Starting Your First Day in Office

In the previous article, you read about your preparation for first day in Office. Now read on to plan your exciting day

Get to know the route of your office in advance and the mode of transportation you will be using. If you own a car and intend to use it, make sure it is in running condition and get the petrol tank filled one day in advance.  Get your car serviced for any problem and if it has not been used for a long time. You will not want to reach late on your very first day damage your reputation. Also you might miss few of the things which will be difficult to catch up due to hectic schedule. In case of any unseen emergency you are getting late then call the HR and let him know the situation. Keep the relevant phone numbers handy, especially the HR and reception number. Carry an umbrella or raincoat for unseen weather condition. Places like Bangalore, it can rain anytime and nothing is worse than getting wet on your way to office.

Related: Things to Take Care of on Your Last day in The office 

Leave your home early and plan to reach much before the scheduled time. The Indian traffic is very unreliable. Reaching early will give you ample time to get accustomed to the office ambience. You can use the free time to keep your nerves cool if you are nervous and getting jitters. Keep your phone on vibration before entering the office as you might forget once the activities start.

Once you are in, visit the reception and you will be guided to the hall or room where you are required to be present. Keep a very positive outlook and smile often for a likable image. One can get easily lost in the crowd, so look, observe and then play your part. You can start with introducing yourself to the new candidates like you and you will find out what if there is anything you have missed. While sitting, keep your posture open and try to control any fidgeting sign like excessive shaking of legs, playing with pens or any other object in your hand. Always give a firm handshake on meeting a person and indulge in light conversation with regular eye contact which is a sign of confidence. Actually, no one will get much time for long conversation but remain open and take interest in what other has to say. It is a great time to make new friends and you will be obviously working with some of them. So, one must not lose any opportunity for rapport building. Since the whole joining process would be boring, indulging in light conversation, sharing jokes and getting to know each other will be of great help and will also break any communication barrier. It is also very common for the people to be overenthusiastic in order to show how excited they are in joining this company, but many people go overboard. A certain level of excitement is good but overdoing to get attention must be a strict no.

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The employee expectation on the day one is usually very high and it can easily lead to disappointment. So, keep a very realistic approach. Use the free time to talk to peers and get their contact numbers for future use. Do not hesitate to ask for help if you need one. You will be given small breaks which can be used for mingling and clearing your doubts. Do not turn down any offer by colleague, whether it is for a coffee break, lunch or casual meeting after work. Remember that you are here to work in teams. Also, few friends in the beginning will help in regularly monitoring the status of several initiation processes which takes time such as getting your access card. You can use your colleague’s access card without any hesitation when you are still waiting for yours to come, only if you share a good rapport with them. Making good friends will also be helpful in keeping track of various training programs one has to attend in the beginning.

The joining formalities usually end with presentation regarding the company, its mission and vision and various projects they have. They will also talk about the growth opportunities available, mentoring programs and various training being conducted at different levels. This is the time to get your doubts cleared or if there is any misunderstanding. Else, it will be too late to follow up such issues and few people will even take care of. Also, prepare in advance, a self introductory speech which must contain your expectations from the company and how you will contribute towards company’s expectations. You might be asked for self introduction to the whole group. It will help in creating a good image and will not let you get nervous unless you are completely unprepared.

Read: Last Day email in Office format – Adieu!

Some companies conduct the induction process in a good hotel and they take the group for a lunch or dinner. This is the best time to mingle with your superiors in a very casual environment. But one will have to be careful in their conversation with the seniors. One should take care to remain sober if alcohol is being served. If you are not into occasional drinking, then do not feel pressurized for taking up the drink. You can politely refuse and is not against the table manners.

The whole idea is to use the given opportunity to make good relationship with your colleagues. If you think that the day has not gone as per your expectation and you are not happy with your first day performance and you might have made few mistakes, do not get disheartened. Remember that there will always be tomorrow for self improvement. Learn from your mistakes and get yourself ready for tomorrow.