Welcome to How To Adult!
I’m Rachel Calderon Navarro.
And I’m Hank Green.
And we are starting this new job today.
With Mike and Emma’s blessing, we’ll be taking over as your hosts for How To Adult!
So, since this is our first day, we're going to talk about how to have the best first day
of a new job, ever!
We’ll talk about how to navigate the logistics of the first day, and how to set yourself
up for success in your new job!
So before you even start, reach out to your new supervisor and ask advice on how to prepare
for your first day.
They might have paperwork for you to go over, articles to read, or training videos to watch
to help you get oriented with your new company.
Be sure to ask when and where you should report on your first day.
And ask what you should bring with you.
On your first day, get ready early and plan to arrive early.
You’ll want to give yourself extra time to check your teeth for some rogue spinach
and find the right office.
The people training you will expect you to arrive early so they may arrive early to greet
you.
Make sure you don’t leave them hanging.
Most likely, the first thing you’ll do is fill out paperwork.
You’ll need your legal ID, like a driver’s license or a passport, and your social security
card.
Copies don’t count.
So bring originals.
Also, bring your checkbook.
Many places pay employees through direct deposit, (which is nice because your bank account just
gets filled up and you don't have to think about anything) and you’ll need a voided
check to set this up.
Getting paid is good.
Once the paperwork is done, ask to get oriented with the workplace and the overall company.
You might be scheduled for a formal orientation, but you might have to just ask someone to
give you a tour.
This way you can learn where all the important things are (like the bathroom...
maybe even the one bathroom that just has one toilet instead of a bunch of toilets)
and while you're being shown around you’ll probably get a chance to meet some people.
Try and learn the lay of the land as soon as you can.
The quicker you transition out of feeling like the new kid, the more comfy you’ll
be with your new workplace and the more valuable you’ll be to your coworkers and bosses.
So now that you’ve scoped the place out, it’s important to remember two things about
being a new hire:
One, they’re hiring people because they need help, so they're probably busy.
Take it upon yourself to introduce yourself and ask how you can help.
And two, they most likely already have a successful system for doing things and it’s important
to respect that.
Learn how you fit into that system by asking how your co-wo rkers and supervisors like
things done.
No matter how thorough your trainer, there will be tons of things you won’t know how
to do until you jump in and start working.
Do jump in, and do ask for feedback and advice.
Have thick skin when receiving feedback.
Remember, your ideas might be great and well thought out, but your new coworkers and supervisors
will teach you how and why things are done in a specific way at this company.
These specificities aren’t things you’re expected to know before you start, but they
are things you’re expected to accept and adopt into your workflow.
So now that you’ve done your paperwork, know where the bathroom is, and have a project
you’re helping with, it’s probably after lunch and you’re way starving, like me.
Yeah I also didn't bring food to work today.
So maybe you’ll have time to go out to lunch, maybe there’s food where you work, but you
just don’t really know on the first day, so bring your lunch so you don’t faint and
distract people with your stomach growls.
Yes, fainting is also very distracting, and worrying...
Lunch is a great time to learn more about the culture of your new workplace.
If there’s a break room or area where people gather to eat, be brave and ask if you can
join!
Even if you’re not a social person, it’s important to push outside your comfort zone
when starting a new job because you want people to feel comfortable coming to you.
It’ll open you up to new friends as well as new opportunities in your workplace.
At some point during your first day, or maybe your first week, there will be a lull.
You’ll finish your work that you know about and not know what to do with yourself.
This is what you do with yourself: you ask for more work.
Whether they say it or not, your supervisor expects you to check in when you finish a
task.
They may have more plans for you.
Whether it’s checking your work or moving you to another project, don’t assume you’re
finished.
In all likelihood, they’re expecting your first try at something to not be perfect and
will have you do it again.
Take it in stride; it’s all part of the training process.
At the end of the day, check in with your supervisor again and ask what procedures there
are for the end of the day and ask what you can look forward for the rest of the week.
And don’t make plans for right after work on your first day.
You’ll likely stay a little late.
And what if your new coworkers are going out for happy hour?
You don’t want to miss out on a fun way to get to know your new workmates.
Also that first time you meet everybody it's your chance to like, earn a nickname or like,
throw out a real great catchphrase...
Like what- do you have a catchphrase?
No.
Just remember to have fun, ask lots of questions, try to be helpful and you’ll do great.
Thanks for joining us on our first day of this new job!
If you have any advice for someone starting a new job, or have a topic that you’d like
us to cover, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
And if you want to learn more about adulting with us, you can go to YouTube.com/LearnHowToAdult
and subscribe!
One of my very first job interviews ever, it was at the university here in town and
I rode my bike to the university all of the time, but I was like 'I'm going to, like,
make sure I'm extra safe.'
And so I drove which was a disaster because driving to the university it was like, peak
time- there were no parking spots and I was like, thirteen minutes late for the interview.
Terrible thing for a job interview, so take the way that you know how to get to the place
that works.
Instead of like, trying something new on that day.
Yeah, and don't forget about the weather because sometimes if it's snowing, calculate for snow-shoveling.