Hi Friend,

I hope you’re soaking up the final moments of another summer weekend well spent! I was thrilled to finally spend some time unplanned at home in the city without big events and travel. I took advantage of the beautiful weather on Saturday and took to the streets - Summer Streets, where miles of NYC streets in every borough are open for people to walk, bike, and experience the city totally & completely unblocked from car traffic.

I found myself on a Citi bike near my apartment on the Upper East Side and decided I was 🎵making my way downtown🎵 until I felt like turning around.

For my suburbanites, a long bike ride uninterrupted by car traffic may sound like a run-of-the-mill Saturday. But my city people know this hits different.

There’s joy and there’s liberation in doing something familiar, like riding a bike, in a new and unfamiliar way, like ending up 7 miles south of the Upper East Side deep in Brooklyn by the power of your own pedal work.

With that freedom, there’s also some anxiety - am I going too fast? Am I focusing on the right things (taking in the surrounding beautiful architecture and moments of human connection) while also being safe?

I couldn’t help but wonder* if these feelings transcend a Summer Street Saturday bike ride - so this newsletter is for all of you that are about to, hope to, or have recently started a new role. In some ways it’s “like riding a bike” and in other ways, it’s more like a unicycle. Either way, you need a helmet, cyclist connections & strong signals - so let’s get your wheels turning (apologies - there will be more puns & analogies).

Clarify 💡

After working with me on their job search, four of my clients are in their first weeks of starting new roles (👏👏👏👏), and our coaching has shifted from sourcing & negotiating their next move to onboarding confidently with boundaries.

After a few months between their last role and new gig, each of them had some normal nervousness about getting back in the swing of things.

In some ways, like riding a bike - their new roles are still familiar (although more senior and better compensated!) and instinctual - built upon an already strong career foundation.

But in many ways, it’s totally new and thrilling, like riding down Park Avenue with no handlebars, with no handlebars, with no handlebars.

So I’m working with them on strategies to keep their minds clear & protected, like a helmet.

First, make a list before starting a new role of the boundaries you’d like to set. Pull from past experiences of when boundaries have been too loose and behaviors you’ve admired in mentors that you’d like to emulate. After a few weeks in your new role, check your list and decide, based on your observations about the role, team, and work environment, what your hard (rigid & resolute) and soft (flexible) boundaries will be. Then, most importantly, signal AND say these boundaries. The best time to set expectations of how you work is at the beginning of new work relationships so build your helmet and be intentional with your boundaries.

But it’s not just about clarity in how you work - equally important is transparency in what you work on, and that’s often best formulated in your 30-60-90 day plan. Even if where you’re working doesn’t have a culture of an aligned onboarding plan - make one. Agreed-upon expectations and a definition of success while you ramp will let you be clear on what you focus on and what you say no (for now!) to.

📧 Reply back to this email if you’d like a book recommendation and my own template for building a kickass 30-60-90 day plan.

Connect 🤝

Many of my clients say they no longer need to have friends at work - after a few years out of school, most of us have realized that it’s more realistic and usually a bit healthier to have a social network founded mostly in relationships outside of the workplace so that our identity doesn’t get so tied up in defining ourselves by what we do and we’re not constantly thinking and talking about work.

That being said, when you’re starting a new role, as common-sensical as it sounds, make friends - or, more specifically, find your fellow cyclists and form alliances. Especially if you’re starting a position at a brand-new (to you) company. Use your first two weeks to meet and get to know your team, your peers, and your leadership. Ask people to lunch or for my remote folk, virtual coffee. Invest in knowing who they are outside of work so when you’re inevitably lost in a meeting, you can slack them on the side and ask what the f*ck is going on and they’ll tell you because you took the time upfront to care about them as humans.

Confidently Communicate 🗣️

This may be bad news to end on but, the first few weeks in any role is a bit like an extension of the interview process. Usually, this doesn’t mean they’ll be deciding if you’re the right fit (although, with senior leadership, that is very much the case) but, the people that didn’t meet you in the interview process will want to know who you are, what your relevant experience is and why you specifically were hired. They’ll be looking at you to exude confidence at a time when you are “drinking from the firehose” of new information and likely overwhelmed by it all so be assertive in your signals and fake it until you feel it.

Prep your pitch about who you are, where you came from, what you aim to do in the role and, just do yourself a favor and plan a few “fun facts” - that icebreaker (unfortunately) isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

I love helping people with career transitions beyond just finding the next role so if you’re facing a shift of your own (or hope to!), let’s chat!

Until next Sunday,

Jess Storiale

*I binged HBO’s ‘And Just Like That’ after Saturday’s bike ride and am afraid my inner Carrie Bradshaw has been ignited. I couldn’t help but wonder at least 6 times writing this newsletter so you’re welcome for only including one musing. More episodes left to watch so this could carry over into next week…