Getting Through the First Few Weeks of Your New Job

06 January 2020

The next few weeks will see many new apprentices and trainees begin their jobs.

It is an exciting time, but it can also be an overwhelming one, especially if this is your first job. Your apprenticeship or traineeship will present you with new challenges and expectations so it is important to prepare, observe and learn.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of the early stages of your new job:

Do your best to create a good impression

• Present yourself as best you can.
• Don’t wait for others to introduce themselves to you.
• Offer yourself for extra work if you run out of things to do.
• Keep your mobile phone switched off and catch up on calls and messages during your lunch break.

Reliability is key

• Always be on time. Late comers might be considered uninterested and unreliable.
• If you know you are going to be sick, call the employer before your starting time. It will be appreciated. A medical certificate needs to be supplied if you are sick.
• Don’t miss work for unnecessary or unimportant reasons and organise external appointments outside or working hours.
• Make sure transportation is reliable. Maintain your vehicle and ensure you always have enough petrol.
• If you have been unemployed for a long period, you may find you need to alter your social arrangements and adjust your sleep patterns. Make sure you check your roster and always be aware of any changes to your start and finish times.

Following instructions is vital

• Find out who your direct supervisor is. You are usually responsible to only one person.
• Listen carefully, observe and follow instructions exactly as given. Usually things are done a certain way for a good reason.
• Ask questions if you are unsure of what you are expected to do or how to operate equipment.
• If you are a smoker, enquire about regulations or smoking arrangements and never take unauthorised or extended smoke breaks, even if other staff members might.

Managing personal issues

• Resist burdening your workmates with your problems. They may already have enough of their own.
• It is not a major crisis if your dog gets a flea or your cat coughs up a fur ball. It is more important you attend the work place. A tickle in the throat is not a sufficient reason to take a day off work.
• Absences for insignificant reasons like these will not gain you the respect of your employer or your workmates.