10 Simple Tips for Starting Your First Job

Congratulations, you've signed your first corporate job offer. In a couple of days, weeks, or months, you will be joining the workforce, but is it just like going to college? Not really, but don't worry I've got your back. 

#1 First things first, plan to get to work early. Your team and manager are paying attention to the time you arrive. If HR or your new manager told you to be there at 8 am, plan to arrive at 7:30am, this will allow you enough time to calm your nerves before you walk into the office, and more importantly it will allow you to account for things like heavier than normal traffic or getting stuck behind the school bus. You should plan to walk in around 7:45 am. Remember, if you're not early, you're late.

#2 A couple days before you start, map out how long it will take you to get to work, if you're moving to a new city for your job, make sure that you find somewhere safe and affordable to live and arrive a couple days or weeks before you start your job, if you can, I understand funds can be limited. Plan to travel to your new job the workday before you start at the time you think you would need to leave. This will give you a better idea of things that normally go wrong, maybe there is a stretch of traffic you didn't expect, or a construction detour that hasn't made it on the map yet. This applies even if you will be taking modes of transportation other than driving yourself. Mapping out how long it will take you to get to work will help you avoid some of the anxiety of your first day and ensure that you will be on time.

If after your best efforts, you find yourself running late on your first day due to traffic or oversleeping (It happens), reach out to HR and let them know that you are running late, but you are on your way. If you're going to be less than 10 minutes late, you don't need to reach out to HR, unless they said otherwise. If you are late on your first day, be sure to be early/on time for the rest of the week.

#3 Now that you know what time to get to work, you're going to want to plan out your outfits, again, I know that funds can be limited, that's okay, work with what you have in your closet as much as you can. If you didn't ask or notice during the interview, you can google what the dress code in the office is or ask the HR manager via email or phone before you start. If everyone in the office wears jeans, you may want to step up your attire just a bit at least until you get comfortable with your coworkers. If you do wear jeans, try to avoid distressed jeans, yes, they are cute, but not for work.

#4 Your first day will likely be filled with following HR around, getting your computer set up and meeting the team. If you are in a cohort, this is a great opportunity to make friends, these are the people that are going to understand your struggle the best, but remember, they are your work friends, not your friend friends, so use your discretion.

#5 Plan out your day, either buy an agenda or use an online agenda to plan out your day, this will help you start out and stay organized throughout your career.

#6 Bring a notebook.  Bringing a notebook and pen for notes is paramount, I know you may be used to taking notes on your computer, that’s lovely, however, many companies don’t allow laptops in meeting rooms, so you can be stuck with no way of taking notes.

#7 Bring your lunch, on the first day, try not to bring anything that needs to be heated up, unless you are absolutely sure that the company has a microwave and a refrigerator, and they are both clean enough to use. If someone invites you to lunch even though you brought your own lunch it is okay to go with them if you can afford it. This is a great way to build relationships.

#8 Assess how other people treat their lunch breaks, do they take them at their desks? Do they leave for two hours? Do they not eat lunch at all? This will give you a good indication of the company’s culture and what you have to look forward to, it is important for you to set the standard on how you will treat your lunch break, I don't recommend taking an extra-long lunch unless you are dining with a manager. You want to avoid putting a target on your back.

#9 Get comfortable asking questions, there are two ways to learn. Option 1, through trial and error, option 2 through asking questions in almost every scenario you are better off asking questions than trying to figure out how to do your job through trial and error. Asking questions will also make your coworkers feel like you are engaged and willing to learn, but remember pay attention the first time, no one likes answering the same question over and over again.

#10 Leave when it is time to leave, not before. If you must leave before it is time to leave, make sure that you ask your manager for permission in the morning when you arrive and explain why you need to leave, nothing says unreliable like leaving work early when you just started. If you need to leave for something that was planned before you knew your start date, be sure to let HR know when you are signing the letter.

With these simple tips, you will be a star employee from day one. Comment below and let me know which one is your favorite.

Good luck

~Ms. Sunflower