Starting a new job is an exciting time for everyone. There are new tasks to complete, new people to meet and new skills to develop. It is an especially exciting time for those who are looking to make a fresh start in their career. It’s important to remember that you only get to make one first impression, so do your best to make it a great one!
In this post, we’ll discuss four ways to help you make a good first impression and a positive, fresh start.
- Decide who you want to be
- Decide with whom you will associate
- Work on building healthy relationships
- Let go of the past
Decide who you want to be
No matter how you were viewed in a previous job, you have the power to decide how you want to be viewed in your new position. You control how people view you based on your work, choices and actions. Remember, it is important to act and be positive in your new workplace. Act as a role model for your team members and other peers. You have the power to make a positive difference in the work environment.
Decide with whom you will associate
In your new department, you are guaranteed to have people with many types of personalities. Like it or not, the people with whom you associate or spend time with will say a lot about who you are as a person. So, it is best to avoid negative people if possible. If you associate with negative people, you will be viewed as one of them.
Don’t choose a clique or group to stick with on your first day or week of work. First, get a feel for the company culture and workplace environment. You will quickly catch on to the people who gossip and complain as well as the people who are positive and happy to be there. After you understand the environment, it is time to avoid the negative people (as much as possible) and work on building healthy workplace relationships.
Work on building healthy relationships
If you are lucky, your company will have a great culture and welcome new employees with open arms. The other employees will go out of their way to help you and get to know you. It’s great to feel welcomed in your new position, but don’t lose sight of your work. Be nice, be friendly and be yourself, but don’t get so caught up in workplace relationships that you forget about doing your job.
The best working relationships are based on respect and trust. You have to earn the respect and trust of others by pitching in, helping out and proving yourself. When you do this, you will be sure to build great professional relationships, and even some great friendships along the way.
Let go of past experiences and issues
Remember that you have a clean slate when you begin your new job. Take a deep breath and know that it is time to let go of past experiences and issues you had in your prior positions. No matter what problems you have had with bosses, peers or others in the past, it is time to leave the past in the past and move on in your career. If you don’t, the past will only hold you back from succeeding in your new position. Take this time to develop a great reputation and to begin again.
We hope you enjoyed this post on starting fresh and our series on Getting Off on the Right Foot. If you would like to learn more about teaching workplace readiness skills to your students, click the free trial link below.
