You’ve done the job search, had the interview, the second interview, accepted the job offer…and now after all of that pressure, stress and anticipation, the first day of your new job arrives. But after all of that job preparation and performance, it’s not always then so easy to prepare yourself for how you should act in your first week or so in your new job.

With this in mind, here are 7 ways to make a good first impression in your new Job.

Understand the dress code before you start

A big panic that many people have before they start in their new job is the worry that they will turn up to work wearing the wrong type of work attire. However a quick fix for this is to understand the dress code before you start. Either take five minutes to email the Recruiter or HR department or even phone the office and speak to the receptionist to gain that valuable insight.

Reavaluate your understanding of the role and company

Take a little time out a day or two before you start to remind yourself of both the company and the job spec for the role in which you are being employed. It’s always a good way of remembering key facts about both the company, its services and its history, and the responsibilities that you are taking on in the role. It’s also a good way of making sure that if and when asked, that you can demonstrate an eagerness and awareness of of the job and the company that you now work for.  

Dont worry about asking questions

On day one, and perhaps even the whole of  your first week, you are most likely going to be bombarded with fresh information, advice, guidelines, workbooks, online training, notes, to-do’s, procedures… the list will go on. So don’t panic if during that week you have to end up asking a few questions to get confirmation and a better understanding of some of this info and detail. It won’t do you any harm.

Don’t ask too many questions

Yes of course you should ask questions to help you verify that you are on the right track or have appropriate understanding, but at the same time don’t ask too many questions. Asking too many questions – and in a sense looking for total reassurance on everything that you are doing / learning, might suggest that you are not listening in the first place, or will need reassurance all the time going forward, which might not be a great first impression to make.

Welcome the chance to meet other team mates

Of course starting a new job is quite scary. However it is not just the new job that is scary, but the fear of having to meet loads of new people at the same time and in the same week. However the best approach you can have, and the one that will set the right impression going forward, is to be open to opportunities to socialise and make connections. Of course this perhaps doesn’t mean going out on a big drinking binge in your first few days and embarrassing yourself, but if you are asked to go for lunch, or even if there is a communal eating / break area, embrace the opportunity to meet with your new colleagues and hopefully get to know them too.

Don’t bad mouth your previous employer

Chatting with your new colleagues however doesn’t mean you should be totally frank or entirely open about your previous employer if you came from a previous work environment that wasn’t quite to your liking. There’s nothing worse than bad mouthing a previous employer, or at least totally bad mouthing a previous employer, as regardless of whether or not your opinions are true, it will put other people on guard and your new colleagues may be slightly put off by your frankness.

Be proactive

Finished with a task and you are sitting there not knowing what to do / read / learn. Well, there’s no harm in being proactive and asking for more to do, or more to learn and understand. Employers and Managers generally like employees who are proactive and are willing to do more than the minimum, so being proactive (without totally jumping in headfirst is a good first impression to both make and give.