How to Set Yourself Up for Success Prior to the First Day

We all want the first day of any new job to go smoothly. But we can’t exactly help those “first day jitters.”

And, in reality, there are a few things you can do prior to your first day to sabotage your chances of making a good first impression. 

In this post, we’re going to cover a few ways to set yourself up for success prior to the first day at a new job. 

Get a good night’s rest

Once you’ve landed that dream job, don’t spend the entire night before work stressing about how it will go. Instead, try to unwind an hour before bedtime and drink some sleepytime tea. 

Avoid having that nightcap because it can interfere with your ability to get a restful sleep. Alcohol can also promote brain fog, which is very counterproductive for making a good impression! 

Be honest and transparent

Lying on your resume may seem like a good idea to help you land the job, but it can backfire big time. Check out this resume format guide for tips on how to format a resume to stand out. This way, you may not feel the need to exaggerate your accomplishments. Because there’s no faster track to sabotaging your first day at a new job than to lie on your resume!

Try a cleanse

If you want to be at your best before the big day, try doing a cleanse about a week before. During this time, avoid alcohol, tobacco and other toxins. As for your diet, you’re going to want to eat as clean as possible prior to your start date.

You can take it to an extreme by doing a juice cleanse or simply cut out processed foods. You’re definitely going to want to avoid fast food, as it is full of preservatives, chemicals, and heavily-processed ingredients. The more of these in your body, the greater the chance that you may get sick or have stomach/digestion problems, and they are terrible for your skin.

Any changes you make will have an impact on the free radical damage within your body, and this can improve mental clarity for your first day on a new job. Just be sure to start the cleanse about a week before (or more). You don’t want to start the new job on one of those early days when you might be irritable and fighting cravings. 

Learn about the company

You’ve probably brushed up on company culture before you even applied to the job, but now that you’ve landed it, it’s time to study. Read the employee handbook from cover to cover, so you can get a good feel of what your employer expects of you. This will also help you avoid unnecessary questions on that first day of training. The more prepared you are, the better.

Prepare your outfit

In the company handbook, you’ll find out about the dress code and how you’re expected to present yourself. So, you can easily prepare a work-appropriate outfit in advance of your first day. 

Make sure the outfit is clean and pressed before you lay your head to rest the night before. You don’t want to be rushing around and stressing about what to wear that morning. Also, you should plan what jewelry you want to wear as having too much, too little, or the wrong style could impact your reception.

Map your route

You’ve probably already visited the location of your new job on the interview, but you’re going to want to check how long it takes to get there in rush hour traffic. If possible, map the route via Google Maps on a weekday at the time you plan to leave for work. This will give you an idea of how the traffic flows at that time, so you’ll know how early to leave. The worst thing you can do on your first day is to show up late.

Everyone wants to make a good impression on their first day on a job, and it’s easy to do if you follow the right precautions. Now, you can relax and enjoy your first day.