You’ve got the job! You feel that rush of happiness, relief, and accomplishment.
Then, as your new start date grows closer, the anxiety sets in. Your feelings of excitement give way to worry, as you think about all the unknowns coming your way.
You expect the anxiety to go away after the first day or week, but it only gets worse. It makes it hard to sleep, focus, and worst of all, hard to do the work you need to do at your new job.
What’s happening? Why are you feeling so anxious? There are many different factors that could be at play, and when you’re feeling on edge, it can be hard to understand the root of it.
This article breaks down some of the most common causes of new job anxiety, and explains what your nerves might be trying to tell you—and what you can do about it.
1. You’ve got normal new-job jitters
Let’s get one thing clear: It’s very normal to feel anxious and nervous before you start a new job.
You’re walking into a new environment, where you’ll be expected to pick up a lot of information quickly, while also forging social connections with colleagues and proving you were a good hire to everyone there.
That’s intimidating! It should make you nervous, even if you’re confident that you are the right person for the job. Anxiety is one way that our minds and bodies cope with uncertainty and new experiences.
It’s true, sometimes our anxiety goes overboard. Our physiological responses to new and unfamiliar situations are the same as they were eons ago, when our ancient ancestors had to react and move quickly to stay safe in unfamiliar situations.
For most people, this baseline anxiety fades within four to six weeks as the new job becomes routine. You learn where things are, you figure out the social dynamics, and your nervous system stops treating the office like a potential threat.
Track your anxiety for two weeks. Each evening, rate it on a scale of 1-10 and jot down what triggered any spikes. This gives you data instead of just a vague sense of dread. Watch for two warning signs: duration and disruption. If the anxiety hasn’t improved after a month, or if it’s seriously impacting your sleep, focus, or relationships, that’s your cue to take action. Simple interventions can help: breathing exercises, meditation, regular exercise, or talking to a therapist. Sometimes just naming the anxiety and understanding where it’s coming from takes away some of its power.What to do about it:
Here are some additional resources from our library to help manage anxiety:
2. You’re experiencing imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome is that nagging voice telling you that you don’t deserve this job, that you somehow fooled everyone during the interview process, and that it’s only a matter of time before they figure out you’re a fraud.
Sound familiar? Imposter syndrome can strike anyone at any time—even people who are highly skilled and experienced. It’s even harder when you’re new, and you will inevitably make mistakes and need to ask questions to get by. That can make you feel incompetent, even though starting a new job will always involve a learning curve.
How do you know if your anxiety is actually tied to imposter syndrome? Here are a few signs:
- You discount your accomplishments and attribute your success to luck
- You’re terrified someone will ask a question you can’t answer
- You overwork to compensate for perceived inadequacies
- You avoid speaking up in meetings for fear of saying something stupid
Start tracking your work accomplishments. Every time you complete a task, solve a problem, or receive positive feedback, write it down. When the imposter voice starts up, you’ll have concrete evidence to counter it. Remember that your employer interviewed multiple candidates and chose you. They saw your resume, asked their questions, checked your references, and decided you were the best fit. Trust their judgment, even when you’re struggling to trust yourself. Talk to a colleague or mentor you respect. You’ll probably discover they felt the same way when they started—and might still feel that way sometimes. Sometimes, just hearing the words “I’ve been there” from someone you look up to can reduce the anxiety.What to do about it:
3. You’re comparing yourself to seasoned employees
Your coworker closes sales effortlessly. Your teammate navigates the database like they built it themselves. Everyone seems to know exactly what they’re doing while you’re still figuring out where the bathroom is.
It’s natural to compare ourselves to others, but it doesn’t make much sense to compare yourself to people who have been on the job for months or years longer than you have. Everyone around you has had much more time to build their expertise, and unless they founded the company, they were a fumbling new person once, too.
Perhaps you were hired with other new people, and you get caught up comparing yourself to them. Bear in mind that every new hire comes with different skills and experiences, and therefore, people will progress at different speeds.
Consider how many of your worried thoughts are connected to other people. It may just be that your new job anxiety is telling you to stop comparing yourself to others.
Set realistic 30/60/90 day benchmarks with your manager. Ask them explicitly what success looks like at each stage. This gives you a roadmap instead of vague anxiety about “keeping up.” When you catch yourself comparing, pause and ask: “How long has this person been doing this?” The answer usually explains the gap. Focus on progress instead of perfection. Are you learning? Are you making fewer mistakes than last week? That’s what matters, not whether you’re as fast as someone who’s been here since 2019. Check out our article on how to escape comparison culture for more advice.What to do about it:
4. It’s not the right fit
Sometimes your anxiety isn’t lying to you; it’s trying to tell you that this job genuinely isn’t a good match.
Maybe the role they described in the interview doesn’t match what you’re actually doing. Maybe the company values clash with yours in ways that make you uncomfortable. Maybe the work itself just doesn’t interest you the way you thought it would.
This is one of the hardest things to admit because you just went through the effort of landing this job. You told everyone you got it. You might have left another position for this one. The pressure to make it work can be intense.
