Congratulations! If you’re about to start a new job, it means your cover letter and résumé stood out from dozens — if not hundreds — of other documents, and that you smashed your interviews, successfully differentiating yourself from several other candidates.
Even though your employer was clearly impressed by your character, skill set and achievements, you might still be pondering extra ways of showing them just how capable you are from day one. Or you may not be doing it for them at all; maybe what brought you to this article was a desire to exceed your own expectations.
In either case, we’ll walk you through 15 things you can do to ensure a successful first day at the office!
Practical Tips for Your First Day of Work
1. Ensure you’re well-rested
So, some things won’t be in your control. Señor Biscuits might barf on your bed in the middle of the night, or the neighbor might drunkenly bang around in their kitchen at 3am, looking for the toaster. Though you can’t predict or control everything, it is still in your hand to get to bed early, swap your phone for a book, and use a sleep mask and some earplugs if you need to.
According to research, a good night’s sleep can improve your memory, cognition, and emotional and social intelligence — all of which you will need to do well on your first day of work.
2. Wake up early
Setting an alarm for the next morning is no one’s favorite activity — unless you’re waking up early to go on vacation! Still, it’s important to set an alarm and get up earlier than usual when you’re starting a new job.
If you’re notorious for sleeping through the incessant beeping, set two or more alarms to make sure you’re out of bed on time. Rushing to get dressed, skipping breakfast and zooming down streets looking for a parking spot will only lead to you arriving stressed out and potentially late.
3. Pick a great outfit
Your outfit can influence how others perceive you, and also affect how you feel about yourself. That’s why it’s important to wear clean, well-fitting clothes that meet the requirements of the company’s dress code.
While it can be a great confidence-booster looking sharp, don’t sacrifice comfort entirely. If your brand-new shoes start digging into the back of your heels or your blazer is a little too hot for the time of year, then you’ll only make things harder for yourself, compromising your performance and how well you can interact with others.
4. Eat something
Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day. It replenishes your blood sugar levels after a long night’s slumber, which energizes you and improves your alertness. By waking up early, you give yourself enough time to sort out a quick meal before you take on your first day at work.
If you’re not used to eating breakfast, consider packing something small to take with you, like fruit and some crackers, or grab a yogurt pot or a croissant on your way to the office.
5. Get there early
Hopefully, you’ll be excited enough about your new job that you’ll resist hitting that snooze button too many times and get out of bed on time.
Getting to work early can ensure that you’ll step into the office feeling as calm as possible, making a positive first impression on your colleagues and supervisor. After all, tardiness (with no good reason) will only make you appear unprofessional.
If some strange, unforeseen circumstance causes you to fall behind schedule, however, it’s imperative to call the office and let someone know as far in advance as possible.
6. Be mentally prepared
Getting through your first day of work successfully requires a fair degree of patience and confidence on your part.
One way to achieve a good mental state prior to arriving to the office is to think of possible events that might occur. That is not to say to overthink every possible scenario, but rather to prepare for more general experiences you might have, such as feeling stressed or a bit lost.
When you know what to anticipate, you can work through the emotions better should they arise.
7. Observe the office culture
Now, this one is very important. Paying close attention to your surroundings can tell you a lot about the people you’ll be working with, as well as the bonds and dynamics between them. Do your new colleagues appear relaxed, or can you pick up on some type of tension radiating throughout the department?
The better you understand how the team operates, the easier it will be to integrate with it!
Remember: your first days or weeks at a new job aren’t just an opportunity for an employer to assess your fit; you’re also deciding whether this new environment is right for you.
8. Express an interest in your colleagues
Forming positive relationships with our colleagues can improve our ability to collaborate and ensure we have someone around who can support us on difficult days. Both of these things matter, as they can enhance our job satisfaction.
Although it’s unlikely that you’ll feel a connection with everyone you meet, it’s still a good idea to keep an open mind and try to be as friendly as possible. Smiling as you introduce yourself, asking personal (but not too personal) questions, and giving people small compliments can go a long way.
