Completing the probation period successfully does not require a superhuman effort on your part. All you are expected to do, preferably admirably, is fulfill your job role. Many employers provide new recruits with ongoing evaluations, whereas others do not. If your employer is not providing feedback during your probation period, take the initiative and seek out an evaluation from the employer before the probation period expires. Asking for information shows you care about your job and you have a desire to meet the needs of your company. Many new employees make the mistake of waiting until the end of the probation period to find out if there is an issue with their job performance. This leaves no time to correct the problem. If, through a probation evaluation, you do learn of a shortfall in your performance, take all the necessary steps to correct the problem. If you do not, you will only have yourself to blame.
The following list contains other techniques you can use to help you get through the probation period:
- Prove yourself competent at your job-Demonstrating your value in a new position is not always easy. Perhaps the only time a network administrator wants the network to go down is during the probation period. In this situation, your value to the company is obvious. However, if you are maintaining and monitoring the network behind closed doors for the duration of your probation, your significance is not as apparent.
- Work on projects with others-One of the key factors in determining your suitability for the job is your ability to work with others and collaborate on projects or problems. Whether you work with other IT professionals, users, clients, or customers, you need to be able to work well with different people. It is essential that you are able to do this during the probation period.
- Take an interest in the company-Researching and gaining knowledge of the company can work in your favor. It allows you to discover where the company is heading and modify your skills and efforts to make yourself an asset at the present time as well as in the future. Learning about the company also shows the employer your interest and enthusiasm.
With a little hard work, your probation period will end successfully, and you will become part of the team. At this point, you should start considering your future career goals.
Commitment to Training
With the job in the bag, you might think that your days of exams, training, and certifications are over-think again. Remember, keeping your job in IT means that you have to make a commitment to continue your training. It may not happen overnight, but the skills you currently use as an IT professional will become dated and eventually become obsolete. Training and keeping up with current technologies is the only way to combat this outcome.
Much of the IT professionals' training is performed on the job. IT professionals need to keep on top of the tools being used in their workplace. A constandy updated knowledge of the specific systems, software, and hardware used is a key requirement of those working in the industry. This knowledge makes you a valuable employee as well as difficult to replace.
In addition to maintaining your skills and training for the products used in the workplace, IT professionals must also keep up-to-date with other technologies. To maintain marketability, IT professionals must identify and learn the newest technologies that are introduced to the IT industry almost daily. To maintain this learning pace, IT professionals can refer to a variety of resources including technical Web sites, magazines, and newspapers.
Renegotiating Your Package
When you are first looking for work, it is hard to imagine sitting down with your employer and renegotiating your employment package. Because of your experience and ongoing training, the day may come when renegotiation will take place. Like any other part of your career, renegotiation requires a strategy. Timing your renegotiation is, of course, part of the strategy. When the time comes to renegotiate, you need to know what you want, what you will be satisfied with, what your market value is in the IT industry, and what your value is to the company.You should go into negotiations with a certain frame of mind. Know what you would like from the negotiations and also know what you will settle for. Keep in mind that negotiation is a two-way process. Employees enter negotiations because they believe they have more to offer their employer than they did when the package was last negotiated and want to be compensated for their additional knowledge and skills. Employers have a certain perceived value of what the added benefit is "worth" to them, hence, the negotiation. You can only properly negotiate if you have something to offer. Also, remember that, should the negotiations be successful, you will have to continue to work with the other person, perhaps directly for the foreseeable future. With this in mind, make sure that negotiations are always kept polite and friendly.
