Tips for First Day at New Job
The first day in a new job is always going to contend with - new colleagues, a new boss and a completely new and different working environment.
Here are some tips and advice to make that first day at work less stressful.
Plan your route
The best way to deal with any new situation is to plan for any eventualities and to be prepared. In this instance, this means planning your route to work beforehand, working out how much time you will need to get there and to leave enough time just in case the train is late or there is a lot of traffic. It's a good idea to do a test drive the week before so that you know what to expect. On your way to work, listen to your favorite’s music or a relaxing CD that will calm your nerves and put you in a good mood.
What to wear on the first day of work
Plan what you are going to wear and make sure that your outfit is washed, ironed and ready to put on.
You will have got a feel for your new company's dress code when you went for the interview and so you should try to dress similarly at first, so that you don't stand out.
If you are unsure, it is always best to dress slightly more conservatively than you usually would. Once you have been there a while, then you can start to show what a quirky sense of fashion you have, but not before.
Wear something that you feel comfortable in and that you know looks good, as there is nothing worse than worrying about whether your skirt or trousers are too tight or too short, on top of everything else that you have to deal with.
If you feel comfortable, you will look comfortable and ooze confidence.
Ensure that you go to bed early the night before so that you wake up with plenty of energy and are raring to go.
Make sure that you have enough time in the morning to carry out your daily routine, as rushing around like a madman will only add extra pressure.
Shower and wash your hair, clean your teeth and make sure that you look and smell good!
Make time for a proper breakfast that will last you until lunchtime without causing hunger pangs or loss of energy mid-morning. Take a packed lunch to work with you just in case you do get hungry or in case your workplace does not have its own canteen. Additionally, in some offices, lunch is often just a quick sandwich at your desk rather than a leisurely lunch at the nearest bistro.
Your big entrance
Walking into an unfamiliar workplace and being confronted with a whole group of new faces is daunting. If you keep calm, put a smile on your face and stand up tall, people won't bat an eyelid.
Ensure that you are friendly to everyone that you meet and make eye contact when talking to them.
You will more than likely be taken on a tour of the building, so introduce yourself and explain which position you will be taking and ask people their names and what their role is in the company. If you have time later, draw up a map or plan of your office, filling in peoples' names and roles until you get to know this information off by heart.
Although it's always good to ask questions, on your first day keep questions to a minimum. Make notes throughout the day of anything that you would like clarification on and ask your boss all in one go at the end of the first week if they haven't already been answered by that time. Too many questions could make others perceive you as annoying, thick or false.
Your workplace
You probably won't be given that much to do on your first day, but be aware that your new colleagues may be up to their neck in work. Be friendly and try to make conversation but realize that the others may be busy, have a tight deadline to work to or a project to finish. Give them space and they will respect that and probably offer their help when they have more time. Don't take this as a personal affront, especially on your first day.
If you find yourself with a lot of spare time, organize your working space and get a feel for the new building such as finding out where the toilets and coffee machine are! In an office environment you will most likely have to set up a new email address, voicemail message and find your way around a new computer and intranet system.
At the end of the day, do not rush out of the door. Try to stay behind and finish off any jobs or if you are invited for a treat after work with your boss or other colleagues, ensure that you go.
This will give you the opportunity to find out more about the written and unwritten rules of the company and will make you appear friendly and eager to fit in.
Once the first day is over and done with, the rest of the week, month and year will be a doddle!
Below are few more tips for that first day: winning friends, disarming foes, and staying on a positive career track.
- Dress for invisibility. There’s no point intimidating fellow workers right out of the gate.
- Go with the flow. Listen, listen, then listen some more. Save your suggestions for later.If you listen well, you may learn that what you have to say about the place has been suggested, assessed, and discarded before your time.
- Ask intelligent questions about the work, even when you may already know the answers. People like to be helpful; it empowers them. But not too many.
- Unless you’re asked directly, don’t offer, “We used to do it in such and such a way at the XYZ Widget Works.” If you do step into this puddle, dry off your feet quickly by adding, “Your way seems a lot better,” even if it isn’t.
- Unless you have a photographic memory, you won’t remember the names of everyone you meet. Don’t let this faze you. Don't apologize; it will only draw attention to your nervousness. In conversations use people’s names as often as possible. This will help you remember them more quickly. If you’re unsure, ask; this is more appreciated than addressing someone by the wrong name. The same advice holds for the titles of the many people you’ll likely meet on Day One.
- Watch the shop politics, and stay out of them. You’ll quickly discover the nature of the employees’ relationships. Often you’ll be told directly, by innuendo, or, if you’re really sharp, by body language.
- Every operation has its own style and pace for doing work. Some places are gung ho, others are not quite so dedicated. Pace your work to that of fellow employees. On your first day this usually isn’t too difficult because little will be asked of you beyond familiarizing yourself with the job.
- The coffee and lunch breaks can be very informative. Who hangs out with whom? Where do people eat? What do they eat? Another element which has shaped workplace relationships in recent years is who smokes, who doesn’t? Tread softly around that last one because both sides can be irrational about it.
- Quitting time, you’ve nearly made it through the first day without a major gaffe. Remember, you’re still being tested and measured.
- Finally, you’re home. You can kick back. Have a iced tea. Have two: you got through the day. Not quite. On paper list by name all of the workers you can remember meeting. List their job titles and responsibilities to the extent you can. This will help you remember more clearly who’s who, and also give you a leg up on filling out your list on Day Two of those you don’t quite have fixed in your mind already.
