Preparing for your 1st day in your new job

New Job – Make a great 1st Impression

When you start your new job you only get one chance to make a great first impression, so make it count. Your first few days at a new job will set the stage for how both your manager and your colleagues view you and start to relate to you. There are a few things you can do to make sure that your first impression is a great one.

Do your research

You’ll have already done some research about the job and company for your interview. Remind yourself what the job is and what the company does with a quick refresh.

Plan what you’ll wear on your first day

Think about what you’ll wear a week in advance, to give yourself time to make sure it’s clean and ironed. If you are not sure how you should dress on your first day, you could call the human resources contact or your new manager for advice.

If you’re still not sure, I’d always opt to dress conservatively for the first week or so. Once you get a feel for the office culture and what your colleagues wear, you can begin to dress to fit in.

Get your materials together

Make sure you have everything ready for your first day. Bring all the information and documents you’ll need to complete the HR paperwork if you haven’t done so already. Have a notebook and pen to hand to take notes.

If you are not sure about lunch arrangements, bring a pack lunch for your first day, just to be safe. Check what else your boss or human resources told you to bring, to make sure you have everything. It’s a good idea to have a professional looking bag for your things to make the right 1st impression.

Step away from your mobile

Using your mobile phone in work time is the easiest way to make a negative first impression. Even if you’re using your phone to take notes or do something else job related, it will give the impression that you’re ‘always on your mobile. Put your phone away and put it on silent while you’re at work. This is the simplest way to make sure you’re not tempted to take a sneaky look.

Arrive on time

Make sure you’re on time for your first day. Check what time you need to be in the office and make sure you’re not late. If you’re early this just shows that you’re a professional and you can organise your time. Being late can give the impression that you don’t care.

Always give yourself plenty of extra time to get to the office or your place of work in case there are travel delays. This will give you time if the parking is a distance from your workplace too. Make sure you know where you’re going beforehand and check your route. Don’t forget to check your car has fuel in it, so you don’t have to find a service station on the way. If you’re early you can always stop for a coffee or sit in your car and relax for a few minutes.

Introduce yourself and build relationships with colleagues

Start to build relationships and introduce yourself to your new colleagues. Be friendly and maybe have a goal in your first few days to meet everyone on your team or all of the people you’ll be working with closely. Connecting with your new colleagues will also help you settle in and feel more at home. You’ll also start to build those working relationships that will come in useful.

Join in any social events to get to know people, or grab coffee or lunch with colleagues.

Take notes

You’ll get lots of information thrown at you in the first few weeks in a new job. From policies to procedures to remembering how to use new IT. So you don’t forget anything important, take notes while you’re doing your induction and during any training.

If possible, take notes by hand. You’ll retain information better that way. If you type up your notes at the end of each day, this will help refresh your memory and be good to refer to later if you need to. Whatever you do, don’t use your phone for notetaking, it’s difficult to convince people that you’re not just browsing your social media when you should be listening!

Ask questions

The fastest way to learn about your new workplace is to ask lots of questions. The training you go through will only give you a basic overview of the way things are done. Your colleagues will be able to give you lots more detail and useful tips.

Showing a willingness to ask for help will go a long way in making a great first impression. No one expects you to know everything when you start a new job. Nobody likes a know-it-all. It’s much better to ask a question than to assume anything and end up being wrong.

Fit in the team

Just because you’re new to the job doesn’t give you an excuse not to join in, try to jump into your new role as quickly as possible. Your manager and colleagues will appreciate your effort to be a team player and willingness to help.

Take your turn at making the coffee

Always an ice breaker, offer to help do the coffee run. It also helps you meet new people and find out more about them on a social level.

Ask for feedback

Listen to your manager and any direction they give you. Make sure you keep them informed about how you’re doing on projects and what you’ve achieved so far. This will help reassure them that they picked the right person for the job.

Get feedback from your manager from time to time to check how you’re doing. Respond positively to any constructive criticism they give you. Make it clear that you’re interested in learning and self-improvement.

Your recruitment consultant can help you prepare for your new day so get in touch for more support or any extra information to help you get ready to start your new job.