Your attitude is just as important as your skills and abilities. From high-stress office places to quick-paced restaurants, learning to negotiate a new job requires a unique mixture of people skills and dedication. You can learn to make a good impression on your first day, and turn that good impression into a good reputation into the future.
- Get there early. On your first day, it's important to make a good impression and to show up on time. Make sure you're there early enough to get fully prepared and changed, if necessary, to start your shift. Be there ready to go 10-15 minutes before your shift starts.
If you have to take public transportation, or your new workplace is somewhere you're unfamiliar with, take the trip a few days ahead of time to make sure you know exactly how long it will take, and where it is.
Don't stay beyond the time you're scheduled. Leaving late may indicate that you aren't able to budget your time effectively. Impress your employer by arriving early enough to prepare for the day, then leave when you're finished.
- Listen and apply what you hear. You won't be expected to excel right away at most jobs, and most employers know that there will be a learning curve with new hires. So, don't worry so much about making mistakes and messing up your first day, but focus on learning as much as possible and listening closely to make sure you don't miss things.
Make it your goal to only make a mistake once. If your boss tells you how to do something, listen and remember so you won't have to ask again.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions. Lots of new employees will be too sheepish to ask questions, and will blunder into doing things incorrectly. Know enough to know when you need help. There's no shame in asking for help, especially on your first day. It'll be better to have it explained once and be sure you'll do it right than to try to guess and get exposed later.[1]
- Try to anticipate what needs to happen next. The process of every workplace is very different. Even if you're skilled and talented, it takes some time to figure out what needs to happen, and in what order. The best way to stand out on your first day as a good worker is to try to analyze the situation and figure out what needs to happen next.
At some jobs, your first day can involve a lot of standing around and watching. Jump in when you see an opening. If you see another employee carrying a big stack of bags from one place to another, you don't need to be told that you could help out.
At some jobs, you'll need to ask instead of just acting. If you're starting at a kitchen and finish up with some dishes, it might seem obvious that they'll go to the dishwasher, but there may be some other process.
- Clean up without being asked. One thing that's consistent at every workplace is cleanliness and safety. Straightening up doesn't usually need to be coached. Look out for things you can organize, or ways that you can clean up to make the workplace much easier.
If you work in an office, change out the coffee filter and make a fresh pot. Clean up the cups and spoons and throw away the refuse. Take the trash to the bin. Help straighten up other public areas if they need straightening.
If you work in a kitchen or a restaurant, keep an eye out for obstacles that someone may trip over, or help clean up dishes in the back. Take a turn at the sink if you need to. try to find a way to stay busy.
- Just be yourself. It's not what you know, how talented you are, or even what you do on the first day that will make it a success. It's your attitude and behavior. Your employer hired you because there was something about your combination of skills and personality that will benefit your workplace. Have faith in your ability to succeed as yourself, and don't think you need to be someone you're not.
You don't have to act like your coworkers act, for good or for worse. It takes time for people to adjust to a new person in the workplace, so give your co-workers time to adjust to your personality rather than changing your behavior to match theirs.
