Photo credit: Career Girl Network
Congratulations! You just impressed the hiring manager and possibly many other individuals (including recruiters, potential team members and executives) with your resume and your interview and they decided to hire you for your dream position. This is an exciting time and new adventure and chapter in your life. You want to bring it and make the best impression possible.
Imagine – you are starting from ground zero which is a GREAT THING. You get to create your own reputation without any preconceived notions. You get to build your brand at this new organization and show your boss and co-workers how much of a prize you are.
Typically organizations have a grace or probation period which is used to observe your performance, help with any corrections, if necessary and gives an out to both parties to part ways without recourse in the event the opportunity does not work out. That happens and there’s nothing wrong with it – you just don’t want to have your brand or image tarnished so if you decide to leave, leave quietly.
But if you are first day on the job there is a prime opportunity to make the best impression there is. Here are 10 tips how to make a good impression on a new job. They are tried and true and what I’ve done myself to start off on the best foot possible.
- Be punctual and show up to work on time each and every day. It may even be worth your while to arrive earlier than the agreed upon time. The quiet time in the office (assuming it is first thing in the morning) can help you get organized and ready for the thrills of the day.
- In the reverse, don’t be the first one to hit the door. You are a new employee/associate. There is a lot for you to learn. Even professionals with a lot of experience need extra time at the start of a new job to learn the ropes and culture of their new company and position.
- Be enthusiastic regardless of the assignment. There will be fun tasks and mundane ones. Step up to the challenge with the same level enthusiasm. There is a lot to learn with the “boring” assignments that can be used when more exciting projects come along.
- Find out from your boss their expectations of your role, performance and how they grade and rate job performance. Don’t start off asking about what it takes to get a pay raise or promotion off the bat. You must prove yourself first.
- Keep the socializing to minimum. Be friendly, polite and approachable but don’t be chatty Cathy constantly seen in the hallway or someone else’s cube chatting it up about non-work related topics every time your new boss or supervisor walks by. Even if you aren’t fully engaged with an assignment – you want to make sure you preserve your image and brand and are perceived as a go-getter. Constantly socializing may leave a false negative impression.
- Take initiative. Sometimes an organization has hired you because the workload is more than they can support with current staff. The flip side of that is, the manager may be a tad too busy to completely orient you to everything you need to know. It can be frustrating but take the initiative and request one-on-one meetings with your new manager (30 minutes should be sufficient) to ask questions, present your observations, request direction, etc. Sometimes you have to grab their attention vs. waiting on them to reach out to you. It might not happen.
- Study, study and study some more. Learn the company culture, learn the players in your Department and outside of your Division, read materials on the industry so you are abreast of the latest, study the jargon and acronyms so you can understand what is being discussed in meetings and take lots and lots of notes. Those become goldmines in the future because what sounds like jibberish during your first few weeks on the job ends up having meaning once you better understand what is going on.
- Surf the intranet. Sort of like #6, read the articles the company is sharing that they find valuable. That way you can possibly bring some value to a meeting and speak intelligently when it is come to contribute to a discussion.
- Set up short meetings with key players in the organization and your Department to understand what they do and how what they do impacts your deliverables and job performance.
- Check your work. Nothing worse than submitting work with errors and mistakes. Double check your work and even ask a peer to review it before you turn it in to make sure it is accurate and well thought out.
What do you normally like to achieve during the first thirty days on a new job?