But there’s a difference between normal adjustment anxiety and the persistent dread that comes from being in the wrong place. Normal anxiety says “this is new and uncomfortable.” Wrong-fit anxiety says “something fundamental here doesn’t work for me.”
Give it at least three months before making any major decisions. Sometimes what feels like a bad fit is actually unfamiliarity. Get specific about what’s not working. Is it the actual work? The people? The pace? The values? Writing this down helps you figure out if the problem is fixable or fundamental. If after three months the anxiety hasn’t improved and you’ve identified real incompatibilities, start exploring other options. Don’t stay in a job that makes you miserable just because you feel like you should. Life’s too short, and there are better fits out there.What to do about it:
Here are a few other resources that might help you with this particular type of anxiety:
5. You haven’t been properly onboarded
You showed up on day one ready to learn, but nobody seemed prepared for you. Maybe your laptop wasn’t set up. Maybe your manager was too busy to meet with you. Maybe you got a quick tour and then were left to figure everything out on your own.
Poor onboarding is shockingly common, especially at smaller companies or startups that are growing quickly. It doesn’t necessarily mean the job is doomed—sometimes it simply means they’re disorganized or understaffed in HR.
But being thrown into the deep end without training creates a specific kind of anxiety. You don’t know what you don’t know. You’re constantly worried about doing things wrong because nobody explained how to do them right. Every task feels like guesswork.
The anxiety here isn’t about your competence, because you can’t succeed when you don’t have the tools or information you need to do your job.
Take charge of your own onboarding. Schedule one-on-ones with key team members. Ask your manager for documentation, training materials, or a list of resources you should review. Sometimes you have to advocate for yourself at work, and this is one of those moments. Check out our guide on starting a new job, which covers what you should aim to accomplish in your first 90 days (even if your company isn’t helping you get there).What to do about it:
6. You’re catching red flags you didn’t see during the interview
During the interview process, everyone’s on their best behavior. The company presents the most polished version of itself, and you’re focused on landing the job rather than scrutinizing every detail.
Now that you’re inside, you’re seeing things that weren’t visible from the outside.
Maybe the “collaborative environment” they mentioned actually means constant interruptions and zero time for focused work. Maybe the “fast-paced startup culture” translates to chaos and poor planning. Maybe your manager promised flexibility during negotiations, but now seems annoyed when you work from home.
Sometimes these red flags show up in how people communicate—or don’t. Passive-aggressive emails. Meetings that should’ve been quick but drag on for hours. Decisions that get made without input from the people actually doing the work.
Related: Coded Language at Work: What Your Colleagues Really Mean
Other times, it’s about promises falling through. The training program they mentioned doesn’t exist. The exciting project you’d be leading got reassigned. The salary review timeline keeps getting pushed back. Every time a promise breaks, your anxiety gets worse.
Start documenting what you’re seeing. Keep private, dated notes of promises that aren’t being kept, concerning behaviors, or major mismatches between what was described and what’s actually happening. This helps you evaluate whether these are isolated incidents or patterns. Try to distinguish between “this is different from what I’m used to” and “this is genuinely problematic.” Some adjustment is normal. Actual red flags—like ethical concerns, toxic environments, or bait-and-switch tactics—are different. If promises aren’t being kept, have a direct conversation with your manager. Approach it as seeking clarification rather than making accusations. Sometimes miscommunication is genuinely just miscommunication. But if the red flags are serious and mounting, trust your gut. Your anxiety might be picking up on legitimate problems that your rational brain is trying to explain away.What to do about it:
7. You’re carrying baggage from your last job
If your previous job was toxic, chaotic, or generally terrible, you might be hypervigilant at your new one—scanning constantly for signs that history is about to repeat itself.
Your new manager reschedules a one-on-one, and you immediately think “here we go again” because your old boss used to cancel on you constantly. A colleague gives you direct feedback, and you brace for an all-out attack because that’s how criticism worked at your last place. The company announces a reorganization, and you start polishing your resume because you’ve seen this movie before.
This is your brain trying to protect you. It learned patterns at your old job—patterns that helped you survive a difficult situation. The problem is that it’s now applying those patterns to a completely different environment.
You’re reading malice into miscommunication. You’re seeing red flags in normal workplace friction. You’re preparing for disaster when things are actually fine, and as a result, your anxiety is through the roof.
Recognize when you’re projecting. When anxiety spikes, pause and ask yourself: “Is this actually happening, or am I expecting it to happen based on past experience?” Give your new workplace a fair shot. Not every manager is like your old one. Not every company operates the same way. Your new job deserves to be evaluated on its own merits, not judged by the sins of your previous employer. Talk to trusted friends or mentors who can reality-check your perceptions. Sometimes an outside perspective helps distinguish between legitimate concerns and baggage you’re carrying. Nerves and anxiety are common for anyone starting a new job—whether you’re about to begin your first job ever, or you’ve decided to change careers, or you’re simply learning new technology and skills to apply to a job you’ve had for years. What to do about it:
Don’t be hard on yourself for having anxiety in the first place. Instead, take a deep breath and pause to examine the root cause of your anxiety. With the practices we’ve outlined in this article, you’ll soon be ready to press on with your new job, no matter how intimidating it might feel.
