Starting a brand new fashion job (or any job) can bring on feelings of both excitement and anxiety followed by fear of the unknown and the pressure to do your best. Your work ethic during the first 30 to 90 days of employment are extremely important in regards to setting the stage for your future with that company. Not to add any additional pressure, but your first few weeks/months of employment may also determine whether or not your employer thinks you’re an asset to the business.

Success will be defined by your performance and the way in which you approach challenges as they arrive. We’ve all been in this situation before at work and outside of work; trying to become a part of a group while maintaining our individuality can be perplexing. I’ve found the below tips to be quite helpful and I hope you will also find them useful:

Don’t make a scene. How annoying is that new person? You don’t want to be that person who annoys existing employees within the first week. You’re the new kid in town and you’ve got to prove yourself before you alienate yourself. There are two objectives that you have to demonstrate: (1) that you’re capable of the tasks required of your job; and (2) that you’re going to fit in with the existing company culture.

Work your hardest to ensure all of your responsibilities are covered and pay close attention to your surroundings. Get a feel for the swing of things and the daily workflow of different departments. Observe the habits of your colleagues and try to blend in with their schedules (lunch, breaks during the day, time in and time out). Once you feel the attention is off of you and you’re suddenly not so new, you can branch out and start making your own rules (within limits, of course).

Offer to help. We all want to be seen as ambitious and willing to take initiative, but there’s a time and a place for everything. As a new hire, getting your feet wet by offering to help coworkers with their projects will go over a lot better than jumping in head first with brand new ideas and a push for immediate changes. Without knowing how things are currently progressing, how can you be absolutely certain that your method will be better?

If you’re confident in your abilities and you know change is inevitable, give your newness a few weeks to sink in before moving forward. At the risk of being hated by everyone whose work life you just disrupted, it may be worth the wait. Help out in departments that impact your overall objective and get an in depth idea of current practices before suggesting changes.

Make your first and only impression. My last piece of advice is to project yourself in the way that you wish to be perceived. From the way you dress to the way you speak, in your first few days of employment, these characteristics will come to define you. A new job is a great way to reinvent yourself and to walk into a new environment with confidence.

Unfortunately, you will be judged – that’s what people do – but you have the upper hand here because they don’t know anything about you. You’ve got a clean slate to be a star employee, to make an impact as you pursue your career, and to meet people who are just as passionate as you are about their jobs.

Image from Elle.com.

By: Malicia Basdeo, New York City