7 tips for your first day at a new job!

First days can be tough; you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. After all of the preparation to starting a new role, you want to make sure you’re ready to hit the ground running from Day One. To help you with this, we decided to put together a few top tips to keep in mind for your first day.

1. Dress to impress

It’s your first day, so naturally you want to feel comfortable and confident. Finding out about the dress code before you start is a good idea; you don’t want to be shelling out on a designer suit when you’re going to be joining a more laid back, jeans and t-shirt type of environment. For some people, this feels like a bit of an awkward question to ask at an interview.  At Progressive however, we’re here to ask all of this on your behalf, making sure you’ve got all the information to start your first day on the right note.

2. Don’t be late!

Okay – let’s talk about the obvious. Plan your journey! It’s really not going to give off the best first impression if you turn up ten minutes late on your first day is it? It’s probably a good idea to set off a little earlier than usual if you’re not overly familiar with the area or you run into unexpected traffic issues; aim to be there at least fifteen minutes early. Maybe try and build in some time to get a coffee beforehand so you can relax, prepare yourself, and ensure there’s zero risk of turning up late.

3. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to people

We get it - nobody likes going over and awkwardly introducing themselves to a whole new group of people who already know each other. But honestly, the earlier you do this, the better. If you don’t introduce yourself to people within the first few days then too much time passes and it gets awkward. Then you’re just smiling awkwardly when you pass your colleagues in the corridor for the next six months. Not good.

On a serious note, as soon as you start getting to know the people you work with, you’ll instantly feel more comfortable and will be off to a flying start!

4. Organise your inbox

You might be feeling smug about your empty inbox right now, but you know as well as we do that it won’t be long until all sorts of communications start flooding in. And trust us, when you’re walking in to 307 unread e-mails, you’re going to wish you had folders ready to filter through all that noise! A tidy inbox is your best friend; you want to be able to prioritise what’s important, and filter between HR announcements and internal meeting requests. It’s probably not the worst idea in the world to set up priority alerts for e-mails about cake in the kitchen too…

5. Make a note of as many names as possible

You’re going to be inundated with too many new names to keep count of. Unless you have incredibly impressive memory skills, you’re not going to be able to remember everyone’s name right away. However, it’s maybe a good idea to quickly note down the names of key people you’re going to be working with; you don’t want to land yourself in the embarrassing situation of calling your new boss by the wrong name for a whole week… trust us.

6. Soak in as much information as possible

You’ve got a lot to learn about on your first day; what the internal processes are, how your team communicates, and of course finding out where the nearest coffee shop is. It’s a good idea to try and soak in as much as you can about the company and their wider goals from the outset

7. Spend some time getting to know your team

You’ll be eager to throw yourself into projects as soon as possible, but it’s also really important to make an effort to build bonds with your team early on. Healthy personal relationships will aid strong professional relationships and make you feel much more comfortable.

At Progressive, we’re here to help you every step of the way. For more advice and tips on starting a new job, or any aspect of the application process – get in touch!