9. Ask questions
Posing questions to strangers — especially questions you might be tempted to view as “silly” — can be a little stressful. You might tell yourself that you should already know the answer, or feel bad for not being able to recall what someone already shared with you.
However, try to refrain from being too hard on yourself. Nobody expects you to know everything or to memorize everything in a matter of minutes or hours — and, if they do, that’s on them for having a rather unreasonable expectation.
10. Take notes
Although this won’t always be the case, you might sometimes get bombarded with information on your first day at the office. Although employers should, in theory, map out the onboarding process in a way that doesn’t overwhelm new joiners, everyone has a slightly different understanding of what “too much” is, as well as a different capacity for absorbing new information.
To ensure that you’re able to retain things successfully, avoid relying solely on memory. Taking notes when you’re shown how to use a new software or that intimidating all-in-one printer situation can be useful: you’ll have step-by-step instructions ready for next time, you won’t have to ask someone to repeat things multiple times, and you’ll be able to go over your notes in your free time to memorize them better.
11. Listen
Nerves can have an interesting effect on us, at times making us talk too much and at times causing us to fall silent. Regardless how the anxiety or excitement affects you on your first day, try to consciously make a point out of listening a little more than you speak.
Listening actively can allow you to get to know people faster and better, as well as retain crucial information regarding your responsibilities and the company. The clearer you are about what’s expected of you, the sooner you’ll get the hang of things, and that will allow you to hit the ground running.
12. Be mindful of your body language
Even if you remember to smile occasionally and ask questions, you can still come across as aloof if your body language appears closed off.
What does that look like? Well, it can come in the form of folding your arms across your chest, crossing your legs or avoiding eye contact.
So, try to be mindful of how you carry yourself, and maintain an open posture as much as possible.
13. Refrain from making quick judgments
Okay, so sometimes we can’t help ourselves. We meet Christina from the marketing department and take an instant dislike to her. However, it’s important to give people a chance, as well as time.
Remember: this is the first time you’re meeting this bunch, and your own mental and emotional state may be somewhat altered by the nerves that accompany a first day at work.
Before you decide that you hate it there (or that you absolutely, certainly, wholeheartedly love it) give yourself a chance to observe your team and the office culture for a little longer.
14. Have realistic expectations
When we care about making a great first impression, we might end up having unrealistic expectations from ourselves. If you start judging yourself for not memorizing everyone’s names or figuring out how to perfectly use the various tools you’ve been shown, then you’ll only make yourself feel bad. And for no good reason, might I add!
Your first day at work will, more often than not, be a little overwhelming. You’re in a new environment surrounded by unfamiliar people, cramming all sorts of information into your head while trying to understand and adjust to a new way of working. So, be patient with yourself and realistic regarding how much you “should be” able to retain on your first day.
15. Be yourself
Now, if only it were that simple, right? Being yourself requires a fair degree of confidence, as well as feeling relaxed — two things that you may not always experience when you find yourself in an unfamiliar setting.
When you don’t really know those around you, it can be hard to judge what you can and cannot share. However, letting your personality shine through can be a good idea to get others to warm up to you, whether that’s by sharing how you spilled coffee all over your shoes that morning or by giving someone a compliment on their penguin-shaped mug.
In a snapshot:
Final thoughts
There are many steps you can take to ensure that you succeed on your first day (or days) at work. From simple adjustments to your routine, like sleeping earlier and having breakfast, to confidence-building exercises, like reciting positive affirmations, there is a lot you can do to ease any nervousness and perform to the best of your ability.
Although first encounters can be a little intimidating and overwhelming, with time you should start building meaningful connections with (at least some of) your colleagues and feeling more at ease!
Do you have any more advice that might help fellow readers nail their first day of work? Let us know in the comments section below!
This article is a complete update of an earlier version originally published in 2018.