Make a Good First Impression on the Job

One of the happiest events in any person's life is undoubtedly when one gets the first job. This is indeed the first step towards building of a career and has many ramifications as far as the person's life is concerned. The person suddenly finds the world changing with the change in her/his life. The person experiences a whiff of freshness infused in life and finds great enthusiasm, cheer and confidence growing within. It indeed signifies the growth in the person!

Steeping into the world of work the person wants to carry forward the new found identity with a host of things to achieve. There is a new organization, new people, new systems and processes, new culture and a host of other new things to face and grapple with. Finding one's feet in this new world becomes the first challenge and finding an identity in the complex diverse environment follows as the second challenge. It is here that every person is confronted with the questions - 'How do I proceed further?', 'How do I attract the attention of others?', 'What is it that I need to do?' and many others! These questions essentially indicate the strong urge of an individual to be recognized, accepted and identified and a natural element of human need and human behavior. In very simple terms every person on a new job wants to create and leave a good first impression and is constantly looking at ways and means of doing so.

Considering the diversity as well as uniqueness of every organization in terms of Vision, Mission, Values, Structure, Systems, Processes and Culture, it is understandable that there cannot be any magic formula that can be used by a new employee to create a good first impression on the job. Having said this, there are some approaches that could be adopted by such employees towards achieving the said objective. One of the good approaches is shared here with the hope that it is found helpful and valuable.

Let's first understand the simple issue of why does anyone require a job and why does anyone give a job. The single common thread perhaps is the element of 'performance'. The employee brings in the capabilities and competencies to perform job, of course for a remuneration in return and an employer wants someone who can perform a particular job using the capabilities and competencies, of course again for a remuneration in return. The new employee who steps in has been selected through a process which only assesses the 'potential' of the person with the expectation that the person would perform. The key here is the expectation and that is the element of 'performance' which was identified as a single common thread.

The normal practice followed by organizations is to place a new employee under 'probation' for a stipulated term and with specific terms and conditions. This period serves as a good opportunity for the employer to observe the new employee at work and validate the selection process assessment as regards the potential and also about the compatibility of the employer - employee relationship before getting into a more permanent one. On the other hand, this is an opportunity for the new employee to reassure the employer about her/his potential as well as the compatibility issues. In other words, this phase is a 'make or break' period for establishing the said relationship. The underlying expectation of the employer is that the new employee makes a good beginning as much as the new employee's need to make a good beginning.

Let's now address the vital question of 'how the new employee can make a good first impression?' with the element of performance being the focus. One of the best ways to approach this issue is to adopt the basic human values as the basis. In other words the approach being shared is the 'performance based approach built on basic human values'. The basic human values, especially in the work context are: Openness, Collaboration or Cooperation, Trust and Trustworthiness, Authenticity, Pro-activity, Autonomy, Confrontation and Experimentation.

From a practical perspective, a person on a new job needs to demonstrate the above values in whatever s/he does and importantly with great commitment and consistency. Lets' take an example: Smith on his first day at work is asked by his manager to search the website and get some information on a particular subject within an hour's time. Smith needs a computer as he is not allotted one as yet. He approaches a staff member and after introducing himself shares the task given to him and the urgent need for the computer. He is immediately directed to a room where the computer is free. Smith settles down and starts his search and is able to download a good deal of information and takes print outs. He finds that he still has some time before the deadline of one hour. He arranges the papers and also highlights some key words and paragraphs thinking that this would help his manager to quickly grasp the important points. He goes back to this manager and submits the papers. The manager is very impressed and happy with the way Smith has performed and delivered the task. He immediately assigns a new task to Smith who of course is elated!

Now in the above case, Smith demonstrated the value of openness when he approached a staff member and shared information without any inhibition. He also demonstrated his ability to collaborate with others. The value of pro-activity was demonstrated by Smith when he did not pour out his problems to the manager, but took upon himself to find solutions. His action of highlighting viral portions on the papers demonstrated his ability to take his decisions which is an element of autonomy as well as experimentation. The fact that his manager was happy and immediately assigned another task to Smith implied that he gained his trust as he proved that he was trustworthy by accomplishing the first task successfully. Here one can appreciate the immense potential of the basic human values in creating lasting impressions. Let's be clear that neither Smith nor his manager will ever talk of these values or even recognize them. The most important fact here is that both have imbibed them and demonstrated them in their dispositions.

The 'performance based approach built on human values' finds easy acceptance as human beings can easily identify and empathize. Impressions created through this approach are indelible. Use this approach only if you are convinced about its value and most importantly only if you believe in the basic human values shared above!