Doctor new: how to prepare for your first day at work

Being in recruitment though, it’s hard to not to think about how she must be feeling, we’ve all been the “new person” and wondering what your first day will be like and what you should do can create nerves. Overthinking about what we need to do and then worrying we've forgotten the basics can make the day unnecessarily stressful.

With that in mind, we look at how to prepare for your first day…

Prepare
First thing is to prepare your elevator speech. New colleagues, managers etc are bound to ask you about yourself. Prepare a short explanation about you, what you did before and what you’re doing in your new role.

Don’t be Afraid to Ask Questions
Whilst you need to listen to everything that people are saying. If you can write down a few questions before you go in on ways you can improve your performance. If you think you'll be meeting any potential managers, you can prepare some questions for them too.

Put your Phone on Silent
On your first day you need to give complete dedication to the job -  put your phone on silent and don’t look at it during working hours.

Dress Smart
Even if, for your interview you went in and everyone was wearing jeans and a top, dress smart on your first day. Unless you’ve been specifically told the dress code.

First impressions count and turning up a bit scruffy because you interviewed on a “dress down day” can really affect their perception of you.  Asking what the dress code is beforehand can make deciding what to wear a lot easier and if it is casual lean towards smart casual, to look more professional.

Be Sociable
To do well in your job you’ll need to be sociable – get along with everyone and also to get along with the right people. Unfortunately, things don’t really change after school – there will still be cliques and there will be more “popular” colleges and also the ones that can help you within your career progression. Office politics should be worked out from day one and understanding who’s who is very important.  

Talking to as many people as possible, saying “hi” to everyone and letting your colleague(s) know that you’re available to lend a helping hand. Establishing yourself as a friendly person will make settling into the new social landscape easy.

And don’t turn down lunch, if you get asked if you want to join your colleagues or grab something with someone it’s important to show you’re ready to socialise.

Be Early But…
Don’t go in too early. 5 minutes before the start time is perfect. Plan your travel, maybe do the journey a few times, if you can do it during rush hour. Still if you can't, make sure that you know exactly where you need to go and get there at least 15 minutes before to guarantee it’s the right place. You can then sit in a coffee shop nearby and collect your thoughts.  

Be Prepared
Make sure you have prepared everything you need to bring with you: a notebook (and pen) in case you need to write notes; anything you’ve been asked to bring: ID, certificates, previous work and book and don’t leave things at home

Finally…
Relax, Smile...
Have an early night the night before, the first day can be very overwhelming but you’re more than capable of doing all the tasks they’re going through with you – that’s why you got the job. It’s good to keep smiling too. You should be smiling after getting the job after all the effort you’ve gone through to actually get to this point: writing your CV, send it off, advising with a recruiter, interviewing and then landing the job.

And...
Be Yourself
And finally, don’t try too hard. As in most situations, it can be transparent when someone is trying too hard to be liked. It’s hard to maintain your newly-formed personality throughout your role so just be you. Be confident in who you are and what you’re capable of.