You have gone through the tiring job search process: spending hours to search for job vacancies, perfecting your resume, preparing for interviews and finally getting out of the unemployment status. After all the hard work and utmost efforts, thanks God it’s paid off! While you might be excited and felt euphoric about the good news, you should prepare yourself for the bigger challenge at work.

Normally, people have some kinds of expectation about the first day at their new job. But sometimes reality is just beyond expectation. When your first day at work turns out to be not as smooth as your expectation, it can be a stressful experience. For example, when you have an expectation that your boss will welcome you with a warm and friendly greeting but he actually does not even say ‘hello’ properly to you, this experience might already intimidate you in the first place.

For some people, being a new employee in an unfamiliar environment with a pressure to impress new colleagues and boss is not an easy task to do. Then, what should you do if your first day at work does not match your expectations? Here are some great advices to survive your first day at a new job:  

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Calm down

Do not push yourself too hard, it is just your first day. You do not have to impress everyone and ask them to like you all at once. Instead, you can take your time for an office tour upon your arrival and introduce yourself to everyone whom you will be working with. Keep in mind that everyone in the office is a newbie at some point, so they understand how it feels to be in your current position. They must be willing and available to help you settle in and teach you how to blend in. That being said, just do not hesitate to ask for their help.

Leave positive first impression

There is no doubt that first impression is an important part of being a new employee. How you look like, talk, and bring yourself are things that will reflect your personality and affect your first impression to your new colleagues and employer. Therefore, make sure that you create the right image.

For example, you can start by wearing the right dress code. Find out your company’s dress code before your first day, as you should not pick something that is not allowed by the rule. But what if you end up overdressed while your colleagues just wear simple shirt? No worries. On the first day it is better to be overdressed rather than being sorry if for coming under dressed.

Make sure to use formal language when talking with your colleagues on the first day. You also might want to read some recent hot issues to avoid an awkward small talk. Aim to arrive at least ten minutes early but do not come too early as you do not want to look too eager. Good conversation and good attitude will affect your first impression. Therefore, prepare it before your first day.

Do your best

Be prepared for your best performance at first day. You have been hired to work after all, then you should give your best in your first task. Since day one, your new boss is already observing how you get your task done and see if you are a good enough for his standard. Then, do not put your guard down, as you need to always be prepared to give your best performance for any project you are assigned.

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