What to do during your first day at the office

By Sai

At work, people come and go. It’s either you are the one who witnessed people sat on the chair beside you or you are the one who sat there once and left. Opportunities come to an individual and it gives them a reason to grow professionally and personally.

I just resigned in my current job last July. I am now working at a new office. I believe you would agree with me when I say, “the feeling is weird.” You see different faces and you have to start all over again. Some of us who is in the same situation as I am have this question at the back of their mind: “How can I start all over again?”

1. Be on time. Your first day is like courtship. You have to put your best foot forward. In the corporate world being late is not a good idea especially if you are newly hired. As much as possible be early at work until you get regularized. When you’re a regular employee you can be late (just kidding).
2. Smile. You are a newbie in your new office so the basic rule is to befriend everybody as much as possible and you can always start it with a smile. Smiling gives you a positive aura and people will like you for that.
3. Ask questions – but not too many. Ask your HR (Human Resource) Specialist some things that you need to know like the cut-off for your salary, pay day and some rules and regulations. You have to familiarize yourself to these things so that during your first few weeks you would know your new company’s SOPs. Know where the pantry is as well as the comfort room. Once you’ve asked these things, keep it in mind. You don’t want to bother your seatmate asking where the comfort room is for the nth time. He/she will hate you. Remember, he/she has some work to do too (and maybe tons of work at her desk) so you don’t want to bother him/her.
4. Eat lunch with your officemates. The best way to get to know your new officemates is to eat lunch with them. Lunch time, for me, is the best! People talk about almost anything (not work related). During this time, you would have the idea of their interests. Good for you if you know all the stuffs they are talking about. If not, research is the key.
5. Go out with them after work. Bond with your officemates after work. They might go to the nearest bar to drink or sing their hearts out at the karaoke room. You don’t want to be a kill joy or else they will think of you as the “loser” officemate who has no ability to socialize. If they ask you to go out with them, never say no. Remember, your first few weeks or months is very critical. You have to build rapport and friendship. Once you’ve establish that you can then say no.

One last tip, do not overdo all the things above. Everything that is excessive is bad. Try not to do all these things in a day. You will look like a jerk. Timing is the key. Take it one step at a time. Hope you enjoyed my tips! Feel free to comment below and let me know your other tips about this matter. Happy first day at the office to all who’s just starting their work today!