Hey, Mr. or Ms. Just Hired. If you’re counting on your new employer or colleagues to plug you into to the place you’re about to spend the majority of your waking hours, think again. Even if you go to work for the most socially sophisticated place in town, it is not entirely up to others to make you the belle of the ball (or whatever metaphor suits you).

Here are some ideas for how to fit in faster, both from work productivity and chemistry standpoints:

  1. Peek behind the curtain: Request/require a tour of the office – the entire office (except for that locked room on the dimly lit corridor; just forget you saw that). Ideally, do that during the interview process and especially if they’ve indicated that you are a finalist. Be cautious about a potential or new employer that resists this simple request. No need to get suspicious; there might be a reason it’s not possible on a given day. Head off that obstacle and make the request before you go into the interview or your first day.
  2. Get personal: Use the first week or two for one-on-one meetings with team members with whom you’ll work most closely. Take the initiative here instead of waiting for someone else to set up these get-togethers.
  3. String the tin cans together: When you first meet with team members, especially those with whom you’ll have the most (or most important) interaction, ask them this question: “What’s the best way for me to communicate with you?” Options might be: set up an appointment, just drop in, e-mail or IM me, go through Twitter – whatever. The point is that you’ll start out on the right foot by finding efficiency in communications. Oh, make sure you share the same information in return.
  4. Go beyond the basics: Now you’ve clicked in with your core comrades. But the world is larger than what you see from your desk. Get out there and meet people in other areas of the company and find out who the gatekeepers are, how things really work and who holds both positional and personal power.
  5. Be social: There’s plenty of debate over whether the workplace is exclusively a professional setting or if it can be a place to socialize as well. Socialization is inevitable (fraternization, on the other hand, is something to avoid, if you know what I mean). If you find a culture that supports after-hours hanging out, try to participate early on. No need to go overboard if you have a life outside the office. Socialize within reason at least once in your early days at the new gig, and make time for it at least occasionally thereafter.

What was your game plan the last time you jumped on board a new organization? What did you do to make the transition work better for yourself and your company? Share your tips here.