How to Crush Your First Week at a New Job
By: Caleb D Parker
Tags: Jobs, Tips, Advice, Employment, Boston

Whether you’re starting a new position at Goldman Sachs or Golden Corral, those first forty hours on the job can make or break the next 4 years (roughly how long most people stay at one job) of your life. You can always improve your standing within the workplace, but you’ll never have a second chance at a first impression which is why it’s so important to make sure that you crush it. Luckily, we’re here to make sure that you do.

Increase your presence, not your effort.

Your first instinct when going into a new job is going to be to work way harder than you normally would. While it’s good to have a solid work ethic, it’s bad to set unrealistic precedents for yourself.

You don’t want to establish unsustainable expectations on your first week. If you do, you run the risk of disappointing people moving forward. Higher-ups will be wondering why you’re not delivering at that same rate every week, which will only lead to more stress for everyone. So… don’t do that.

What you should do is increase your positive presence within the workplace. Meaning, you should be visible, amiable, involved, and interactive at all times. People should be seeing the new guy as much as possible (in a good way, don’t be annoying about it). This will put off the vibe that you’re hardworking and committed without overextending yourself. Just work as hard as you normally would, but make an extra effort to be a team player. Don’t be the guy who just hides away and works solo all the time. Be present, be productive, be social, and everyone will assume that you’re a good addition to the company.

How do I do this?

1)Take fewer bathroom breaks.

This is just good advice anyway. But, especially in your first week, don’t be running to the restroom every 20 minutes. Everyone will think that you’re A) slacking B) have a weak blatter or C) a drug problem of some sort. The best way to avoid frequent bathroom breaks in the first week is to drink less coffee/juice/water and drink more hydration-dense beverages like coconut water, liquid iv, body armor, hell, even Pedialyte would do the trick. And just to be clear, I am NOT a doctor, this is not medical advice, I’m simply explaining how to stay hydrated without having to pee constantly which is more conducive to workplace productivity. That’s it.

2)Put your phone away.

Unless your job requires you to be on your phone, you should absolutely holster that thing until 5 pm. It’s an objectively bad look for a new employee to be glued to their phone while they should be working. Your goal should be to increase your presence in the office, and being on Instagram during business hours is like showing up to work in pajamas. It’s completely unbecoming. Put the phone down and talk to the real humans around you.

3)Bring snacks

Never underestimate the power of communal snacks. If you bring in a box of Dunkin’ Donuts, Jimmy John’s sandwiches, or even just granola bars (I recommend IQ bars) you will immediately become the undisputed office MVP for at least that day, probably the whole weak.

Ask for help (strategically)

During your onboarding period, you’re going to be hit with a barrage of brand new information. You’re going to hear a lot of words you’ve never heard before, see a lot of tools you’ve never used before, and overall just be completely and hopelessly overwhelmed. Orientation is always a sensory overload and the worst thing that you can do is just smile and pretend that you got all of it when in fact you got maybe half of it. Because let’s face it, there’s no way you were paying attention that whole time.

So, what you need to do is find ways to ask for help that make you seem curious rather than lost. When you don’t know how to do something, ask another employee how to do it. It’s that simple. Again, make sure that you phrase the question in a way that makes it seem like you want to be better at your job or maybe like you’re just double-checking. Don’t run up to your boss in a panic and confess that you have no idea what you’re doing. That’s a bad look.

Vulnerability — on the other hand — is not a bad look. Overconfidence is far more dangerous, in my opinion. If you come up with strategic ways to ask for help, you’ll be much better off in the long run. You’ll make fewer mistakes and it gives you the chance to talk with your boss. Plus, it gives them the opportunity to feel all smart and superior which I’m sure they would enjoy.

Do not be afraid to ask for help. And when you do, be cool about it.

Look good, feel good, play good

I’m not saying that you should look good or dress up to make a positive impression on other people, although that is certainly a factor. You should look good for you. When a person has pride in their appearance, they’re far more likely to perform at a high level. That’s just science. It’s all about attitude. When you enter a room worried or discontent with the way that you look, people can tell. Conversely, when you swagger into a room, oozing confidence out of your eyeballs, people respond positively.

This seems like a no-brainer but I figured I’d stick it in the blog anyway. Be confident in your appearance, especially during the first week. It definitely can’t hurt.

Good things come to those who wait

Make an effort to be present and social during your first week. But don’t be overbearing or overly talkative. You should bide your time, be reserved, have a filter, and let people warm up to you. Don’t make too many jokes, don’t talk about your dad went to school with the manager, don’t start any office gossip. Just be patient, polite, and un-controversial. Trust me, it’s the best way to introduce yourself to a new group of people. Don’t do too much. Don’t bring up politics. Pull your punches and just be likable for a week.

Hopefully, this blog post helped and you’re now ready to crush your first week at that awesome new job! And if this didn’t do it for you and you’re still in need of advice, go over to our website. We have tons of articles and columns that are sure to provide you with the wisdom that you need to get started.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!