How do you make a good impression on your first day in a new job?

By Amy @BubbleJobs

Forget the interview or even the second interview; your very first day at work is usually the most traumatic part of getting a brand new job. No matter how hard you prepare, there’s always room for mistakes to happen and I speak from experience!

On my very first day in this job, I created a password for my PC but must have typed it wrong (I blame nerves!) and then Adam had to spend about an hour rebooting it to custom settings so we could reset the password – not the good first impression I wanted to make as a tech-savvy SEO Manager!

Obviously, there’s no way to predict or plan for a fluke like that and, if your new employer is human, they’ll probably just laugh about it and continue to bring it up at various points through your career (thanks Adam!). Password problems aside, there are a few things you can to try to give yourself the best chance of success on your very first job.

1. Have confidence: Feeling nervous is completely normal but if you don’t have confidence in your abilities, how do you expect anyone else to? Relax – your employer gave you the job so they have confidence in you so stop doubting yourself! Having butterflies in your stomach isn’t necessarily a bad thing, particularly if you can channel them in the right way, but completely doubting your abilities can have a devastating effect on your prospects at your new company. Take a deep breath, relax and believe in yourself – if you come across as confident, your new work mates are more likely to respect you in a professional capacity from day one.

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2. Be friendly but not overbearing: Of course you want to come across as friendly and approachable to your new colleagues but be careful not to cross the line from professional to personal, especially in your first week. Discussing your thoughts on ‘safe’ topics like the latest episode of EastEnders is all well and good but expressing strong controversial political opinions isn’t really a good idea. Remember, no matter how well you get on with your work mates, they’re still your work mates, not your ‘going down the pub’ mates so be careful to strike the right balance between being safe and boring and being too outspoken – mouth off too much and you could get yourself a reputation, and not a good one at that!

3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions: While it’s essential to be confident, it’s not a good idea to pretend to know how to do something when you don’t! Unless you’re a know-it-all, it’s highly unlikely you’ll know how to do everything on your fast day so rather than try and whing it and accidentally bring the whole system down, just ask! Remember, no matter how long your colleagues have been with the company, they’ll have been the ‘newbie’ once. Rather than showing you’re not qualified, asking for clarification shows you’re keen to ensure you’re doing it right first time and should indicate you’re serious about the job you’ve just been given.

4. Offer to make the tea: OK, so making the tea for everyone can seem like you’ve taken a step back but it’s a great way to show you’re not afraid to muck in and can be a great way to bond with your new colleagues – just be sure to get the orders right. If you’ve got a terrible memory (like me), write it down!

5. Bring in treats: Last but not least, bringing in treats like cakes or biscuits on your first day can be a great way to get in the good books of your colleagues from day one. OK so it’s blatant sucking up but who cares? Your colleagues get free cakes or biscuits and you get some extra brownie points (ah, see what I did there?!).

Tags: first day at work tips, job first impressions, job seeker advice, new job advice

About the Author

Amy Edwards Amy Edwards is the SEO Manager for Bubble Jobs. With a strong background in online content and copywriting, Amy is responsible all the on-site and off-site SEO of Bubble Jobs and the Bubble Jobs blog. You can follow her on Twitter here or add her to your circles on Google+ here.