Job Seeker Blog - Spark Hire

How to Prepare for Your First Day of Work

It’s fairly common and completely expected to fret over your first day at work. In April, Spark News posted an article that provided tips on starting your job off on the right foot. This article granted advice in regards to how you should conduct yourself on your first day at work, but it never mentioned all of the necessary actions you should make prior to your first day at work. I’ve compiled a list of these imperative actions you should take before your first day that can better prepare an employee of any position.

Catch Up On Sleep
I am certain that your employer will be quite upset if he or she catches you dozing off during an important meeting or training session on the first day or week. Moreover, you aren’t as productive or focused when you’re tired. Being lackadaisical and absent-minded will surely leave a negative first impression on your boss. For these reasons, make sure you allow yourself at least eight hours of sleep each night for three nights prior to your first day at work.

Perform Research
It’s essential that you research and learn pertinent information about your company, your employer and the product or service offered by your company. Don’t be timid about asking your friends and family if they know any relevant information. Also, make sure you educate yourself by examining your company’s website. In addition, use online search engines to assist you with your research. When you start your first day, you don’t have to spew all of this information in order to impress your employer or co-workers, but it will certainly make becoming acquainted with your new surroundings much easier. Furthermore, speak to someone from Human Resources to fully understand the appropriate dress code.

Acquire Attire
If you don’t have appropriate attire that accommodates the dress code then you need to spend an afternoon at the mall. While you may have an outfit that abides by the dress code, you still may have to go shopping to ensure that you have enough outfits for the entire work week. You don’t want to seem out of place on your first day because of an avoidable dress code error. Furthermore, I firmly believe that the way an individual dresses truly makes a statement about the individual. Some outfits can emulate confidence. If you need advice on how to dress for work then I suggest you consult the internet or trendy magazines. Above all, pay particularly close attention to which ties you choose to don if you’re a guy.

Test Drive Your Route to Work
It’s extremely important to know multiple routes that you can take to work to avoid traffic. Also, you should be aware of the duration of each route, with and without traffic, so that you know how much time to allow yourself to get to work. With this in mind, be sure to fully assess the parking situation at your workplace before you show up on your first day. This is especially important if you work in the city where parking may be sparse.

Pack a Lunch
It’s common to start a job without full knowledge of your lunch breaks. In the case that you don’t have a long enough lunch break to leave the office or you aren’t allowed to leave the office at all for lunch, you should consider packing your own lunch.

Notepad and Pen are Crucial
On your first day it is pivotal to take notes on everything. The first day of a job is typically centered on learning- therefore you’re going to want to take notes as a reference for all of the following work days. Your employer and co-workers will definitely view you as unprepared if you arrive without a notepad and pen.

Hopefully, you found this article helpful and you won’t be losing sleep over starting your next job. Especially since you now know how important getting a good night’s sleep is before your first day.

SOURCE
: How Stuff Works and About.com Career Planning
IMAGE: Courtesy of NCVPS

Jeremy Tolan

Jeremy Tolan is a Marketing Assistant at SparkHire.com. He is currently studying Telecommunications at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. In his free time, Jeremy enjoys exercising and watching movies. Connect with Jeremy and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter.

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