👋 Hey Geist Collective!

This week marks a fresh start for me, I'm beginning a new chapter as Senior Talent Partner at pplwise. And with every new beginning comes a blend of excitement, uncertainty, and... opportunity.

So let’s talk about it: how do you actually start strong in a new job? How do you build trust, set a tone, and avoid early mistakes?

Whether you're preparing to change roles, recently transitioned, or supporting someone else who's starting fresh, this edition is for you.

In Today’s Edition:

• ⚡ Quick Insight: The First Impression Loop

• 🎯 Career Move: 4 Things to Nail in Week One

• 📰 Career Headlines: Transitions & Talent Trends

• 📚 Book Spotlight: A Fresh Start Essential

• 🧰 Tool Spotlight: Notion for Onboarding & Clarity

• 🔍 Career Myth-Buster: "You Should Speak Up Right Away"

• 💬 Your Voice: Your Best (or Worst) Onboarding Stories

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Quick Insight: The First Impression Loop

Your early behaviours set expectations. Those expectations shape how people treat you. That treatment reinforces how you behave.

👉 Quick Action: Decide in advance what you want to be known for, then consistently show up that way in meetings, messages, and interactions.

This loop can either accelerate or sabotage your reputation, be intentional.

Career Move: 4 Things to Nail in Week One

1. Ask Smarter Questions Don’t be afraid to ask, but focus on context, history, and priorities.

2. Clarify Expectations What does success look like in 30/60/90 days? Align early with your manager.

3. Map Key People Figure out who influences what, and start building those relationships.

4. Take Visible Notes Use a tool like Notion or your calendar to track learnings publicly. It shows you're learning and thinking.

👉 Quick Win: Schedule short 1:1s with team members to learn how they prefer to collaborate.

Career News

Global Growth Slowing, Recession Risks Rise

UNCTAD’s latest report warns that global economic growth is projected to slow to 2.3% in 2025, putting the world near a recessionary threshold. The slowdown is driven by subdued demand, rising trade tensions, and financial volatility. This uncertainty is already causing companies to delay investment and hiring decisions, with developing economies facing the greatest risks due to debt and weakening domestic growth. Source

Asia-Pacific and Latin America Lead Job Market Momentum

Recent global job market data shows strong hiring momentum in Asia-Pacific (+14% in job postings) and Latin America (+13%), especially in Mexico (+28%). In contrast, North America saw a marginal decline, and the U.S. is experiencing slower but still positive job growth. The labor market is increasingly fragmented, with job creation shifting from traditional economic powerhouses to emerging regions and smaller cities. This signals new opportunities for job seekers willing to look beyond established markets. Source

European Markets Hit by Tech Sector Woes and Corporate Uncertainty

European shares fell on Wednesday after a strong start to the week, led by a sharp decline in the technology sector. ASML, a major semiconductor equipment supplier, warned that rising tariffs and export restrictions are clouding its outlook for 2025–2026, resulting in a 7.4% drop in its share price. Nvidia also announced a $5.5 billion charge related to U.S. export curbs to China. The pan-European STOXX 600 index declined by 0.9%, and analysts now expect a 3% drop in first-quarter European corporate profits, worse than previously forecast. Source

Book of the Week: "The First 90 Days" by Michael D. Watkins

Still the gold standard for onboarding strategy. If you want a step-by-step map to making an impact early, start here.

👉 Check it out here (Affiliate link)

Transparency: If you buy through this link, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I'll always tell you when a link helps support Careergeist.

Tool of the Week: Notion

Notion – The ultimate onboarding sidekick. Use it to:

• Document what you learn

• Track early goals

• Record questions + who to ask

👉 Quick Action: Create a page titled “Week 1 Learnings” and update it daily.

👉 Explore Notion (I am not affiliated with them and do not earn when you sign up)

Note: While Notion offers a free version with robust features, they also provide premium plans with additional functionalities.

Career Myth-Buster

Each week, we'll debunk a common career myth.

This Week's Myth: "You should speak up and show your value right away."

Truth: In the first weeks, listening is more valuable than speaking. You earn trust by understanding the room, not by dominating it.

👉 Quick Action: Spend 80% of meetings observing and listening. You’ll contribute more meaningfully later.

Your Voice

What’s one thing that made your onboarding experience great? Or, what’s one thing that made it terrible?

Reply and let me know. I might feature a few answers in the next issue 👀

Feedback, feedback, feedback…

I'd genuinely love to hear from you:

• What did you like in this issue?

• What didn’t hit the mark?

• What's a career topic you're struggling with right now?

Reply to this email and let me know. Brutally honest feedback encouraged. I promise, I’ll take it better than your manager takes feedback from you.

Action Steps

• Be intentional about your first impression loop

• Align with your manager on 30/60/90 expectations

• Create a Notion page for onboarding insights

• Schedule 1:1s to understand your team early

• Focus on listening more than talking the first 2 weeks

You're here because you're committed to your growth

You opened this because you’re serious.

Now take one step forward—implement just one thing today.

Cheers,
Sven Bunkus
Editor-in-Chief, Careergeist