example, an inconspicuous lawyer from a neighboring department. Now that you are not bound by strict corporate rules and work “turnover” does not distort a person’s perception, you can make “new old friends.”
Another bonus from communicating with former colleagues is that right now, when you are not actively looking for a job, the easiest way for them to write you a couple of recommendations is on LinkedIn.
12. Find your way to a pharmacy and a normal cafe
Explore your surroundings. Moving to a new job is almost like moving into a new apartment. Few people pay attention to the infrastructure right away, but when necessary, it turns out that there are no “very urgently needed” things nearby. So on the way to work, mark where the nearest shopping center is, where you can have a snack or drink coffee, where the emergency pharmacy is, and where it is most convenient to call a taxi. Believe me, all these little things will be very useful to you if you are going to stay in the company for a long time.
After spending eight years in the same office, I realized that it was time to change something. However, as soon as it came to looking for a job, I was seized by real panic. The new job scared me to the point of trembling in my knees. Can I handle it? How will you greet the team? Will your relationship with your superiors work out? Have I lost my business acumen and flexibility of thinking after eight years in one place? What if I don't pass the probationary period? The fear of a new job was simply paralyzing...
During times Soviet Union Labor dynasties were held in high esteem. It was considered very prestigious to spend your entire life in one workplace or in one work team. And if there was fear, it was not of work, but of the boss or the opinion of the team. “He went through his career from a mechanic’s apprentice to a production manager”, “Thirty years ago she came to the enterprise as a young graduate”, “He is one of those specialists whom the plant raised from its own personnel, training them at the expense of the enterprise”, “Her whole life passed before the eyes of the team,” such phrases were once often found in work biographies.
Much has changed since then, including views on the track record of a good specialist. Today, an employee who sits in one place all his life can hardly be considered promising. It is becoming increasingly popular to say that you need to change jobs every five years in order not to lose your professionalism and to have enough diverse experience to increase your value as a specialist. Resumes and entries in work books are becoming more voluminous. As a result, more and more people are afraid of work.
I want to change my job, but I'm afraid...
In my case it was exactly like that. After several years spent in one place, changing jobs was scary, even taking into account the fact that the changes seemed to be expected for the better. In the old team, everyone knows you and does not require you to “get stars from the sky.” And the work is familiar to the point of automaticity. What if in a new place you have to deal with something you’ve never done before? What if I don’t have enough knowledge? After all, you can easily disgrace yourself, sit in a puddle, get into trouble. The fear of a new job can poison life seriously and for a long time, turning long-awaited changes into protracted, destructive stress.
By the way, I never settled into one of my new jobs. Every morning I woke up thinking that I was afraid to go to work. The team remained alien and aggressive; almost no one spoke to me. The boss gave incomprehensible tasks, without explaining anything and without meeting halfway. The office seemed uncomfortable and hostile, and each new day only added to the frustration. The only plus was the salary, and I forced myself to go to work, hoping that everything would work out. It was real hard labor. Three or four cigarettes, smoked every morning before entering, brought nausea, slightly dulling the sticky, disgusting fear. In the evenings, alcohol was used to combat stress... Even many years later, this negative experience is remembered as a waking nightmare.
How to overcome fear of a new job? The answer to this question is both complex and simple. First, you need to understand the main causes of fear that lie deep inside. Is it really a fear of work or a fear of something else?
I'm afraid to go to work
My friend Olya worked for several years as a manicurist in a small private hairdresser. And then she suddenly decided that it was time for her to grow up and went to massage therapist courses, after which they promised to place her in a big health Center. At first, Olya was fired up by this idea and seemed to be glad about this turn of fate, but the closer the day of receiving her diploma approached, the sadder my friend became. In the end, she admitted that she was afraid to go to work: after the small salon, the health center seemed terribly scary to her. She almost stopped eating, and at night she dreamed of dissatisfied clients making scandals and disgracing her in front of her new colleagues. The fear of failing at work, making mistakes, doing something wrong, or looking ridiculous became her obsession. It got to the point that when she thought about work, her blood pressure would rise, her palms would sweat, and she would feel short of breath.
Alas, Olya never got over this fear and still files other people’s nails in her small salon, and her massage therapist diploma gathers dust among old postcards and documents. At the same time, she is a really good massage therapist, as her friends and family, who have experienced the skill of her hands, have long been convinced of.
This skill could have been appreciated by other people if she had not been so afraid of becoming part of a new team.
Fear of the new team
It's almost always difficult to get along with new people. And it’s doubly difficult if these people are your new work team. What are they saying behind your back? What do they think of you? Do they notice every oversight and every mistake? Do they gossip and discuss your clumsiness and mistakes? It is very difficult to become part of an established, close-knit team. And the thought that you will have to be a stranger and a black sheep in a new “working family” for a long time can poison the joy of the most wonderful, prestigious and highly paid job.
Here two points usually come to the fore. Firstly, the fear of change, which is common to many people with... They see new people, like everything new in general, as a threat, a source of danger, an unknown and therefore frightening factor from which you don’t know what to expect. Secondly, self-doubt and increased sensitivity to the opinions of others, which inflates fear of the new team.
A couple of years ago, the company I worked for was facing massive downsizing. My colleague Anton simply panicked at this prospect. What can I say if he was clearly afraid to look for a job, let alone change it. When he sent his resume, his hands were shaking, you could hear it from the way he nervously clicked his mouse. And when they called him about an interview, his face simply changed... “How will I work there? I don't know anyone there! And this is a completely different end of Moscow!” - he complained hysterically after another interview.
Another colleague, Nina, fell into depression after being told about the layoff and even sobbed at times in front of her computer monitor. “I’m so used to you all... How will I work with strangers?” - she said through tears. At the same time, her heart rate increased, her palms sweated, and headaches began. The fear of a new job completely ruined her last days in our friendly team...
Fear of the boss
Among the fears before work, the fear of the boss stands apart. If only because you can suddenly get it without even changing your job.
This happened to my brother, who left for another city, tempted by the offer of a world-famous production company. At first it was not easy for him in the new place, he had to overcome the fear of a new job, the alienation of the team, and new responsibilities... After a few months, he completely got used to it, completed his probationary period, became friends with his colleagues, and began to go to work with pleasure. It was then that thunder struck: the boss was changed at the enterprise. Instead of the previous boss, who actually invited an out-of-town employee, they appointed an aggressive tyrant as the manager, who began his “reign” with the total suppression of any personal initiative of his subordinates, with rudeness and personal insults...
Alas, not everyone was able to overcome the fear of the new boss, including my brother, who had to quit and leave the city to which he had gotten used to with such difficulty and perseverance...
There are times in every person's life when he is afraid of losing his job or, having already lost it, is afraid to go to a new job. This may be due to fear of change, fear of a new team, fear of not being able to cope with the job, of disgrace, of not being up to par, etc. However, no matter what fears accompany the process of going to work, it cannot be avoided. Life dictates the need to earn and support ourselves and our family... And the less stress and fears that accompany changes in our work history, the more successful and happier we will be. Sometimes this requires very little, for example, taking the “System-Vector Psychology” training by Yuri Burlan and getting rid of the fear of work forever. Free online lectures are coming soon - join us to learn more! Registration .
Proofreader: Anna Katargina
The article was written based on training materials “ System-vector psychology»