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Saturday, April 9, 2011

How to Make a Good First Impression at Work

So you've landed a new job, congrats! Now you need to figure out what to do to make a good new impression with your boss and coworkers. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Be On Time

Sounds simple, doesn't it? But you'd be amazed at how many people leave on time and get to work late. Or they get there on time or with a few minutes to spare, yet forget/didn't know that they have to check in, sign paperwork, get a picture taken for photo ID and so forth. Get up 30 minutes earlier than you should. This gives you enough time to make sure that your clothes are taken care of, you shower/cleanse yourself, your car starts and you have ample time to fill out any paperwork. Be at work 15-20 minutes early and present yourself; worst thing they can say is you'd have to wait, but at least it shows that you take this job seriously.

Wear Nice Clothes

You'd be surprised what people wear to work. Make sure you know (or ask if you don't) what your company's dress policy is. If it's business casual, make sure you wear a nice clean polo or dress shirt (sans tie) with clean shoes and nice dress socks. That's right, clean your shoes and wear dress socks. White socks won't cut it in a corporate environment because they make you look like you don't take pride in your outfit or your new job. If you don't know what is acceptable, go with caution. It's better to be a little overdressed than a little under-dressed. Shining your shoes may seem unnecessary, but studies show that over 40% of managers look at a job candidate's shoes when they walk through their door.

Don't know how to shine your shoes? This is a great link-Shine Your Shoes

Keep Your Mouth Shut


Sounds harsh, but just like mama said - I'm only doing this for your own good. Don't burn bridges when you first get to work. Don't talk much, ask questions when you need to and pay attention. Many people love to talk yet few actually know how to listen well. Don't interrupt when someone is explaining something; wait until the end and then ask what questions you have. Also, stay away from the forbidden topics at work- religion and politics. You just never know when someone (maybe even your boss) may be a devout Catholic and you put down your own Catholic heritage. Sounds simple but trust me, it goes a long way.

Be Kind to EVERYONE

Everywhere you go, be nice no matter what. Be nice to your boss (obviously), co-workers, other people you see around the office that you don't know and even the maintenance people. That maintenance worker may  best friends with your boss and then ask your boss who that new jerk is that he saw in the coffee room today. Be nice to everyone, say nice things and remember- if you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say anything at all.

Take Meticulous Notes

Either in college or high school, you needed to learn how to take good notes. Bring a notebook to keep all of your notes in and mark off sections designated to key topics. Ask questions a lot. Ask anything from how to do X to what's the most important aspect of your job. Another thing that would help is asking if there are additional training sessions you can take regarding new skills you may need to learn to advance in your work. Co-workers like giving you extra info that you don't need but definitely benefit from, such as what place has the best food or what do they think is important to learn about this job.

Get the Legal Stuff Done


Sign up for a 401K with matching contributions (CRUCIAL), sign up for your dental/health/vision plans and your life insurance. Life insurance through work may be worth it. For me, I pay an extra $4 a month to receive an additional 40% of my salary if I become disabled due to a work-related incident. $4 a month is $48 a year, big deal. If I slip in the parking lot and become disabled that $48 a year I "didn't think I'd need" now turns into hundreds of dollars a MONTH that I've lost out on. Don't be foolish, especially if you have a family or other loved ones you need to care for.

401K is necessary at work because if your work covers up to 5% of your matching, that's extra $$$ in your pocket at retirement. It's tax-free money! Even if you don't think you can afford it, you can. I HIGHLY recommend this book-




David Bach's book is amazing. Even if you don't think you can afford to set aside any money, you can. Setting aside even 5% of your salary is huge for you down the road.

Let's assume you make 25K. 5% of 25K (tax-free of course) is $1,250. Put that in a retirement fund at 8% growth annually (average) and in 30 years without even having an employer contribution you would have $ $209,585.26! Think about it...all from 5% of money that you wouldn't even miss. Bottom line? Automate it so you won't even miss it but put something aside!

Join LinkedIn

As one article I read put it, "If you're a professional, you need to be on this site". Networking at its best. You may find a guy you haven't talked to since high school who's not on Facebook who is an investment guru or law or some other field which you may need help with down the road. Or you may find someone you know who works at your new employer. Either way, the idea is to link up with people that you know, work with on a regular basis or may be key contacts. Maybe you come to find out that you have the same interest as they do and you get to be best buds, who knows?



The main thing to take away from this all is be professional. Be nice to everyone you come in contact with, show that you want to be there and show that you want to grow both within the company and as an individual. First impressions are key with everything in life but none more important than at work. Following my advice will definitely reap you continuing rewards.

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