How to Handle the First Day in a First Job

Copyright (c) 2013 Alison Withers

A candidate or job seeker may have acted on every bit of advice available in constructing their CV and approaching an interview and finally been offered the position they particularly wanted.

Particularly for a new graduate candidate seeking their first career position the effort may have taken some time given the competition and the economic climate since the global financial crisis began in 2008.

However, as the first day approaches the nerves can set in and the new recruit worries about everything from whether their references will check out to whether they will be able to measure up to the challenge.

Such feelings are not unusual but it is useful to remember that they have successfully survived a sometimes gruelling job search, achieved an interview and performed well enough to have impressed their new employer and be hired.

It is worth reminding oneself that it will take a while to get to know new colleagues and to settle into the culture of the organisation while learning what is expected in the position.

If the position has been found with the help of a specialist recruitment agency it may be that once the appointment is made the agency can give some guidance about how to handle the first weeks and what they should expect.

In the desire to make a good impression some essentials are to dress formally, until familiar with the workplace dress code, to be friendly and approachable but to keep opinions and judgements to oneself at this early stage.

The company may have an induction and training programme for new entrants, which will guide the newcomer to some of the basics that are expected of their position, but there are also likely to be times when it feels as if there is not enough to do.

Colleagues may be busy and have little time for explanations or discussion so a useful tactic may be to volunteer to help out with some task as a demonstration that the newcomer is willing to pitch in as part of the team.

It is also important to take time to get to know the culture and the personalities of the people a newcomer will be working with and not to try too hard to fit in with dynamics that are not yet clear.

Simple tips to calm the first day nerves include having a notepad handy to record the names of people who are introduced and what their role or job title is. It is also helpful to make notes about the way specific tasks are done since there will be a lot to take in during the early days of the job.

If necessary it is better to ask questions than to struggle on with something that may not be easy to understand. Most people would expect a newcomer not to understand everything about a task and to want to learn and will generally be glad to help.

Listening, reading through any written material thoroughly and tackling tasks methodically will help the nervous newcomer to stay calm and be effective and it will not be long before they are accepted as part of the team.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com