The first day at a new job is by far the most difficult, exciting, and overwhelming day. It can be hard to adjust to new company culture, and it’s easy to feel like you do not measure up in the first few weeks.
Here are some suggestions for making that transition as smooth as possible:

1) Take time off from work to prepare for your new job.

2) Start as soon as you can.

3) Don’t make any major decisions at work until you have several weeks at the job.

4) Address any immediate problems that you have with your new boss – don’t wait until you get more settled in. This will go a long way to keeping a good relationship with your boss.

5) Build rapport with your new boss. You can start this with a phone call or an email and initiate some small contact to get to know each other.

6) Begin the process of identifying your strengths and weaknesses. List the skills you have and list those you are lacking. At the bottom of each list, ask yourself what you can do about it immediately. Don’t wait for some time in the future when it will suck more than it does today.

7) Gather information about your new job by meeting with co-workers, studying their files and discussing your new boss with them. You don’t want to go into the situation blind.

8) Get to know the company you work for and its history. This will be very helpful in understanding the way people get things done at the company. Also, ask about any unusual situations that have happened in the past. This will give you a good idea of how things are usually done at the company.

9) Make lists of all the people you will need to introduce yourself to. Map out a plan to meet with each person individually and talk to them. This will help you establish relationships and give you some initial feedback on how they feel about your new boss, which will help you form your current opinion.

10) Always be looking for ways to improve your future role and your company. Don’t shy away from suggestions or observations, no matter how small they might seem. It’s better to ask than to make the same mistakes over and over.

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