Whether you are a young professional or have many years of experience under your belt: your first day at work is always something special. You are given new tasks, meet new colleagues, and have to find your feet in an unknown work environment. You want to meet the high expectations that your new boss has of you after the successful interview process. So it is perfectly normal to feel a little nervous or insecure. But don't worry: you do not have to work miracles at the beginning.

We will show you what to expect on your first day of work and give you 10 tips to help you prepare perfectly for your new job.

Contents: What should I look out for on my first day at work?

1. Be well informed about your new company
2. Prepare a short presentation about yourself
3. Wear appropriate clothing
4. Be on time
5. Make contacts
6. Set up your workstation
7. Be proactive
8. Ask questions
9. Pay attention
10. Say goodbye and give positive feedback
Additional tip: leave your smartphone in your pocket

1. Be well informed about your new company

At this point, you should have already done some research before writing your cover letter and attending the interview: Before starting your new job, find out about current activities and the latest updates from your new employer. Search the company's website, online media and social networks for company news and activities. This way, you will be up-to-date and will save yourself from asking unnecessary or even embarrassing questions on your first day.

It is also helpful if you study the organisational structure on the company website and memorise the faces and names of a few of your new colleagues. Who is on which team? Who are you likely to work with in the future? As a rule, you will generally have met your direct superior during the interview. But it can’t hurt to be able to recognise other colleagues likely to be at your first meeting.

2. Prepare a short presentation about yourself

Speaking of colleagues: in the first few days you will meet a lot of new employees, and of course they will want to know who you are. So why not prepare and practise a short introduction about yourself a few days before starting your new job? For example, you can answer the following questions:

Who are you?
What is your position in the company?
What did you do before?
What are you particularly looking forward to about your new job?

Firstly, be careful not to get too personal. Get to know your new colleagues before broaching private topics such as hobbies, interests or where you live.

Practise your brief introduction so that it does not look like you’ve memorised it, but it comes to you fluently. You can also incorporate some self-deprecating humour. However, keep things positive and don’t talk negatively about yourself, your previous employers or ex-colleagues. After all, you still do not know who you are dealing with, or who your counterpart may know.

3. Wear appropriate clothing

When you start a new job as a tradesperson or service worker, you are usually told what to wear. However, if you work in an office, you may be asking yourself: Should I wear a tie? Is a shirt too much? And what shoes should I wear? After all, you also want to make a perfect first impression on the outside.

If in doubt, use the outfit you wore for the interview as a guide, and opt for being overdressed rather than underdressed. If you are unsure, you can confirm the company’s dress code. However, you should avoid destroyed-look jeans, dirty shoes or overly eye-catching tops.

4. Be on time

As the saying goes: Punctuality is the soul of business. And: If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. This also applies to your first day at work. Ideally you should arrive five to ten minutes early, thus presenting yourself as reliable and in control, and avoiding appearing sweaty or rushed on your first day.

To ensure you arrive early, check in good time whether there are any roadworks on your way to work, where you can park, which train you want to take, or how long the bike ride will be. This means that you will feel more relaxed when getting ready, and won’t be put under additional pressure by poor planning of your route to work.

5. Make contacts

After you have been welcomed at the company, you can get started: meeting your new colleagues and making your first contacts. If you are starting work in a smaller company, you will soon get an overview and be able to say hello personally to most employees. If you are starting work in a larger company, you will usually get to know your team first.

Greet your new colleagues with a smile, and shake hands if appropriate (with an appropriate handshake!). If you are introduced to several colleagues at the same time, a friendly greeting is generally sufficient. During this phase, do not forget: your colleagues will generally be immersed in their work and don’t want to be disturbed for longer than necessary.

Instead, use the coffee and lunch breaks to get to know your new colleagues better. Here you can use the self-presentation you have practised and answer questions. Otherwise, let your colleagues tell you about themselves and their role in the company. Listen carefully and ask questions. You will appear interested and more likeable than someone who only talks about themselves.

6. Set up your workstation

After the first round of introductions, you will usually have time to set up your new workstation. Whether it is a desk, a kitchen or a workbench — your new workstation or the tools you are using will differ from your previous job. Set them up according to your needs. If you are missing important work materials, ask your colleagues where you can get them. After setting up your workstation, you should have time to familiarise yourself with the various projects, protocols or regulations.

7. Be proactive

Important for your first day, and first few weeks, in your new job: be proactive and do not wait for people to give you tasks or provide you with information. During your first few days in the company, you are still adapting to the new work environment. But that does not mean that you should be twiddling your thumbs.

Make good use of the early days and actively approach your colleagues if they need help or you want to offer your support. But don't overdo it: focus on settling in first and try to help yourself before helping your colleagues. At the beginning, it is also advisable to be cautious about making suggestions for improvement or offering criticism. This could leave your superiors and colleagues with a negative impression.

8. Ask questions

Basically, it is important to ask questions, especially in the initial phase. But always take the time to come up with a potential solution yourself, which you can later have a colleague confirm. In addition, many questions are often answered during training or in discussions with colleagues. You should only ask questions immediately if they are urgent.

You should treat your first few days in a new company as a kind of familiarisation phase, in which you get to know your new colleagues and learn about new projects and work processes. Nobody will expect you to know everything straight away. On the contrary: if you have no questions at all, or don’t ask about certain workflows until a few weeks have passed, your superiors and colleagues might be surprised.

9. Pay attention

If you are unsure of how to deal with certain situations on your first day at work, it is worth paying close attention and observing what you see around you. Note when your colleagues go for lunch, when there is time for a coffee break, who is responsible for tidying up the kitchen, or when your team finishes for the day.

Listening to conversations, you can also learn, for example, what your colleagues think of their superiors or how they behave towards them. This can provide you with valuable information and help you to avoid putting your foot in it.

10. Say goodbye and give positive feedback

Before going home at the end of your first day, you should say goodbye to your immediate superior and closest colleagues. Under no circumstances should you just go home.

As a rule, you will be asked how you found your first day at work. Give positive feedback and thank your colleagues for helping you to settle in. Criticism is inappropriate at this early stage and should be avoided. Instead, talk about what you liked and what you are looking forward to in the coming days and weeks. In this way, you will leave a positive impression at the end of your first day and can head home with a clear conscience.

Additional tip: leave your smartphone in your pocket

Unless you need it for work-related reasons, you should set your smartphone to silent and leave it in your pocket for your first few days. Give your boss and colleagues the attention they deserve. Also, do not risk your phone ringing when, for example, your manager is talking to you.
If you have a quiet minute in between, you should concentrate on a meaningful activity or on getting to know your colleagues better. There will be time for your smartphone and private matters after work.

As you can see, you can clear the biggest obstacles out of your way before you even start your new job. If you also take into account the other tips we have shared here for your first day of work, there is nothing standing in the way of you enjoying the perfect start in your new company.

Still have questions about how to prepare for your first day and what to do when it arrives? Then don not hesitate to get in touch with us. We’re happy to help.

Der erste Arbeitstag: 10 Tipps für den perfekten Jobstart