How to Make a Good First Impression in a New Job: 14 Best Tips for New Employees

Congratulations! You’ve just landed your dream job, or maybe you’re believing to land your dream job soon. Since it is your dream job, you actually intend to work for a reasonable number of years, before you call it quit. This begins with a great first impression at the early days of your job. In this post, I will to give you my 14 best tips to make a good first impression in a new job.

So, if you want to look like a star at your new job, sit tight and carefully digest this post to the very end. 

Congratulations again.

14 Best Tips to Make a Good First Impression in a New Job 

Now that you’re ready to make a great first impression, let’s get you to the right mindset so you look awesome in your new role and workplace. 

1. Find out what people are wearing

I know it used to be traditional to wear a suit on your first day at work, but that is old school thinking. 

You surely don’t want to stand out looking odd on a suit if everyone else is wearing jeans or business casual. 

You should already have got an idea of what people are wearing from when you went for the job interviews at this company. 

2. Ask Questions before the First Day

If you have questions before showing up for your first day, just ask. 

I mean reach out to the hiring manager or someone in human resources and ask your questions. Don’t be afraid to call on them. 

After all, they’re not going to take away the job they just gave to you. 

3. Be Polite, Meet People

Obviously, you want to be polite to everyone. However, to really grow a new job and to make a good first impression, strategy helps. 

Get out from behind your desk and meet people in your department. Even if you won’t be working with them directly, just connect and build rapport. 

Be social and let people know who you are. Also, if there’s ever anything that you can do for them, let them know. 

Truth be said, you may not be able to meet everyone on your first day but taking time to make crowns and connect with your co-workers will pay-off in time. 

So get out there and meet people and show them you’re excited to be there.

4. Feel Free to ask for help during your first 30 days 

Yes, your manager wants to see you succeed. That’s why he hired you in the first place. So, feel free to ask questions at the start, so you can find your feet earlier than expected.

But before you ask a question, try to think through the whole problem and try to solve it yourself. Only ask for help if you have attempted solving it yourself. 

Yes, asking for help is okay, but you don’t want to overdo it.

5. Learn what everyone else does. 

As you’re meeting your co-workers and introducing yourself, find out what everyone else does. 

Ask for their titles, the projects they are working on and anything else that you feel is important to know about the company. 

Have you ever worked somewhere that someone just knew everything? Others always went to them to get what they needed, and this is the person that you need to become. 

This will elevate your status in the company.

6. Don’t Stress Yourself out. 

Starting a new job is stressful enough, but you’re not going to learn everything you need to know in the first week. It usually takes three to six months for new hires to become fully ready and productive for the job. 

So, try to learn as much as you can but in piecemeals, during your first 30 days when you have the biggest grace period to come up to speed. 

After this period, you will be expected to start doing your job at a much higher level.

7. Asks more questions 

Have you ever been in a meeting and you asked a question and then felt like an idiot for asking it? I think we all have been asking those kinds of questions.

It simply shows that you don’t understand what’s going on. 

Since you’re new and you don’t know what is going on, you only want to ask questions that show curiosity and a desire for understanding. 

For example, when a co-worker explains, let’s say a process. You might want to say, you want to know why they chose to do it this way? A question like that shows a desire to learn now. 

Most people are going to say, why don’t we do it this way? 

This sends a completely different message and forces your coworker or boss to defend their method. 

Do you spot the difference in the questions? What you need are questions with an opportunity to learn.

8. Get Feedback about your Performance Early On

Don’t be afraid to ask your co-workers or your boss how you’re doing. Get that feedback early on, so that you can make adjustments and improvements to your performance. After all, you want to do your best work, right?

9. Be at your Best

To make a great first impression, you need to perform your job to the best of your ability. You might think it is obvious but any aspect of your work that is slacking or below par performance will be quickly noticed by your boss and your coworkers.

So whatever job you’re assigned to do, do it to the very best of your ability and ahead of schedule.

Negative impressions are formed very early and usually within the first 90 days. Since you’re new, you don’t want people to get a bad impression of you.

10. Don’t be too nice

In most cases, the new employees always try to fit in by being super nice. Please don’t get me wrong, being nice is good but as with anything, there’s a need for a balance. 

I can assure you that your new team does not want to deal with someone who is overly nice to the point of overdone. 

Perhaps, you’re a naturally super sweet person, try to contain yourself and let it out slowly and give your co-workers time to get to know you, the real you. Then you can be as sweet as you want because you are only being yourself. 

Using the strategy will allow you to make a healthy first impression of building a strong relationship with your new team. 

11. Timing 

Don’t arrive too early for work, neither should you leave too early or right on time. Maybe 10 to 15 minutes is ideal to arrive or exit the workspace. People might think you are a clock watcher.

12. Don’t start demanding things from your co-workers. 

It’s okay to be firm, but for people who start a job and act like demanding slay queens, all they’re really doing is lacking confidence. 

A lot of new hires don’t realize that they just need to be honest and upfront from day one, so their co-workers don’t get the wrong impression. 

Advise yourself and don’t overshoot your shots! Only go for things you can provide for yourself, don’t become a burden to other person’s too early in the job.

13. Stay Humble

Don’t be a know-it-all, just be humble and let your co-workers teach and enlighten you. 

Even if you know what they’re talking about, every company does things differently. So find out their ways before you try to start doing everything your way.

14. Lay off Social Media. 

Avoid using company provided equipment and internet services for personal use, even if they tell you it’s okay. 

Don’t do it for at least 6 months after you start your new job. 

Focus on your job, there’s so much to learn on the job. The moment you leave your office space and properties, then you can spend some time on social media.

Read also: Highest paying Federal Government Agencies in Nigeria

So, there you have it my friend my 14 best tips on how to make a good first impression in a new job. 

Now if you want to go further, check out these articles:

• Employee Onboarding Process Design
• Check out what salarydotcom has to say about how to make a good first impression in a new job.

All right, that’s all I have for you today.

Good luck on your new job.