Anonymous

 

I would make sure that you have a “mentor" in the department that you have regular meetings with. This is someone that you can touch base with regularly. This is important, because sometimes there are small/medium-sized questions that you have that you might not go out of your way to ask a senior person. These questions can be much more important than you think (they can trigger the senior person to say things you hadn’t anticipated) and—when they are answered early on—they can significantly change how you do things and your plan in ways that can have a big impact. This is also a good idea, because the senior individual can track progress in your work (you can update them), meaning that someone in the department is pretty consistently updated on your accomplishments. Also, this person can serve as an advocate for you in meetings (the things they know about your progress can be helpful pieces of information in the meeting). Having a mentor is also important, because it can help you feel on track and reassure you that you’re doing the right thing in a system that has many complex variables.