First Day at New Job! 7 Things to Do on Your First Day
You survived your job search and got a shiny new job — now what?
Between the stress of preparing for interviews, answering tough curveball questions and having to “sell” your story, landing your dream job is no easy feat. Give yourself a high five, a pat on the back, a hug even! The hard part is over.
First impressions really do last, so it’s important you nail your first day on the job just like you did your job search. Below are our top tips, some of which might seem a bit counter intuitive, that will help you jumpstart your first day with ease.
1. Develop a new morning routine.
A new job means a new routine whether it be your work schedule, commute, or work culture. With that said, it’s a great opportunity to hit the reset button and shake things up a bit. If you got into the habit of skipping breakfast at your last job, try to incorporate it into your new morning routine. Consider getting a workout in before work or even just setting aside a couple minutes in the morning for you. Having a routine you like and sticking to it definitely impacts your overall happiness, so take this as an opportunity to get your mornings started on the right foot.
2. Dress appropriately for the job.
You’ve probably already been into the office for an onsite interview, so you’ll have somewhat of an idea of what the dress code is. While you definitely want to feel comfortable, it’s best to play it safe, leaning towards a smarter and more polished look on your first day. Aim to dress to your personal style, but also to your new role. You don’t want to forever be known as the person that turned up in hilarious shorts or a three-piece suit on their first day, so be sure to find your dress code middle ground.
3. Arrive early (but not too early).
While you definitely don’t want to be late on your first day, getting to the office way too early can potentially throw a wrench in not only your schedule but others’ too. Many folks will be involved in your onboarding process including your manager, the HR team and the IT team, so you want to give ample time for everyone to get you set up. A good rule of thumb is to try and arrive 15 minutes ahead of the start time agreed upon with your manager.
4. If your new boss and coworkers invite you to lunch – GO!
Going to lunch with your boss and coworkers will allow you to get to know the folks you’ll be working with on a more personal level, and outside of the office setting. This can in turn ease some of your nervousness/first day jitters. Going to lunch will also help you get a read on personalities, work styles, and other characteristics that will inform your work and how to navigate your workplace. To ensure your first day lunch goes well, have a few conversation starters in your back pocket. That way in the event the lunch conversation dries up, you can offer up a couple fresh discussion topics (i.e. big news stories, personal anecdotes, celebrity gossip).
5. Identify three goals for your new job.
One of the big outcomes of going through a job search is you learn a ton about yourself. In particular, you learn what you want and don’t want, and what skills you bring to the table vs. the ones you want to build on. With this new-found understanding, take some time to think about what goals you have for your new role. For example, this might be owning certain projects for the company, bringing something new to the table, or building a new skill set you didn’t have before. In identifying your goals early on, and figuring out how to execute against them, you’ll be one step closer to positioning yourself for success.
6. Embrace the change.
Things are going to be different from your last job and that’s OK! It’s important that you approach your new job with an open mind, and that you’re ready to soak it all in. Be patient with yourself as you figure out how you fit in with your work streams, teams and company culture, and make sure you understand the way things are done before jumping into suggestions on improvements.
7. Be yourself.
They hired you for a reason so smile, relax a little and enjoy the first day of your next big thing!
With these tips, we’re confident you’ll totally dominate your first day. We wish you the best of luck with your new adventure!
