Kari Karlsbjerg's "Canadian Employment Culture" column reports every Wednesday (local time) in the Korea IT Times. Today's article is the first story of 'Month Six':
Accepting the Offer and Starting the Job in North America
1. Saying Yes to the Job Offer!
2. Signed, Sealed and Delivered
3. The Onboarding Process
4. Making the First 90 Days Count
Accepting the Offer
The negotiations are done, the offer is signed, and your starting date has been agreed on. You are about to begin your new IT position in North America. These first few months on the job is your chance to demonstrate that they made the right decision to choose you as the successful candidate. Perhaps you are feeling nervous and don’t know what you should do to prepare. With our next set of articles, we will help you know what to expect in the all-important first few months of your new job in North America.
Before you officially begin your new position, your main point of contact will be the Human Resources (HR) representative that coordinated the interviews and letter of offer. Your HR contact is an excellent source of information about the company and will be there to answer any of your questions. They are just as interested as you are in making sure you have a successful start to the job, so you don’t need to worry that you might be disturbing them with your questions. Helping you get settled in the new job is their responsibility and they are there to help you.
For workers coming to North America from Korea and other non-English speaking questions, a little advance preparation will go a long way to strengthening your confidence for the first day of work and dealing with information overload. In particular, it is a good idea to take a little time to review the following before your first day of work:
1. The names of your colleagues. Get a list of the names of your colleagues. To ensure that you feel comfortable pronouncing their English names, this is a great website that has recordings of the hundreds of different names you might encounter in North America:https://www.pronouncenames.com/
2. Review the structure of the organization and how your new team and colleagues fit into the overall structure. Your HR contact can give you a copy of the organization map that you can use to get an idea of the different roles in the organization and how all the different departments fit together.
3. Clarify the dress code expectations. Generally, North American workplaces do not have formal business dress codes – especially in the IT world. However, it is a good idea to check with your HR contact beforehand. As a general guideline, dress in the same kind of clothes that your prospective supervisor wore to interview you. After that, you can see how your colleagues dress and alter your outfit accordingly.
Asking these questions before you start is a way to show your new employer that you are proactive and enthusiastic about doing well in the new position. When you arrive to work dressed similarly to your colleagues and able to confidently state their names and know their roles, it will help you feel more comfortable and settled in right from the start.
This serial article is written by Kari Karlsbjerg, author of "Everyday Vancouver." Elaine Chu, co-author of "Everyday Vancouver" provides translation services in Korean. "Everyday Vancouver" is a must-read bilingual book for immigrants from Korea who are interested in Vancouver culture, or plan to study or get a job in Canada. Kari Karlsbjerg is currently a college instructor, and Elaine Chu is a Korean student representative at the Delta City Office of Education, helping their career in college. The book can be purchased from Amazon.
