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How to Transition to an Office Job

Jacquelyn Smith

Let's say you just got a new job that requires you to sit at a desk, in an office—but you’ve never worked in this type of environment before. This means you’ll have to figure out how to navigate the culture and understand the dynamics of this unfamiliar, complex territory.

Learning the ropes can be extremely challenging, so I turned to career and workplace experts to find out what you can do to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

“If someone has never worked in an office environment, it's probably going to be difficult to transition,” says Amy Hoover, president of Talent Zoo, a site for marketing, advertising, and digital professionals. “There are nuances and politics that you won't find in a handbook but that everyone is expected to understand.”

David Parnell, a legal consultant, communication coach and author, agrees. He says, depending on the type of workplace you’re coming from, transitioning into an office environment can be tricky.

“Entrepreneurs entering, or re-entering a traditional office setting can have difficulty fitting into a more complex team dynamic, acquiescing to authority and/or adhering to policies and procedures that they didn't set,” he says. “Blue collar workers turning white collar can find it challenging to understand office politics, learn a more delicate etiquette structure, and, depending on their social skills, decipher unwritten rules and norms. Students, on the other hand, may run into all of the above.”

The ultimate goal is to be able to fit in while simultaneously being able to stand out, for good reasons, says Debra Benton, an executive coach and author of The Virtual Executive: How to Act Like a CEO Online and Offline. “If you don't do both you could be replaced by someone who does.”

But getting there isn’t always easy.

Sara Sutton Fell, CEO and founder of Flexjobs, says a successful transition to a new office job generally starts with becoming an integral and valued part of the team. “Learning how to navigate the office culture is part of that, because it's also about cultivating positive relationships with the people on your team,” she says. “Try to get off on the right foot, even if the corporate culture seems completely different. It's important to get a handle on it and show that you're committed to the company by learning the ropes.” If you don't, it can be tougher to establish yourself as a team player and a valuable employee—and you won’t be able to fit in and stand out.

Here are 12 additional tips from the experts on how to successfully transition to an office job:

Ask questions before you start.

“Inquire beforehand as to expectations of time to arrive at work, time to leave; dress; and other protocols,” Benton says. You wouldn’t want to start off on the wrong foot. Plus, knowing some of these things in advance may help ease any anxiety or nervousness.

Get to know the people, their roles, and their relationships with one another.

You’ll want to closely observe the dynamics and interactions between your new co-workers, Hoover says. "Most offices have some form of a gossip, a teacher's pet, and the silent-but-effective type, among others. Before you get too chummy with anyone, take a few weeks to figure out who's playing which role at your office,” she adds.

Quickly establish the office's politics and power structure.

Aside from knowing who plays what role, figure out who has sway among your cohorts. “Who has the manager's ear? Who is a pariah for that matter?” Parnell says. “Unfortunately, you didn't leave cliques behind you when you graduated high school; you need to choose your bedfellows wisely. Where groups are concerned, social hierarchies are an automatic and naturally occurring phenomenon and you can't navigate them properly until you've established a blueprint.”

Start building relationships immediately.

As soon as you figure out who’s who, start building smart relationships across the organization, and offer to help those people out, suggests Stever Robbins, an executive coach and top 10 business podcaster. “You'll learn about their goals and build political capital this way.”

Try to find an ally.  

Seek out someone who has already gone through the ropes and who you can learn from. “It's great to both benefit from their experience, but also it can help really speed up the process of learning about the company and how to succeed there,” Sutton Fell says.

Hoover agrees. She says you may even want to ask your boss who he or she recommends that you look to as a mentor or example to help get you headed in the right direction, “before you find yourself aligned with the wrong person or clique.”

Know what’s expected of you.

Don’t make assumptions based on what you know or what you’ve heard about office jobs, or even what you’ve heard or read about this particular company. “Often enough, your manager’s expectations can diverge from traditional standards, the company's policies and procedures or the team's project plans,” Parnell says. “If you don't please your manager, advancement will be impossible.” So, to avoid this, sit down with your supervisor on day one and ask about expectations. You can also observe your successful colleagues’ practices and follow suit.

Figure out what’s expected and/or acceptable in terms of etiquette and behavior.

Through your research of the company or industry, talking to friends who hold office jobs, and chatting with your colleagues, you should be able to determine what’s acceptable and what’s not. Standards for etiquette vary from office to office (or even department to department), so closely observe your colleagues’ and boss’ behavior and how others react.

Know who makes decisions.

Find out how decisions get made, who's involved, and the criteria they use, Robbins says. “Listen carefully to any names that seem to come up again and again when important decisions are being discussed. They may be the informal center of influence, as distinct from the person with the impressive title, who may exercise relatively little control over decisions.”

Make your office space your own, as much as you can.

Do whatever you can to make your work space as comfortable, inspiring, and feeling like yours, Sutton Fell says. This may help suppress any feelings of discomfort with the transition.

Prove yourself and make a good impression.

First impressions count, Robbins says. “As much as possible, suss out the expectations people have of you coming in, and do your best to live up to the good ones and quickly contradict the bad ones.”

Also, don't assume people will automatically recognize your genius, he adds. “If you come in as the new kid and immediately start telling people what to do and how, you'll risk alienating people. Start in learning mode, not teaching mode. The exception may be if you're coming in as the head of a division or business unit, in which case people may expect you to be coming in with answers.”

Remember that you're joining their company, not the other way around.

Come into the job with respect for the people at the company currently, and, although you're likely being hired for the skills you're bringing to the table, it's important to respect the local culture, too, Sutton Fell says. “I'm a believer that positive change can absolutely happen from within, but when you're new to a company, it is first is really important to learn why a company believes doing something one way over another way is better, and then from there proposing improvements.”

Be patient.

Hopefully it's smooth sailing from day one, but if it's not (which is likely), be patient, Sutton Fell says. “It can take some time to let the dust settle and get the hang of a new environment.  If you worked hard to get this, it's usually worth giving yourself at least six months to see where it goes--unless something is really awry or illegal, of course.”

Remember to have fun, she concludes. “There are pros and cons in almost every work environment, so try to embrace the pros.”

In Pictures: 12 Tips For Transitioning To An Office Job

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