Starting a new job at any level of your career can be stressful. No matter how well you’re prepared for the change, the challenges of being the “new guy” can be enough to make you second guess yourself.

I left the warm waters of a job I was comfortable at for a position as copywriter here at jhP a couple of weeks ago. I had worked with a handful of jhP staff members professionally in the past but I still had a vicious case of nerves walking in the front door my first day.

I’ve never been afraid to ask questions, which has served me pretty well. You can take some things for granted when you become comfortable at an old job that suddenly become very important. Everyday tasks can be drastically different, like using the phone for example. Do I dial 9 to get out?  How do I change my voicemail?  Did I just say that on speakerphone? What the heck does the “loop” button do?

Another change I wasn’t ready for was the “culture shock.” I don’t mean that in a bad way but jhP is very different from any other business I’ve worked for in the past. Every employer likes to pretend its corporate culture is a “team” or “family” environment but most never come close to having any sort of home-like feel.

jhP is different. There is a genuine interest in everyone’s life, both in and out of the office. One of the more enjoyable “tasks” of working here has been getting to know all of my co-workers as well as opening up about myself. Everyone seems just as interested in what’s on my iPod as what’s on my resume. Plus, getting away from the slate-gray and beige walls of an ordinary office to the brightly colored offices here has changed how I view the “work place.”

Despite my misplaced nerves, my first few weeks have been outstanding. Everyone has been truly wonderful and I’m excited to be a part the jhP team. However, I’m just as excited to shake the “new guy” syndrome.