Feeling nervous is fine and being prepared is downright smart.
There are several things you can do before, during, and after your first day on the job that will aid it in going smoothly. Many of these are specific to career jobs (the dress code at Burger Barn will be pretty straight forward), but the general idea of courtesy and awareness goes for all jobs.
Before Your First Day
Know your company. Take the time and really dig through the materials the company gave you after you were hired and check its website. The more you know about your company’s ideology and processes, the more seamless your first day will seem.
Plan your wardrobe. As silly as this may seem, plan your first week’s worth of work clothes. Depending on your job, you may be exhausted just from trying to figure out everything new at work and fretting about what to wear is the last thing you want to do.
- Make sure to over dress. Especially on the first day, you do not want to be the most casually dressed person in the office. This is extremely unprofessional. Being overdressed might get a laugh, but it’s better than disapproval.
- Dress conservatively. This is your first impression, and what you wear does speak volumes about you. It is better to start with a very conservative look and then move away from it, if appropriate, in a professional setting. This then sets the focus on you and your abilities rather than that hot top you are wearing. Pay attention on day one to what the general dress code seems to be, and double check how “casual” casual Fridays really are. Being the only one in a grass skirt and coconut bikini top is really embarrassing.
Find your company’s location. Being late to your first day of work because the Congressional House Office buildings’ address doesn’t come up correctly on an Internet map site is, well, a bit humiliating. Often you will have already been to an office for an interview, but sometimes you are offered a job before you visit the office. Double-check the location of your job and how long it takes to get there.
The First Day
Be on your best behavior. As silly as this sounds, you may bump into a new co-worker on the way to the office, so that persona of being nice and helpful at the office needs to start when you leave home. Who knows, the person who you flipped off in the car may be the one who assigns how much work you do.
Be early. This signifies many things to your employer: you care about your new job, you are excited to start, and you are punctual and therefore dependable. These three things alone can be a boon to that first impression that will stick with you during your first few months on the job. On the same note, do not be the first one out the door at the end of the day.
Smile and shake hands. Yes, your first day will be awkward. You have to meet everyone, and they only have to meet you. Depending on the company this could be five names to remember, or 50. If it is 50, people will understand when you say, “I’m sorry, could you please tell me your name again?” Meet everyone you can, from the big boss to the janitors and receptionists. The latter are the indispensable infrastructure of a company and can be a huge help if you are friendly and respectful. The main point is to give a good handshake, look each person the eye as you are introduced, and say, “Pleased to meet you,” or some variation thereof.
Learn the job. Whether or not it is formally called as such, the first days, weeks, or even months are your job training. Skills from a past job or jobs can be useful, but realize that companies do it their way and you want to establish yourself in this new team. Especially on the first day, focus on figuring out the systems the company has in place. Establishing a rapport enough to change the company takes time and the trust of your fellow employees.
Ask questions. In your first days and weeks, nobody expects a new person to know everything, so ask. Most employers value an employee who knows his/her limits and can use the team, including the boss, to fill in any gaps. Establish this connection early on. Also, asking questions means that you are interested in getting it correct the first time, and every time after that. It also means it is less likely you will have to do your project all over again.
Offer help and be helped. Often the first day is full of filling out tax forms, talking with human resources about benefits, and general menial tasks until they can get you up-to-speed enough to take on bigger tasks. A piece of advice: ask what you can help with, take whatever projects with a smile, do them quickly and well, and ask if you can help more. Establishing yourself as a helpful, hard worker is the best reputation you can have in an office. Additionally, if others ask if you need help, don’t be afraid to take them up on their offer. The idea is to be a team player and a good communicator.
After Your First Day
Your life will change. A new job will almost always mean changes in your lifestyles, whether this means a new schedule, new finances, new area, or new friends. Stay positive and open to the new things knowing it will take a bit of time to fall into a new rhythm.
Stay the course. Continue that attitude you brought to the first day, both in the social and work aspects of your new job.
Learn from your job. Your job should change and grow and so should you. The first things will be the small, social aspects: what to wear, how long you can take lunch, when you can leave. The larger aspects will be when to approach your boss, what work to prioritize, and even how to affect, and effect, changes in the office and company.
Remember you first day. Soon you will not longer be the “new guy” or “new girl,” and there will be new hires. Make sure you are nice to them and help them. They will remember it and help you, or the next new person, or both, later on.
Make sure to socialize.Take those first few lunches with your co-workers and get to know them. Also, listen to the office gossip, but try to avoid getting involved in it for a while. If your co-workers invite you for a Friday happy hour drink, go! (but be sensible, no need to have drunk stories about you on your first Monday back). Stay positive and helpful: don’t complain about people at work, or your previous work.