They're filled with promise and excitement -- as well as nerves, confusion and not a few landmines. Your first week at a new job contains opportunities to set yourself up for a long, successful stay -- or lay the groundwork for future struggles. Getting it right is crucial. But fear not. Just a few strategies will help you negotiate your way through that first week with poise and elan, and guide you around the danger spots. The first day on any job is confusing. New people, new responsibilities, new culture, sometimes even new software. It's a lot to digest! 1. Save up your questions... When in doubt, ask -- but don't overdo it. Research and come up with your own answers when possible, then gather the questions you can't answer and ask them in batches. A well-planned Q and A session will impress your new supervisor and is less draining for peers. 2. ...And your suggestions. If you know a better way to do something, great! Just don't share it on the first day. Wait a week or two and get a feel for things. Then, when you've already shown your worth, offer some humble feedback. It'll be much more likely to get heard. 3. Don't bluff. While you need to manage your questions, don't pretend to know something you don't! If you're called out, it will be a disaster -- and you'll never have a better chance to learn. Don't miss the chance to meet everybody. If you don't introduce yourself to that guy who sits near the copier, you could be walking past him, feeling awkward, several times a day for the coming months, even years. 4. Getting to no. It's tough to turn down assignments when you're new. But allow yourself to get overloaded with projects and you're setting yourself up for stress and poor performance. Take on as much as you can, then find a helpful, genial way to turn down additional assignments. If you can suggest a strategy or offer future participation, you'll get a break while still looking like a team player. 5. A positive stance. A smile and a quick explanation will help. Try not to appear harried or overburdened (even if you are!). Your stance could be read as signaling incompetence or anger. 6. Introductions are in order. Don't miss the chance to meet everybody. If you don't introduce yourself to that guy who sits near the copier, you could be walking past him, feeling awkward, several times a day for the coming months, even years. 7. Be open AND reserved. Give people a sense of who you are -- sanitized. If you clam up, you might come off as stiff and standoffish. But this is NOT the time to bring up health issues or family problems or to air your, shall we say, colorful sense of humor. Prepare a few neutral subjects for discussion: a passion for animals, a favorite movie, a football team. 8. Use your ears. Be friendly, but instead of blathering on, listen. What are people talking about? How much are they talking? Learn as much as you can of the company's culture. You need to fit in before you can effectively stand out. 9. Choose your allies well. You may be grateful for that first person to come around and bend your ear, and he may well be extremely helpful. But go slow: he may also be the neediest person in the office, or the designated complainer. Be friendly, but noncommittal. 10. A fresh start. Finally, resist the temptation to talk too much about your old job. Whatever status you earned in your former workplace, you're the new guy here. And while it's quite possible they did things better at your old place of work, you have to earn respect before anyone will want to hear it. You bring intel from the competition -- but it'll do you no good if you share it too soon. Don't Just
Survive Your
First Week.
Kill It!New beginnings
Learning Skills
Managing workload
Meetings: social AND professional
You know the expression: you never get a second chance to make a first impression. If you are intentional and strategic in how you present yourself those first few days, you'll avoid a raft of mistakes and set yourself up for a grand new beginning.
