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Ten Tips For Your First Day At A New Job

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Nailed your CV, interviews and got chosen for your dream job? Congrats! 

You've done all the hard work to get to where you are now, but after all the partying and celebrations, have you taken some time to ready yourself for your upcoming first day?

Being a new member of the team can be an intimidating and nerve-wrecking ordeal, but it's important to channel your nervous energy out and focus on what you have to do on the day ahead. 

Here at DNA, we do more than just help you get the role, we want to help you start your first day off in the right foot. So here is our top 10 tips to starting your new job the right way.

1. Get to know the company!
Hopefully you had this sorted before your first interview, but if not, there's time to redeem yourself. Before your first day, get familiar with the company's values and goals so you know what you have to do from the very beginning. Also, please ensure, for your own sake, that you know about your new company's current and previous clients, which accounts they're working on and the big names within the business in order to avoid embarassment if it ever gets brought up in conversation. Remember, you're now an advocate of the company you work for, so you need to know the ins and outs in order to do the best job you can. 

2. Get to know the team and the office
Try and familiarise yourself with your new colleague's names and positions, where they sit in the office, who they work closely with, where all the amneties are situated, etc. This will help you get settled in very quickly and it will bode well with your colleagues that you say their name correctly - easy extra points for you!

3. Socialise and make new friends
This goes hand in hand with getting to know the team, but you can go the extra mile with your new colleauges by getting to know them through starting conversations and asking questions. This will set a foundation for friendships, or at least acquaintanceships, down the road. Additionally, everyone in the office will see that you're easy approachable and pleasant to be around. If your role is within client services, your bosses will be glad to see that you display the qualities that they value for someone in your role. 

4. Don't complain
Stay away from doing this - you just started! You don't want to give a bad impression on your first day, or ever, at all. Had a sip of the office coffee and don't quite like the taste? Keep it to yourself, and buy coffee from a cafe the next day. Although what you think might be consensus in the office, you don't want people to get negative vibes from you from the get go. Certainly don't complain about your workload. Be prepared to get stuck into work immediately, and work within assigned objectives and deadlines. Unless there's something legitimate to complain about... keep your mouth shut. You don't know who you can trust. If you complain to the wrong person, it might end up in the ears of someone important and it could ruin your reputation early on. 

5. Ask for help
Don't be afraid to ever ask for help on your first day. It's understandable, you might be using new systems or applications, or it might be silly IT problems, but just ask. People are willing to help newtsarters, because they've all been there. And don't forget those people who do help you - you know they're someone you can rely on in the future. 

6. Dress professionally
Even if your office boasts a casual culture of jeans and sneakers, don't rock up to your first day in sweats with unbrushed hair. Play it safe in the early days and wear trousers and a shirt, then as you get comfortable and become familiar with what the rest of the team are wearing throughout the week, then bring out your favourite pair of jeans. This is just to show respect and avoid a fashion faux pas. 

7. Take initiative
Nothing looks better than starting on your first day and cracking on with work. Show interest in what you do, which should really come naturally, because if not, are you sure you're in the right job? Also, offer up your ideas and thoughts on current work, and have a discussion about it with your colleagues. It looks impressive to others, and the bosses will be glad they hired the right person for the job. 

8. Work full days
Work a 9-5 job? Don't arrive at 9:15 and leave at 4:50. Arrive ten minutes early and leave ten minutes later. It's a sign of respect and a show of dedication to your new employers. Get to know how long it takes for your tube ride to get to your new office and even check for delays on your line when you wake up. Even though it's London, the excuse that your tube was late is no good on your first day. 

9. Remember who helped you get the job
You got your job with the help of someone else - either a contact, HR, a friend or an agent. Make sure to send them a thank you email on your first day and give them an update on how you're getting along in your new role. 

10. Go into your new job with an positive mind 
Being positive can only result in positive outcomes. Don't dread your first day - rejoice in it and take it all as it comes. 

1. Get to know the company!
Hopefully you had this sorted before your first interview, but if not, there's time to redeem yourself. Before your first day, get familiar with the company's values and goals so you know what you have to do from the very beginning. Also, please ensure, for your own sake, that you know about your new company's current and previous clients, which accounts they're working on and the big names within the business in order to avoid embarassment if it ever gets brought up in conversation. Remember, you're now an advocate of the company you work for, so you need to know the ins and outs in order to do the best job you can. 

2. Get to know the team and the office
Try and familiarise yourself with your new colleague's names and positions, where they sit in the office, who they work closely with, where all the amneties are situated, etc. This will help you get settled in very quickly and it will bode well with your colleagues that you say their name correctly - easy extra points for you!

3. Socialise and make new friends
This goes hand in hand with getting to know the team, but you can go the extra mile with your new colleauges by getting to know them through starting conversations and asking questions. This will set a foundation for friendships, or at least acquaintanceships, down the road. Additionally, everyone in the office will see that you're easy approachable and pleasant to be around. If your role is within client services, your bosses will be glad to see that you display the qualities that they value for someone in your role. 

4. Don't complain
Stay away from doing this - you just started! You don't want to give a bad impression on your first day, or ever, at all. Had a sip of the office coffee and don't quite like the taste? Keep it to yourself, and buy coffee from a cafe the next day. Although what you think might be consensus in the office, you don't want people to get negative vibes from you from the get go. Certainly don't complain about your workload. Be prepared to get stuck into work immediately, and work within assigned objectives and deadlines. Unless there's something legitimate to complain about... keep your mouth shut. You don't know who you can trust. If you complain to the wrong person, it might end up in the ears of someone important and it could ruin your reputation early on. 

5. Ask for help
Don't be afraid to ever ask for help on your first day. It's understandable, you might be using new systems or applications, or it might be silly IT problems, but just ask. People are willing to help newtsarters, because they've all been there. And don't forget those people who do help you - you know they're someone you can rely on in the future. 

6. Dress professionally
Even if your office boasts a casual culture of jeans and sneakers, don't rock up to your first day in sweats with unbrushed hair. Play it safe in the early days and wear trousers and a shirt, then as you get comfortable and become familiar with what the rest of the team are wearing throughout the week, then bring out your favourite pair of jeans. This is just to show respect and avoid a fashion faux pas. 

7. Take initiative
Nothing looks better than starting on your first day and cracking on with work. Show interest in what you do, which should really come naturally, because if not, are you sure you're in the right job? Also, offer up your ideas and thoughts on current work, and have a discussion about it with your colleagues. It looks impressive to others, and the bosses will be glad they hired the right person for the job. 

8. Work full days
Work a 9-5 job? Don't arrive at 9:15 and leave at 4:50. Arrive ten minutes early and leave ten minutes later. It's a sign of respect and a show of dedication to your new employers. 

9. Remember who helped you get the job
You got your job with the help of someone else - either a contact, HR, a friend, a reference or a recruiter. Make sure to send them a thank you email on your first day and give them an update on how you're getting along in your new role. As a recruitment company, we're here to help and love to hear about your successes. 

10. Go into your new job with an positive mind 
Being positive can only result in positive outcomes. Don't dread your first day - rejoice in it and take it all as it comes. You've got a new job at a company that you admire, what else could you ask for? Good things can only begin from here.