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Mon 21st Oct 2019 When you are hired as a contractor, you will be expected to settle in fairly quickly, and start work right away. It can be daunting to be the contractor starting in an existing team so here are some tips to help you hit the ground running when you’re joining a company as a contractor whether it’s for a short term or long term contract.

Understand the company values before you start, a lot of the time these can be found on the company webpage. Ask about the company culture from the team, what is the tone of the emails they use? Is there a casual approach to the dress code? Does everyone seem to collaborate with their working?

Take notes!What is the current layout of the office or team like? Is it a formal, hushed environment or more casual? Mimic what you see around you (while still maintaining your own unique personality, of course), and you’ll be on track to fitting in fast.

Get involved.Accept invites where you can to mix socially outside of the office, this could be drinks or something like a sport such as 5 a side football or netball. If this isn’t possible then make sure you are socialising at work as much as possible, ask questions when you go to make a coffee or at lunch.

Build relationships.Remembering people’s names, understanding their roles and how this fits into the team structure is a great way to start this. From here you can add subtle questions such as how long they have been in their role and what their main challenges at work are. Building effective relationships at work will not only help your current contract but could also put you in good footing for any future contract positions that come up.

Be yourself.In a bid to fit in don’t forget to be yourself at work, let your colleagues get to know your qualities and experience that you bring to your role. Return