How to survive your first week at work
Watch, learn, memorize faces — and don’t make the office manager angry
The first week on a new job is tough. You want to prove you're capable and hit the ground running, but the smallest things can trip you up. After all, they don't teach college courses on who to call when your computer breaks or the fastest way to learn co-workers' names.
It doesn't have to be like that. There are tricks to getting through those obstacles smoothly.
For instance, there are only so many times you can ask a new co-worker his or her name. That's why Jonathan Israel, who has been on his new job as a research manager at Ipsos for three months, checks on his company's Web site for employees' pictures, names and titles. At his previous job, he even printed out a cheat sheet and kept it in a drawer.
Israel has other handy suggestions. He highly recommends befriending the office manager.
Make sure you're approachable. Don't wait for someone to ask you to grab a cup of coffee or lunch. If you've got a hankering for pizza, ask people who sit around you if they'd like to join you for lunch. This is not high school — people tend to be much friendlier than they were at age 16.
Don't try to make changes right away. "The first week is making sure you're observing, understanding and asking questions," says Sindell. You may be used to doing tasks a different way at your previous job. But your current organization may have a reason for doing it another way.
VOCABULARY LIST :
trip - to make a mistake or false step (as in morality or accuracy)
cheat sheet - a written or graphic aid (as a sheet of notes) that can be referred to for help in understanding or remembering something complex
be·friend - to become or act as a friend to
DISCUSSION POINTS :
1. What was your first job? What did you feel on your first day at work? Do you think that most people
feel the same way as you did? Why or why not?
2. How did you deal with your first day at work?
3. What is one important thing that you should do during your first day at work? What is one thing that
you should commit during your first day? Please provide your reasons.
4. How are new workers treated at your office? Are they given a warm welcome, ignored, tolerated,
etc.?
5. What are your suggestions for someone about to undergo their first day at work?