Careers Hub | 5 ways to master your first day

The first day at a new job is not always the most pleasant. Many of us cringe by the thought of having to make a good first impression to all of your new colleagues and managers. However, if you know how to tackle the first day it is a great opportunity to set the tone from day one.

Follow these five tips to turn these first encounters into your advantage!

1: Be Confident

Confidence is the key to making a good impression, look people in the eye and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Also, be calm and take your time to make your way around the office when meeting your colleagues.  People will sense insecurity in your body language and speech straight away so be set the tone by being confident in yourself and your abilities.

2: Do Some Research

Get yourself a head start by looking at the company website to gather as much knowledge as you can about the company’s practices, employees and values. This will prevent you from getting an overkill of new information and helps you to be able to leave a good impression as it shows your interest in the business and willingness to learn.

3: Dress to Impress

This brings us back to the ‘’oh so’’ important first impression. When arriving for your first day in a new workplace, colleagues will not have much to judge you on (trust us, they will; good or bad). Therefore, your appearance is your main selling point and the clothes that you wear play a huge role in this. Try to dress the part, but don’t forget to be genuine in your own style. If you are not sure what to wear, take a glimpse at the co-workers during your job interview.

4: Take Notes

Taking notes may sound dorky but is actually a great way of showing your interest and will of course help you to process and remember the tons of information that you will be getting on your first day. Nothing is more annoying than having to ask questions for simple things that were explained to you earlier that day. Being able to cite colleagues after meeting them for the first time is a huge plus and will impress right off the bat.

5: Arrive Early

The last thing that you want to happen is arriving late on your very first day. Aim to arrive about 10 minutes before the set time to make sure you will be on time. Especially when taking public transportation, figure out how you need to get there and maybe even do a dry-run a couple of days before in order to minimise stress on the first day (before you even walk through the door).

Bonus Tip: Many companies these days now have very  flexible policies on the use of mobile phones. On your first day, however, put grandma’s wishes of best luck on hold for now. Turn it off and keep it in your pocket.

These five tips above will give you a great foundation for a solid first day at the office. If you’re been at the job for a while already and feel like you missed the mark on a couple of these topics, no worries, go over the list again and start improving tomorrow!