Managing expectations in a new job is tough, but essential. Particularly on software development teams, there is a tendency for leadership to have high standards for new engineers to achieve. While you have strong skills to offer, such immediate and lofty expectations aren’t always necessarily fair or realistic.

Other challenges of starting a new role might exacerbate this, too. You’re trying to gain a positive reputation for yourself among fellow professionals. You also want to make an impact on projects while maintaining your mental wellness.

We’re going to outline five steps that can empower you to effectively manage new job expectations. These aren’t all the solutions, but they are some of the aspects that can make a real difference. With a little focus on some practical strategies, you can give yourself a good chance of thriving in your role.

Step 1: Set time management goals

Feeling as though there’s not enough time to perform your tasks is stressful. You can mitigate this by setting solid time management goals. Start by understanding your job description. What does the company expect you to get done within a certain timeframe? This can help you to identify the priorities among multiple tasks. 

It’s also important to get your manager or supervisor’s input on these goals. They will have their own development project goals. Talk about what you think is the best use of your time. Work with them to make sure you can create individual time management goals that align.

Another important metric you should be mindful of when creating time management goals is your key performance indicators (KPIs). During the onboarding process, you should have been given information about what the company will assess your work against. Make certain the goals influence your ability to hit these.  

Step 2: Communicate, communicate, communicate

A lack of communication is often a hurdle to success in a new development job. You certainly can’t just rely on the software project documentation to give you all the insights you need. Therefore, you should start opening the lines of communication in your first week. Find out who the key points of contact are and make it clear that you’re keen to engage in discussions.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek clarification on aspects of your role or your tasks. This isn’t a sign of weakness or incompetence. Rather, it shows a commitment to efficiency and learning. If possible, start scheduling weekly meetings with your managers to ensure your communication is consistent and positive for everyone involved.  

Part of your regular communication should involve discussing the current goals and objectives. Perform a full code database audit and discuss what the goals are related to its issues. The needs of a development project will evolve over time, too. Talking with superiors or colleagues about the current state of projects can help you better understand where you fit into them.

Step 3: Continue learning and developing your skills

Maintaining a strong skill set is vital to meeting and exceeding expectations in your new job. This begins with assessing your current strengths and weaknesses. Take an honest look at what you can do compared to the requirements of the job. Ask others in your development team what abilities genuinely push projects beyond the basics.

From here, you should actively seek out training and development opportunities in these areas. The company may subsidize courses that are relevant to your position. Your colleagues might also be useful for pointing you toward other educational resources. Even just diving into the code and being open to making mistakes is a good learning experience.

Additionally, you’ll likely find it worthwhile to create a personal growth plan. You don’t have to be able to know and do everything in the first week. After all, the ramp-up for new engineers on projects is usually expected to be about 6-12 months. Therefore, create goals for yourself staggered throughout the first 6 months. Take your time and give yourself the space to make gentle progress.

Step 4: Set boundaries and manage your work-life balance

Sure, you want to make a good impression in your new role. Yet, this shouldn’t be at the expense of your work-life balance. That puts you on the road to burnout and mental health challenges that are all too common among development professionals. You need to recognize your specific mental wellness needs and prioritize actions that safeguard them. This should include tempering your work commitment with solid self-care practices. Take regular breaks, pinpoint and reduce stressors, and get regular exercise, among other activities. 

Another important factor in remaining healthy and productive is to set solid boundaries. This can involve committing to leaving or stopping work on time. You might insist on not being contacted by colleagues or management when you’re not at work. Set and seek agreement on these boundaries right at the beginning of your employment. This minimizes the potential for you or your employer to feel either party is not living up to job expectations. 

You can also avoid both a reputation for underperforming and burnout by negotiating with management on their expectations. Establish what the low-to-mid levels of productivity your managers are happy with. You can then push beyond these to a limited degree that is both healthy for you and positive for your leaders.

Remember, though, that you shouldn’t feel alone in your efforts. Reach out for help if you find yourself struggling. Your colleagues are likely to have shared your experiences and can offer advice. Mental health professionals can introduce you to coping tools.

Step 5: Figure out how to increase your productivity

It’s important to take a gradual approach to meeting the expectations of your new job. This involves figuring out how to gently increase your productivity from the outset. Regularly seek feedback from your colleagues and supervisors. If you’re creating code, talk to testers about how your work compares to that of others. This gives you an outside perspective on how your performance is changing over time.

In addition, you can look at what elements of your role you can feasibly automate. Integrating technology into your workflow has multiple productivity benefits, and it reduces the potential for human errors. Automated systems also capture more accurate data, which results in streamlined analytics processes. Mindfully adopting these types of tools allows you to focus more on manual or creative tasks that have significant outcomes for your projects.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that being agile is essential for good productivity. Your ability to quickly adapt to changes and new challenges prevents potential bottlenecks. Don’t be afraid to take strict measures to achieve this. Going into “monk mode” for a while may help you to optimize your concentration. This enables you to put all your energy into achieving new goals or finding fresh solutions to problems.  

Don’t obsess over pushing your productivity levels, though. This is only likely to lead to stress. However, you should show that you are trying to improve. Even if you’re struggling, your efforts will generally be rewarded. You might also find that your manager will cut you some slack to catch up if they can see you’re applying yourself.

Summary

Effectively managing new job expectations can give you a solid start in your role. Your efforts here allow you to establish achievable goals, build positive relationships with your supervisors, and maintain your mental wellness.

Remember, though, that expectation management is not just something you do as a newbie. Your employers, clients, and colleagues’ expectations will evolve as your skills and clients’ needs develop. You, therefore, need to be open to regularly assessing and finding new ways to navigate this.

Actively addressing such challenges is a positive step, though. You have a lot to offer any development project and deserve to give yourself the best chance to thrive. Investing your time in adapting to expectations is an investment in your future success.