First Day At A New job; How To Connect With Colleagues From The First Minute.

It’s your first day on a new job. Besides the stress of getting everything right you also face a plethora of new faces. Your co-workers are people you need to get along with in order to properly do your job. However it’s nerve-wrecking sometimes to come into an established group. Here are a few tips to help!

Remember to start off on the right foot with everyone you meet – politeness is your best friend early on at a new job.

When your boss or co-worker introduces you to your work colleagues make sure to shake hands firmly but not harshly while making eye contact. If possible, work their name into the conversation during the first minute of meeting them to acknowledge them, and to cement the name in your mind for later use.

If you are not formally introduced find the local water cooler or its equivalent. Make an effort to be social by putting yourself forward to meet others. Going out of your way like this is a personal touch that they should appreciate. Make sure not to bother anyone busy at work though.

Start off with a smile! Everyone loves a smiling face and that positivity may be the difference in forming a good first impression.

Be respectful of others. The first day is the worst moment to show up late or tell a joke in poor taste.

Tell them how happy you are to be working there. A compliment about the team you will be working with will likely bring smiles to their faces.

Remember that your colleagues have all been new once. Asking for advice or help is a way to forge a relationship early on. Not only could they give you a great tip, but your problems/frustrations may remind them of their early days.

Do not dominate the proverbial floor. Odds are that your colleagues will have questions about who you are and what led you to this job, but you should make sure to ask questions about them too. Make sure to show you are interested in them.

Discussing work is a great way to get a feel of people you may have better chemistry with, while avoiding coming onto topics that may cause disagreements and color people’s opinions of you. Focus on work, and then general topics about personal lives (family and hobbies), while avoiding politics and other potentially dicey discussions.

Be helpful to your fellow coworkers. Even if you are dealing with your own task you should be kind and personable when someone needs a hand. Plus if they feel they can come to you, then you should be able to go to them!

The old adage of be yourself is true, but be yourself in stages. Talking too deeply about your own personal life is not appropriate during your first days. Gauge the flow and tone of office chatter before you fully wade into it.

You may be nervous but remember that you are no less socially able at work than at the grocery store, a shopping mall, or a gas station. You can strike up conversations anywhere and being in an office setting actually gives you common ground to draw on. After all, your colleagues have had the desire to work in the same place as you!

Most importantly, breathe. You are a perfectly capable person, after all that’s why they hired you.

If you want to contact the author: marion.halligan1@gmail.com

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