This is the one thing you shouldn't do on your first day in a new job

Starting a new job is always nerve-wracking. Will you be good at it? Will you know what you’re doing in literally any respect whatsoever? Will you make some kind of horrendous office tea-round faux pas? WILL EVERYBODY HATE YOU? 

Well, we can’t help you with the first three. But we can help you with the last one – because an executive careers coach, Jason Sackett, has revealed the one thing you should *never* do on your first day at work to ensure that your colleagues don’t think you’re a complete and utter clown.

You may be tempted, on your first day, to share every detail about your life/your commute to work/your experience/your many glittering achievements in order to impress or share closeness with your colleagues.

Mistake, Sackett says.

“To start gaining respect of colleagues and superiors on the first day, make it about them, not about you,” he told Glassdoor.

“Instead, get curious and enquire about the roles, talents, and achievements of your colleagues to establish a persona as a listener, learner, and collaborator.”

And other experts also shared their first day advice with Glassdoor. 

“Get curious and enquire about the roles, talents, and achievements of your colleagues to establish a persona as a listener, learner, and collaborator”

Careers counsellor Roy Cohen recommends asking your boss how your success will be measured, head of operations Amy Zimmerman says you should “immerse yourself in reading all that you can about the company’s culture and norms: old newsletters, articles, decks, org charts, etc”, and professor of finance Alexander Lowry believes that finding out “how your manager likes to communicate” is key early on in a new job.

“Do they prefer that you drop by and talk about things in person? Send them emails or messages via Slack? Text them on their work phone? Don’t wait for the manager to tell you, and do not assume s/he communicates like other managers you’ve had before,” he says.

And although none of the experts explicitly say this, your first day in a new job is probably not a great a great time to test the theory that dressing like Batman at work increases productivity, either. It could be a good opportunity to take the advice of research that suggests going for a very quick walk to clear your head can be a good way to refresh yourself at work – as long as you do it on your lunch break, you slacker. 

Obviously none of this applies if you truly *are* a complete and utter clown, in which case we can’t help you. Sorry!

(Images: Unsplash)