New Job? 3 Things to Do on Your First Day

Photo by Dai KE on Unsplash

YAY! You got the job, and your first day is here. You may be understandably nervous - now it's time to live up to all that hype that you talked about during your interviews. First days, and first weeks, set the tone of your presence at your new workspace, so you should do what you can to create a positive first impression with your coworkers. 

In case your anxiety is taking over, here's a super simplified list of what I would do on my first day at a new job: 
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1 - Get set up. This sounds silly, but don't underestimate the time it needs to get your new machine up and running, get access to all the files and platforms that you need, and get your calendar organized. Google Drive, Dropbox, email, Slack, HubSpot, etc. - it's a group of productivity workspace apps that will connect you to your colleagues, especially if you are operating an a virtual climate. Give yourself time to get them set up, and troubleshoot with your manager, HR or IT team. These are great people to be connected to, anyway ;) 

2 - Meet with your manager + get an org chart.  Your manager should take you out for lunch (managers, please take note.) Take the time to talk about your excitement and relative prioritization of projects and ideas. I also want you to pointedly ask for an organization chart: have her literally draw you a map of everyone, and explain who they are and what you do. This will come into play in step 3. Ideally, she should also bring you around to introduce you as well. 
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3 - Make a plan. Much like the first day of school, you will likely not get anything done your first day: please accept this. But you should end it with a plan in place. Once your systems are live and you know who is who, spend the last hour or two of your day sketching out what the rest of your week, month, and quarter look like. Reference your plans you put together during your interview (if any) as a place to start. Maybe there are timely events coming up that you could orchestrate some activity.

Lastly, I encourage you to take that org chart and schedule meetings, once a day for the next few weeks if you can, with key people in the organization. Make it 30 minutes, buy them a coffee, and ask about their role and brainstorm how you can work together. Investing in people on your first day on the job is a great way to start to build the rapport you will inevitably need down the line to make your amazing projects happen. 

Not quite at your first day yet? Download this interview guide to keep you organized help you get there.