20 Tips for Making Your First Days a Success:
Settling into a new job can seem daunting. What will people think of you? Will you live up to their expectations? Will the reality of the work meet your expectations? Here, you will find some important considerations as a new employee to help make your best first impression.
Work Full Days
There’s nothing that can affect your reputation faster than routinely coming into work late or leaving work early. Especially in these first days/weeks on the job, be sure you get to work early, and leave no earlier than when the majority of your co-workers leave. Once you have established yourself, you may be able leave early, shift your hours, or take work home with you by negotiating with the person you report to. But in the beginning, be totally dedicated to being there all the time and picking up as much work as you can handle.
Establish a Good Attendance Record
It’s important to show up to work every day and establish a good attendance record. Yes, there will be emergencies, and yes, you may get sick, but try to make it to work every day during your first months on the job.
Be Team Spirited
Teams work together to solve problems and get the job done. Show loyalty to your co-workers and share any recognition you get with the team. There will be plenty of time for you to step into the “spotlight” once you are well established in your role and in the organization. Be cautious not to criticize your new colleagues and/or how work and projects are handled in your new organization versus your previous one. New employees are evaluated not only on their skills, abilities and results, but also on how well they fit into the culture of the organization and the dynamics of their team. Diversity allows for new learning and growth! It is essential that you connect with your new team and work well with others.
Exhibit a Positive Attitude
Have you ever noticed how spirited, positive people are always a pleasure to work with and be around, while negative, cranky individuals make every interaction a chore? Let your enthusiasm for being part of the team and the organization show.
Dress For Success
Choose what you wear based upon how you wish to be perceived. Never underestimate the importance of dressing professionally in your new job. Even if your department has casual days, during the first few months of your employment, dress professionally because you never know when you will be called to meet a VIP.
Memorize Names
Learn the names of every member of your team as quickly as possible. If you are in a situation in which you forget a person’s name, the best solution is simply to apologize and ask the person’s name again. People feel valued when referred to by their name.
Ask Questions
No one expects you to know everything from day one. It’s almost always better to ask questions before you’ve completed the task, than to waste time and energy by doing it all wrong.
Gather Information
Don’t assume anything, take advantage of orientation sessions, assigned work “buddies,” and/or mentors to better understand systems, procedures, and protocols. Read all available training manuals and health and safety material to familiarize yourself with your new organization and show that you are interested and committed to being a team player. Take notes when appropriate, this will help you understand the organization, your assignments, and avoid having to ask un-necessary questions. Also, observe how information and communication pass within your new organization: is email preferred? or telephone, face-to-face meetings, an online portal, etc.
Take Initiative
Expect that in the initial days of your employment, you will be assigned a lighter load, progressing to more work as time goes by. As you complete tasks and are ready to handle a heftier workload, take the initiative and ask for more assignments. However, don’t forget which job you’ve been hired to do! Be ambitious, but although you may aspire to a higher position, the organization needs you to fill the role you’ve been chosen for. It’s often best to save talk about your progression within the organization for your yearly performance review.
Listen More, Talk Less
One of the hardest skills to learn, especially for extroverts, is that, when you are new to an organization, it’s better to listen more and talk less. If you have a legitimate contribution, make it, but if not, do more listening, observing and absorbing. Don’t get tagged as a “know it all.”
Define Your Priorities and Boundaries
Get a copy of your job description and try to define the boundaries of your job. Don’t work to minimum benchmarks, but aim to make the greatest contribution possible within the parameters of your role. Consult with your boss to establish priorities so that you can understand the proportion of time you should assign to individual tasks or projects.
Track Accomplishments
It’s up to you to track your accomplishments; no one else will do it for you. Tracking your accomplishments will boost your self-esteem and can help you in the completion of performance reviews.
Avoid Office Politics and Gossip
Be sure not to associate too often with the office gossips or risk having your image associated with them. Stay out of the office politics for as long as possible, even though it’s inevitable that you will be exposed to them sooner or later.
Remember You’re on Company Time
Keep your personal business to a minimum and stay focused on work. Limit personal emails and surfing the net to an absolute minimum, and even then, try to do so on your lunch or coffee breaks.
Show Appreciation
Show your appreciation to everyone who helps you learn the ropes during your first days on the job -from your co-workers to receptionists to your HR representatives.
Find a Mentor
You don’t need to jump on this task your first day, but as you get introduced to senior staff, begin thinking about developing a mentoring relationship with a member of management above you – and outside your department- in the organization. Mentoring has numerous benefits, from a simple sounding board to someone who helps direct and advance your career within the organization.
Get Organized
Use available technology to assist you with organizing and scheduling your time and tasks. If this is unavailable, invest in a system such as an agenda or organizer. Missing an important deadline or meeting in your early days of employment is something you’d rather not have to deal with. Make note of your new employee information. Write down your new office telephone and fax number, email, and address and keep it handy so when you need to communicate it to a new co-worker or customer, you have it!
Establish Regular Communication
In the early days of employment, try to schedule regular meetings with your boss to further establish a rapport and relationship- but don’t inform your boss of every little problem. For minor concerns, ask for help from others on the team.
Network, Network, Network
Attend staff meetings, professional organization conferences, trade shows – maximize every opportunity to meet colleagues in your field. Manage and grow your network of contacts because you never know what the future may hold for you.
Forget about perfection!
Instead, strive for excellence. Making a great impression and building a solid reputation is the key to a successful integration.
