Are You Using Old Techniques For A New Job?

You may not think you’ve changed jobs, but when you go higher in your career (or larger in your business), your role changes, and you essentially have a new job. I write about preparation strategies for callback interviews in a recent Forbes post as an example of what-got-you-here-won’t-get-you-there. You can’t expect callback interviews to be the same as first rounds – they’re tougher– so you can’t prepare the same way. Similarly, when you advance in your career, you’re in a new job. You have different responsibilities and expectations. What worked before – skills, expertise, even time management approach -- won’t necessarily be as effective. Are you using old techniques for a new job?

Do you need new people skills?

This isn’t to imply that you aren’t good with people. Far from it, if you’ve advanced in your career or business, you likely have excellent relationship and communication skills. But you may be managing directs or teams or projects for the first time or in a larger scope and scale. This makes earlier management approaches not as relevant to what you need to do now.

What do you need to learn?

Aside from people skills, you may need to do more exhaustive research or upgrade your analytical skills or start developing business. Identify the new aspects of your role and get support and training for these specifically. Don’t assume you can just figure it out and lose time spinning your wheels or being ineffective.

Does your schedule match your new priorities?

If you’re responsible for new things, you can’t hold onto the old things. It isn’t guaranteed that your promotion comes with additional resources to whom you can delegate all of your old work. You may need to enroll a junior colleague to pick up the extra. You may need to stop doing activities that don’t align with your new responsibilities. You may need to confront your boss about what stays and what goes on your priority list. However you handle it, you need to consciously reset your time management strategy

Have you given yourself enough runway?

All of the above adjustments take time. You are not going to be effective or efficient from day one as you absorb new responsibilities. Build extra time into your calendar because things will take longer. Set check-in reminders at regular intervals (1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months) to ensure you’re moving in the right direction and to get help before falling too far behind. Needing extra runway as you tackle something new is expected, so build it into your calendar and your expectations of yourself.

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Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a career and business coach with SixFigureStart®. She has worked with executives from Amazon, American Express, Condé Nast, Gilt, Goldman Sachs, Google, McKinsey, and other leading firms. She’s also a stand-up comic, so she’s not your typical coach.