How to Make the Best First Impression When Starting a New Job

Starting a new job can be nerve-racking but it’s so important to make a good first impression. Make sure you slot into your new team and impress your line manager with our top tips to get off to the best start in your new job:

1. Be there on time

Nothing sends a worse first impression than being late. Make sure to make contact with your new employer before starting and clarify your start time. Allow time for traffic/public transport issues and aim to arrive early on your first few days. This will not only demonstrate your enthusiasm for your new role but ensure you don’t feel stressed trying to arrive on time on your first day.

2. Dress the part

The expected dress code is another thing that you can clarify with your employer before your first day. As a general rule it is better to overdress than underdress, especially when starting a new job, so be sure to keep it formal to exemplify your professionalism.

3. Be friendly and approachable 

When nervous, it’s easy to come across as guarded and withdrawn. Be cognisant of your body language and try to appear friendly and approachable by smiling and making eye contact with colleagues. If you struggle to remember people’s names when being introduced, try this trick of repeating the person’s name back to them in conversation. Make it clear to whoever is offering you an induction or training that you are actively listening by nodding and inclining your head towards the speaker.

4. Take notes

As well as appearing to listen carefully to make a good impression, it’s also important for you to actually listen for your own benefit. This is why we suggest taking notes as much as possible during the first few weeks. There will be lots of information thrown at you in the first few weeks of your new job and the new systems and processes may be a huge adjustment for you. Keep a record of everything so that three weeks in when you can’t remember that really important detail your boss said to you that time, you can look back and find it in your induction notes.

5. Ask questions

Now is the time to ask questions. No one expects you to know everything at the beginning and asking questions now will accelerate your learning and save mistakes later down the line.

6. Don’t burn out

It’s important to make a good first impression in your new job but make sure that you don’t overdo it and burn out within a month of starting. Working past your contracted hours could set a dangerous precedent so set clear boundaries between work and home and ensure you continue to look after yourself so you can function at full capacity indefinitely.