A first day at a new job is always stressful; you’re not sure of the lay of the land, the workplace culture, or the way things are done. You don’t want to step on any toes or rock the boat, and you don’t want people to see you as a burden or an annoyance.
Yet, there are so many questions we need answered—from the simple (“Where do I find replacement toilet paper for the bathroom?”) to the complex (“What’s the company culture? Would I offend X if Y?”). It becomes impossible not to ask several questions throughout the day, which can be rough on both the new employee and their co-workers.
My first day at The Urbane Way was filled with uncertainty; I wasn’t even sure if I’d have a computer. We’re a sort of unique workspace in that we don’t have set desks or offices (for the most part); in addition, this is a time of rapid company growth. Things are changing so fast, nobody knows where we’ll be a week from now (Will we have new employees? Are we building a kitchenette?)
I left the house extra early because I didn’t know what to expect in terms of traffic. It wasn’t as bad as I thought, so I arrived about half an hour earlier than I had thought; luckily, my new supervisor was there. So was my new laptop.
Installing software and setting up computers: things that are deeply entrenched in my comfort zone (I come from a long IT background). That made it easy to claim a spot, sit down, and get to work doing something productive. Even though it wasn’t really the kind of work I’ll be doing in the long term, it was a nice and gentle transition into the simple act of just sitting in the office and absorbing the workplace culture and feeling.
I had lots of emails and phone calls from friends and well-wishers, and my new co-workers are about as friendly and welcoming as can be, all of which helped make everything even easier. Still, you’re nervous about looking like a buffoon when it comes to things like asking where a pen can be found.
Around lunch time I decided to check out the lay of the land, as I’m not too familiar with the surrounding area (and all the culinary delights it offers). I tried a new restaurant called Tongue Thai’d, which I’ll probably review on Yelp later (it was alright, not as good as I had heard though.) On my way back, I found that Birmingham-area party stores are few and far between, and look more like financial service offices than the “LIQUOR LOTTO” I’m used to as an East sider 
Still, I was able to get a bottle of water before heading back to the office.
Still, I was able to get a bottle of water before heading back to the office.The second half of my day was a bit more stressful; I’m eager to leverage my expertise and experience here, but one of the tasks I was assigned turned out to be a much, much more ambitious project than I think anybody expected. It may involve XML and RSS programming as well as database design and implementation. It is something that I can handle, but I would need to dive in and immerse myself in only that for a long time; not exactly the kind of thing you want to get into on your first day.
One of the most exciting parts of starting a new job is seeing where you can “fill in the gaps”. You see places and processes where you can bring your experience to the table and help make things more efficient. It’s also extremely energizing to be at a new company that is about to grow rapidly. Getting in on the ground floor is fun and leads to a deep sense of personal satisfaction, knowing that they want and trust you to help lead the charge into the future.
The next couple of weeks are going to be crazy for me. I have so many ideas and so many tools that I want to introduce, but I have to check myself and take things slowly. After all, you can’t change the entire way a company does business in your first work week.
Six months or a year from now, I’ll probably read this post and laugh at my newbie zest. Still, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about the opportunities that I’m presented with. It’s almost like the thrill of having a blank canvas. I’m ready to paint a masterpiece.
This post was written by Brian “primesuspect” Ambrozy, the Curator of Delightful Experiences and Chief Feather Ruffler at the Urbane Way marketing lab
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