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Starting work can potentially be one of the most awkward things you’ve ever done in your life. Waiting to be told where to sit, how to log into your e-mail, and who (if anyone) is going to go to lunch with you can make you feel like a helpless infant waiting to suck at the teat of responsibility. It can also be an incredibly nerve-racking experience—an unofficial survey conducted by me shows that first day nerves register even higher on peoples’ fear factor than losing their virginity! The thing to remember is that adults in the workforce can be as awkward, lazy, or self-absorbed as the people you knew in college, and unfortunately not everyone is going to jump out of his seat to make the new person feel comfortable. You have to slowly work your way into the fold—don’t force it. Be polite, enthusiastic, and friendly, and whenever you’re given an opening, let people know what you’re interested in and where you’d like to be involved. Here are a few tips for lubricating your entry into the office.
The cardinal rule of your first day is to be on time. If possible, take the trip from wherever you’re staying to the office beforehand to gauge how long it will take. Then add an hour to that. If you’re there early you can grab a coffee or something. Maybe you’ll have time for a few. But it’s worth it, because being late will set a horrible precedent.
Most likely, you will meet a bunch of people on your first day, from mailroom employees up to your boss. No one will fault you for taking a few weeks to get acclimated and acquainted with the office, but quickly learning people’s names can help you make a great first impression. After you’ve been shown around, try making a quick chart of who people are and where they sit. If you do forget, don’t be afraid to ask again—“I’m sorry, I’ve been meeting so many people and managed to forget your name. Could you remind me?” Eventually, you will not be able to use this line anymore, at which point you’ll find yourself in the extremely awkward situation of mumbling the name of someone you’ve seen every single weekday for six months. I did this a lot in college because you could get away with just saying “Hey man” or “What up, dude” to literally anyone, but in a working environment it doesn’t really fly.
Sometimes you will meet your boss or supervisor for the first time the day you arrive for the job. Don’t go barging in with the wild ideas you came up with on the ride over, but do be forthcoming with your goals and expectations. Let your boss know what aspects of the company interest you most and where you’d like to get involved. If the response is, “Actually, you will just be buying me frappuccinos and doing my son’s homework,” then go with the flow. It’s always useful to give your boss a sense of your aspirations, even if he appears to ignore them. For more mundane run-of-the-mill issues like hours, vacations, and reimbursements, it may be more prudent to check in with HR. However, feel free to bring these topics up with your direct superior (not necessarily the boss of all bosses) if there is confusion, and make sure you take an approach that does not bear hints of an “I want to work as little as possible and go on vacation next week” attitude.
At larger companies, offices can be like labyrinths, with more barriers to entry than Cuba. If no one shows you, be sure to ask around to locate the following essentials: bathroom, fridge/coffee machine/kitchen, mailroom, office supply cabinet, and the fire exit. You may also need to get an ID card made, so try to look presentable (though the photo will be terrible anyway). It is advisable to get on the good side of the security guards, who are like the Minotaurs of your office. If they decide that they don’t like you and you forget your ID, they will pretend they’ve never seen you and make you contact your supervisor to get in, thus causing embarrassment and annoyance all around.
During the first weeks and months on the job, you will be recipient of a non-stop deluge of information, ranging from the menial (e.g., how to sign in guests, where to find post-it notes) to the monumentally important (e.g., how to get paid, who is your manager). Even if your superiors don’t expect you to take it all in the first time around, you will come out looking on the ball and ready if you do. For this reason, it’s important to take copious notes about the who, what, why, when, and how of the office as you go along. You might feel silly writing down something as simple as “BCC Geraldine on all client e-mails,” but you will feel even sillier if you mess it up. As a general rule, always bring a pen, pad, and potentially a calculator to all meetings—even if you just draw pictures of beagles humping grenade launchers, at least it will look like you are trying.
Excerpted from The Gradspot.com Guide to Life After College by Chris Schonberger and Stuart Schultz. Download the free e-book at gradspot.com/book.
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The name game is especially difficult, I think. But you're right...people look a little sheepish when they have to ask somebody's name after weeks of saying "hello" as you pass in the halls. Also, knowing somebody's name and using it helps establish some piece of power in any entry-level job. Except if it was said excessively. That's just weird. Good advice.
[...] Schultz over at Brazen Careerist have some good advice if you’re just starting a new job. (Read it at Brazen [...]
The point about taking notes is crucial but oftentimes ignored! During my first job I thought I would be able to remember everything - clearly I didn't, and that made me look like a fool when I didn't have to. Also, during office meetings, my boss always told me "you should have a notebook" whenever I forgot one. Great advice - not only will taking notes help during the first few weeks of your new job, but it also makes you look motivated and professional.
I would also add to be very observant, and listen more than you talk. Some office politics can be subtle, but they are often the key to success. Take some time to figure out what the politics are like in your office. I hate that it matters, but I've found that it really does.
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The University of Virginia's Darden School of Business recently published its application deadlines for the coming admissions season. Here they are, followed by our comments in italics:
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