Top Ways to Impress on Your First Working Day

Starting a new job is always daunting and I think anyone would struggle to say that they weren’t worried about it or did not feel nervous walking into a new company with people that they do not know and a role that they are not sure how it all works within that company.

Of course it is daunting, the key here is to show your confidence and try to impress from day one and if you are confident from day one then people will more likely to be attracted by that and it will allow you to be more involved quicker.

Below are some ways of being able to impress on your first day.

Try not to be too nervous or shy

Just think that although you are walking into a building with other people that they too do not know you so they may have some anticipation also. Try to concentrate on the reason that you were hired for the job and that your employers thought that you were right and came across well. Don’t feel inferior because you are new.

Introduce yourself to people in the company, find out what they do

Make a point of going to talk to people, offer them a cup of tea if it is a shared office and although you don’t want your first day to be full of talking to people, it’s a good idea to try and make friends with people so that you feel easier in your position.  If you are a new Manager it might be an idea to talk to your team one to one and get to know them better.

Dress smartly

Even though you may know what type or style of clothing people in the office wear, it’s always an idea to dress smartly to begin with so that you look like a professional entering a business and if by the end of the week everyone is solely wearing jeans or more casual dress then decrease the smart clothing you are wearing. Do this lightly especially if you are in a Management position.

Ask questions

Don’t be shy, ask questions. People in companies often forget that new people do not know simple things so make sure if there is something you are no sure of to ask. It could be as simple as what do you dial for an outside line, what do you do with any post you may have etc. People take for granted that everyone knows but when you are new it’s not the case so feel free to ask.

Is there anything that you could have done prior to joining?

Could you have done anything before you started to make starting a new role smoother? Could you have met the team before hand? Have there been any company events that you could have gone to? Was there anything that you could have looked at work wise and just read up on before joining officially? Might be worth asking whilst you are waiting to start with a new company.

Could you prepare something you discussed in your interview?

Was there anything in your interviews that your employers were excited by that you said you could deliver? Is there something that you could do before joining and bring with you on day one to go through with them and hopefully implement?

Make sure you bring your ID, bank details, P45 etc with you are all the new starter information
Being prepared and following what the HR/Manager has asked you to bring on your first day is good. These are necessary documents so if you can bring everything with you it will help through your induction process.

Get involved

Don’t hide at your desk or location, eat your lunch with everyone else, get involved in the goings on in the office and make sure that people know you are there.

Come up with new ideas

Try and come up with some new ideas and go through these with your Manager so that he or she knows that you have been thinking about them before starting. Make sure they are relevant to your new role and are not going to step on anyones toes so that you almost know that your new Manager will be impressed by what you are suggesting.

photo by: cat clein