Starting a new job can be scary as well as exciting. Walking into a new place of work with a new manager and new work colleagues can, after all, be a daunting experience.
If it’s your first job, you may well be feeling nervous about what’s in store for you on your first day.
Don’t worry, here’s some quick tips to help you prepare:
- Make sure your outfit is planned the night before.
- Plan how you will travel to work.
- If you are driving, be sure on where to park.
- Depending on the role, take a pen and a notepad.
- Arrive no more than 10 minutes before your start time.
Being prepared will help you feel more confident, relaxed, calm and will reduce potential stress.
If you’ve been working for years but starting at a new company in the same line of business, there will still be new learnings. You may need to understand how the new company operates or get to grips with new technology and tools.
When getting to know your new boss and co-workers, it’s normal to feel nervous, but remember they will equally be nervous of meeting their new team member. Try to look at the prospect of meeting new people as exciting and a fantastic opportunity.
Having an idea of what lies ahead and being prepared for the days and weeks to come, can significantly help you make a great first impression and ensure you will be successful in your new job.
Contract of Employment
When you accept a job and your new employer agrees to pay you for your work, it means you have a valid verbal working contract. In addition, you should ideally receive a written statement or contract of your main employment terms and conditions, before you start. This document will confirm your job title and outline your salary, hours, holiday entitlement and benefits. If you have not received this document prior to starting, your employer is obliged to give you a written contract or statement within two months of starting work.
The contract or statement should include the following details:
- Employer’s name and address
- Your full name and address
- Your job title
- Employment start date
- Work location
- Salary (including overtime and bonus pay)
- How many contractual hours you are due to work and where possible, what time you are expected to start work and end work, for example, 09:00 to 17:00.
- Overtime, bonus or commission structure
- Holiday entitlement
- Pension schemes
- Sick pay and process
- Probation period
- Notice periods
- Dismissal, disciplinary and grievance procedures
When you receive your contract, read it carefully before signing it. Once you’ve signed, it means you’ve agreed to the terms of the contract.
Your contractual rights start when you arrive for your first day and continues until your contract ends, which is usually when you give notice, or it could be at the end of your probation period, or if you have a start and end date in your contract, or if the terms of your contract are changed.
New Jobs Checks
When you start a new job, your employer will request proof of your identity, such as a driving licence or passport, your bank details and your national insurance number. It’s common to perform other checks such as references you gave when you applied for the job and confirmation of any certificates or qualification you have achieved.
Employees from other countries will need to provide a new employer with evidence that they have the right to work in the UK.
Some jobs also require your employer to carry out a criminal record check before you can start (though this usually only applies to jobs where you’d be working with children, vulnerable people or in healthcare).
Very occasionally you may also need a medical check-up, although you’ll normally be advised about this before you start work and this is rare, but maybe a requirement of the job.
How to make the right impression
One of the golden rules of starting a new job is to arrive on time, especially on your first day. Being punctual is important, and if you start late on your first day it could make you feel stressed. If you continue to be late every morning after that, it’s not going to make a positive impression and your employer may enforce your probation period within your contract.
If you want to come across as conscientious and responsible, treat your first day as you did your job interview. If your new place of work is in an area you don’t usually travel to, consider doing a practice run of the journey before you start.
Check how long it will take you to get there at the same time of day you’ll be starting, and build in extra time for traffic, commuting or other unforeseen challenges. If you’re going to be using public transport on a journey you’re not familiar with, you may even want to consider finding out whether there are often delays on your route by asking fellow passengers during your practice run.
Most importantly, try to get a good night’s sleep before your first day, especially if you have to get up earlier than usual.
Employment Attire
If you’re not sure what to wear, don’t be afraid to ask the person who hired you – it could save you a lot of embarrassment. After all, few things make a worse impression than turning up on your first day wearing a completely inappropriate outfit, it will make you feel uncomfortable and you will stand out for all the wrong reasons.
Be Enthusiastic
Help your new employer to see you as having a can-do attitude and being a team player from the first day by showing that you’re keen and upbeat. Be enthusiastic and helpful – but don’t overdo it, or you’ll appear too eager to please.
Be careful not to offer to take on more work than you can handle. Try to bear this in mind that you’ll need time to learn the ropes, so don’t make too many commitments at first – at least until you’ve found your feet. If you overcommit, it could affect your overall performance, especially during the early days of a new job.
Fitting in to your new environment
- It’s never easy being the new person in any workplace, but there are things you can do to make fitting in a smooth process:
- If you don’t already know, ask your Manager what they expect from you
- Get to know your co-workers, who’s who in your new workplace and the role each of your new co- workers plays
- Volunteer to help if you notice your co-workers are under a lot of pressure (even if you don’t have the skills or knowledge to lend a hand, the offer will go down well)
- Start up conversations with co-workers during breaks to find out more about them – be attentive and try to avoid the temptation to talk about yourself too much
- Accept invitations for a coffee or lunch or after-work activities. Also invite each of your new colleagues you’ll be working directly with – to lunch or coffee to get to know them better
- Be respectful and courteous to everyone, from the Manager to your co-workers
- Keep an open mind to working practices and operations. Even if you have experience doing the job you’ve been hired for, bear in mind that your new employer may do things slightly differently. Try not to criticise if you think your way is better – this will alienate people rather than get them to like and accept you, so take notes and once you are established in your role, then address this
- Don’t forget to offer when it’s your turn to make the tea, even on your first day (it will earn you lots of brownie points)
- Do not make personal calls or texts, send personal emails or check your social media pages during working hours – if you must do so at work, save these tasks for your lunch break. Remind friends and family members not to call you while you’re at work, unless it is an emergency
- Avoid talking about how much you loved – or hated – your old job. Never talk about how much you disliked your old manager, especially in front of your new one
- Do speak up if you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t be afraid to say you don’t understand or know something. If your new manager has put too much on your plate before you’re ready for it, or if you’re having difficulty understanding how certain things are done, it’s much better to say so rather than to suffer in silence or try to figure out things yourself
The 90-day rule
Your new manager will not expect you to work miracles on your first day, so listen, learn and be positive.
It can take 30 to a good 90 days to learn the ropes of a new job and become fully effective. So give yourself time, and you could avoid making mistakes or burning yourself out.
