MAKE A GREAT IMPRESSION IN YOUR NEW JOB

Congratulations on entering the world of work. Say goodbye to your social life, watch your personal relationships steadily decline and don’t even think about relaxing again until you’re 65. Alright, it’s not that bleak. But it can be hard if you don’t get off to the right start. When you walk into your new environment for the first time and are introduced to your new work and new colleagues, you’re going to feel slightly intimidated – and rightly so, as humans we naturally try to work out as quickly as possible if someone is a moron or not. So here are some tips to help you avoid being dubbed just that.

Smile

We naturally judge people within a fraction of a second so make sure you’re wearing your best smile when you first stroll into the office. Scowling, or looking angry or smug are symptoms most prominently displayed by the moron and you’ll want to avoid being categorised like that at such an early stage of acquainting. Make yourself look friendly and approachable by flashing an honest smile – no creepy grins though.

Be Polite

This is quite an obvious one really but still needs to be stressed. Even if you’re shy, try your best to respond enthusiastically to your new colleagues and demonstrate good courteous manners. Most morons are pretty rude and generally not very friendly so display some manners to disassociate yourself from the idea of you possibly being such a type.

Be organised

You have to demonstrate a professional work ethic right from day one. This will show that you are there to take the job seriously and carry out your work competently. Don’t leave mess lying all over the place, especially if you’re going to be sharing your work space with a colleague.

Be in touch

Be sociable. Start small talk with as many of your new colleaguesas you can when it seems appropriate. Get a feel for what the ethos is in your new work environment and try to deduce what sort of things people are talking about. You’ll soon feel in the loop with what’s going on, work related and non work related, and this will help you to settle into things quicker and be viewed as an important member of the group.

Look the part

Find out what the dress code is before you go in on your first day. You don’t want to stand out because you’re sporting completely different attire to everyone else. Avoid any outrageous hairstyles at this stage as well, after a week or so in the job you’ll be able to gauge what’s appropriate and what’s not.

Have a sense of humour

Try your best to have a sense of humour. This doesn’t have to entail doing ten minute stand up slots at each colleague’s desk. It just requires you to be laid back about humour and not seeming like someone who takes their self too seriously. Obviously, don’t start cracking jokes that are going to be offensive but do try and loosen up as much as you can. If you can demonstrate a participating sense of humour then your colleagues will quickly warm to you, improving your work relationships and social status.

Pay compliments

This doesn’t have to involve confessing your deep burning love for a new colleague you’ve just met. It just means that you should pay the odd respect here and there to others. People like receiving compliments and as a result will like you for it. Everyone likes to be complemented, some may be very good at humbly pretending they don’t, but the reality is that respectful compliments can go a long way.

Be Yourself

This should come pretty naturally to you. To make a good first impression we are basically trying to express the best of ourselves whilst avoiding silly mistakes. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. When people try to act like someone they’re not it is most often very see-through and ironically gives off a far worse impression than if they had just been themselves. Have faith in who you are. Just relax, be friendly, open and honest. The only circumstance where one should try not to be their selfis if they are genuinely a moron.