Your new job
This is it! There’s no turning back now. It’s time to bite the bullet! In this chapter we’re going to deal with how to successfully get yourself through that all-important first day in your new job.
Your very first day in a new job may not be the most difficult you ever face in that job but you can be jolly sure it will be packed full of challenges. And what are you going to do? Well, you’re going to rise to those challenges, of course!
Setting off
On the morning of your first day, make sure that you allow yourself enough time to get ready. And make sure you know where you’re going!
It may seem obvious but arriving late on your first day will reflect very badly on you indeed, and it happens all too often. You’re most likely going to the same place you went to for your interview but that could easily have been a month or two ago and your memory might be hazy.
Into the spotlight
Your first day is a lot like one big interview. Yes, you’ve already got the job but people will nonetheless be keeping a very close eye on you until you’ve settled in. And you may well have an initial trial period to complete before you can really start to feel secure in your new job. There’s undeniably a lot at stake but it’s definitely no cause for panic.
Depending on the size and type of the organisation, you may have to present yourself to reception on the morning of your first day, or your new boss might be there to greet you personally. When your new boss does turn up, look happy to see them and shake hands firmly but not to the extent that they end up in plaster; shake someone’s hand too firmly and they might think you’re trying just a little bit too hard.
Whether you feel confident or not, make sure you look it. You might feel like you’re back to your first day at school and a little lost. But remember that confident people inspire confidence in others; if you appear confident that you are able to do the job, everyone around you is likely to be more inclined to believe that you can. It’s human nature.
First impressions count
First things first, before you get close to doing any actual work, the first thing you’ll be doing is meeting and greeting, and first impressions are extremely important. Everyone you meet today will be making initial judgements about you, often on the basis of just a few minutes spent together. Sounds scary? It’s not really. It’s what you do naturally every day when you meet new people, when you go to a party, for example, or out for dinner with friends of friends. So don’t put yourself under too much pressure. But do be conscious of the impression you’ll be making on others.
Make sure that you make a powerful first impression on everyone you meet today. Start your new relationships off on a positive foot. Start as you mean to go on.
Start new working relationships
Your relationships with the people with whom you work are immediately going to become the centre of your working life. Building relationships is vital in the workplace. Getting to know the people you’ll be working with is one of the most important parts of starting a new job.
In these early stages the most important thing to bear in mind is to take the time to meet people and to make the effort to get to know them. First off, you need to ask for and then remember people’s names. (Write them down if it helps.) You then need to find out more about them, start building up a mental file on them.
Avoid talking about yourself too much (what you say could later be used against you by the office gossips and politicians etc.). Be friendly but remain professional. These people are your colleagues, not your friends.
Keep your ears open. Start building up a picture of the various different characters you’ll be dealing with and how they interrelate with each other, listening to what they say and how they behave. You should also note the way that your boss interacts with and manages your colleagues, and the way they react with their peers and their seniors. Start to get an idea of just what kind of person they are, what sort of character they have.
Whether you’re shy or not, don’t be unapproachable; don’t be a loner. Get all your new relationships off to an excellent start. Make sure you maintain your level of enthusiasm; it can be tiring and emotionally draining being friendly all day!
The little things count too, like saying, ‘good morning.’ and asking how people are. It’s surprising how important these little everyday interactions can be. Don’t neglect them.
Not putting your foot in it
It’s obviously very important to come across as open and friendly with the people you meet, but keep your guard up. You don’t know anything about these people; you don’t know their backgrounds, their opinions, their characters; you don’t know their relationships with each other. So watch what comes out of your mouth. Think before you speak. Steer clear of saying anything too personal or anything which could be remotely controversial or which could potentially cause any offence to anyone. Tact is the word. Stick to small talk. It can be all too easy to say something which you might later come to regret. Remember: EBBOM – Engage brain before opening mouth!
BLOOPER!
My wife made the big mistake of casually confiding to a colleague that she thought her new boss was ‘a bit of a bulldog’. It took less than 24 hours for that boss to find out that their new nickname was ‘The Bulldog’!
STATISTIC
It’s not just what you say that can count against you. Surveys show that one of the most common errors a new starter can make is accidentally using someone else’s coffee cup! People can be terribly territorial.
Bon appétit
Lunch might just be a quick sandwich at your desk or might not exist at all. In many workplaces staff often get together for lunch and there’s probably even more chance of this happening if it’s your first day. There will probably be at least one person keen to take the new boy or girl under their wing. And that’s when you really have to watch what you say! Lunchtime is prime time for gossip and office politics. Don’t be antisocial but do play it carefully.
You could turn down the invitation to have lunch together because you have to go down the gym or have some shopping to do or just want to get well away from everyone to clear your head! But be very wary of snubbing anyone on your very first day; your first invitation might well turn out to be your last.
And watch your table manners!
The calm after the storm
After a busy morning when you were very much the centre of attention, you could well find that the afternoon is a calmer affair. Your new boss will probably have run out of people to introduce you to and things to show to you and will hopefully just leave you in peace to settle in.
Seize the opportunity to start getting your workspace organised, throwing out those half-chewed biros your predecessor left behind, and start reading through the inevitable pile of paperwork that will have been dumped on you. There may even be some helpful handover notes left by your predecessor.
You’ll probably find it a useful exercise to write up some notes covering all that you’ve had to learn and take on board so far today. For example, if you’re anything like me and have a very poor memory for names and faces, then you might want to jot down the names of the people you’ve met along with brief descriptions. You can also start preparing a list of gaps in your knowledge and questions you’ll want answers to.
TOP TIP
Your brain’s probably feeling a little scrambled and it’d be a good idea to ‘download’ as much information as possible onto paper for future reference.
This should all keep you pretty busy for the duration of the afternoon but you never know you might find time to do some real work! Even if you don’t feel you’re achieving very much, it’s not a great cause of concern; nobody is going to be expecting you to work miracles on your very first day.
Time for tea
It varies from workplace to workplace, but pretty much everywhere I’ve ever worked tea and coffee drinking have been important tasks! If you’re feeling brave then getting up and offering to make or fetch a round of tea or coffee can make a really excellent impression. It might not seem like much but it’s a personal gesture which others can hardly fail to appreciate. If you are in doubt as to how the coffee machine works, then don’t be afraid to ask a co-worker to show you the ropes. Regardless of whether you’re on the bottom rung of the career ladder or at management level, you’re showing others that you’re one of the team and are happy to muck in.
Final impressions count too
It’s time to go home. You’re probably pretty tired by now and in just a few short minutes you’ll be out of the building and away. But before you do go, make sure you politely bid everyone goodnight, smile and leave with your head held high. First impressions are important, but so are final impressions.
There’s a chance you might get asked to join a colleague or two for an after-work drink. If you’ve got enough energy left then a drink with colleagues might help you to further develop budding new relationships, but you’d probably be wise to limit it to just a couple of drinks! You’ve had a long, hard day with so much to absorb and assimilate and you’re probably not up to capping it off with a long night out.
When you finally get home, it’s entirely normal to spend most of the evening thinking back over your first day and pondering on things you could have said or done differently; there’s no doubt that you will be more sensitive to any possible slip-ups than anyone else was. But don’t beat yourself up too much. Try to get some rest, give yourself a pat on the back and remember that tomorrow is another day!
Ultimate New Job
If you would like to learn more about how to get off to the right start in your new job and not only surviving but actually thriving, please take a look at my best-selling book on the subject, Ultimate New Job. You can place your order for a copy via our website: www.jamesinn.es