Your first day in a new job can be a little daunting. Like your first day at school, there are lots of new faces, new places and new rules to get to grips with. What is important to remember is that out of all of the people interviewed, you were chosen. You are the best candidate for the job and so you should try not to be too nervous. Try and enjoy the change and learn as much as you can from your first few days to ensure you fit in seamlessly. Here are some top tips to get you started:

Punctuality

Get a good night's sleep and wake up early. Ensure you are prepared, have a good breakfast and choose an outfit that you feel comfortable in. Make sure you allow plenty of time for your journey and ensure you arrive a few minutes early to make a good impression. You may have received a welcome pack and you might have some forms to bring in, so ensure you have everything you need before leaving the house.

Get your Bearings

There is a lot to take in on your first day, but don't worry, no-one will expect you to remember everyone's names or know where you are going at all times. Try to take in as much of your new surroundings as possible, and ensure you know the basics; where do you exit/enter the building and where is your office/desk in relation to this. Finding out where the nearest bathroom is, where the tea room is and where the post room is would be a good start.

Make a Good Impression

You will spend the best part of every day with your colleagues so it is important to get off on the right footing. Be friendly, polite and respectful to everyone you meet, on your first day it is hard to know the extent of people in your new organisation that you will be working closely with, so ensure that you are not rude or unfriendly to anyone.

Take Instruction Well

You will inevitably have to receive training from a colleague or your line manager in tasks for your new job. Be respectful of the time that your trainer is giving up to teach you and ensure you thank them for all the work that has gone into putting your training notes together and for being on hand to answer your questions. Even if you may know more about a piece of software or system than your trainer, which may happen, ensure that you listen to all instruction carefully, do not interrupt or correct them; if you threaten or challenge their knowledge at this early stage, you may lose a key ally.

Get to Know your Boss

Getting to know how your boss works is invaluable. Observe his approach in the office; does he take a hands off approach with your colleagues or is he very vocal? Is the office a very focused, quiet environment or is there a relaxed, fun atmosphere? Does your boss enjoy a laugh and a joke, or does he maintain a professional distance from others? Finding out about the dynamics of the office and will help to ensure you take the right approach when forging relationships and will enable you to strike the right balance between friendliness and professionalism.

Your actions in this time will determine how others see you and how you are going to approach the role, so make sure you think about the impression you are creating for others. Remember also to relax and enjoy your first week, and congratulations on your new job!

1. Plan your journey.

Work out how you will be travelling to the interview. If you are going by car, find out if there is on site parking, or where the nearest car park is. If you are travelling by public transport, find out how long the journey should take and allow yourself plenty of time for traffic delays. Ensure you know the route, and are aware which building/reception area you need to sign in at and who you should ask for.

2. Make a good impression.

Think carefully about what you are going to wear to the interview; first impressions are crucial, and it is important to dress smartly and appropriately for the interview. For men, you should decide whether to wear a full suit, or a pair of smart trousers with shirt- which should be ironed. For women, ensure that you are not wearing anything too revealing, a smart skirt or trousers and a smart top should be sufficient, avoid wearing extremes of accessories and make up.

3. Decide what you need to take.

You may have been asked to bring your passport, or some documentation with you for the interview, so ensure you have them to hand. It may be useful to take a small notepad and a copy of your CV. Ensure you have directions if needed, and the address of the office in case you forget or need clarification.

4. Research the company.

A favoured interview question is to ask the candidate what they know about the company/job role. Often job advertisements can be quite vague so it is worth looking online and seeing what you can find. Ensure you go over the company website with a fine tooth comb to ensure you impress your interviewer with your research.

5. Prepare questions.

There comes a point in every interview where the interviewer will give you the opportunity to ask questions. It is important that you use this opportunity as a way to confirm your interest in the position by asking thoughtful questions. Prepare some questions before the interview, but be prepared to think on your feet if your questions get answered in the interview. They could be regarding the job role, the company or a specific technical question about equipment or software used.

6. Get a good night's sleep.

To feel at your best in the interview it is important to get a good night's rest and to try and relax. You could take a relaxing bath in the evening and ensure that you get to bed at a reasonable time to feel well rested. Allow yourself plenty of time in the morning to have breakfast and feel fully awake and alert for the day ahead.

Relax; be confident and well prepared to ensure you make the most of your interview.

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. Control your nerves

If you are going for an interview it is only natural that you will feel nervous. Being scrutinised by a potential new employer can be daunting, but what is important to remember is that nerves can act as a barrier to your success.

Nerves can manifest in a variety of ways but one of the main things to overcome is the nervous silence. Candidates that become withdrawn and quiet, answering the bare minimum and leaving uncomfortable silences will be regarded as unenthusiastic and an employer may mistake your nerves for disinterest in the role.

2. Know what you are applying for and where

This is an extremely common early stumbling block for an applicant. Employers often ask questions regarding why you want to work at the company, or they may ask what you think the job role involves, and it is these questions that require you to have done your homework.

Studying the job ad often doesn't give much away. You must remember that there are other tools at your disposal. The company website; you can find out what projects they have recently undertaken, learn what goals are important to the business, see if they have any recruitment videos or press material. Google is your friend, and you can often find a wealth of information if you care to look.

I recently sat in on an interview where a candidate had done the leg work, and it was impressive. They had researched the company, researched the project, researched the industry and this candidate shone out of all of the others. Those who could only recite the jargon in the job ad paled in comparison and really let themselves down.

3. Always ask a question

When an interviewer asks if you have any questions the worst thing you can possibly do is say 'No.' This is a candidate's opportunity to show enthusiasm and understanding for the role, and those that ask insightful questions can really steal the show at interview.

Prepare questions in advance. Even a question as simple as asking what facilities are available for parking will show an interviewer that you can see yourself working there, and this is one of the most positive impressions a candidate can hope to leave. A lack of questioning will make a candidate seem less engaged.

4. Make yourself heard

No matter what style or approach your interviewer takes, the one thing they want is to hear what you have to say. Try to avoid giving short answers, elaborate fully and use all opportunities you have to express interest and enthusiasm for the role. Give examples and make reference to aspects of your CV to show where your previous experience would help you advance in this job.

I have sat in on interviews where the interviewer did most of the talking and while that can throw a candidate off, there is always an opportunity to sell yourself. Even in the closing moments when you are thanking the interviewer for their time, you can still add a few closing remarks to convince them of your passion for the job and company.

5. Dress appropriately for the job

It is important when going for an interview to dress appropriately. Candidates often range from the very smart- full suit and tie, to the oddly causal- jeans and trainers, but the casual dressers are always going to be compared to those who are more suitably attired. Often a happy medium can be found by aiming for a shirt/blouse and smart trousers/skirt (not too short).

There may be exceptions to the rule of smart, and it is also key to remember the company when choosing your outfit. One of my colleagues once ran a high street retail company and she would be the first to reject those who hadn't embraced the fashionable nature of the role at hand.

My blog post today stemmed from an email I received this week regarding whether it is legal for a company to request your age during the recruitment process.

This got me thinking about the variety of sensitive information that people may be uncomfortable disclosing in an application form. So I’ve put together some facts about sensitive information, and how best to tackle it. Today’s topic is...

Age

THE LAW: The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations, 2006.

From 1^st October 2006, legislation outlawed age discrimination in employment and vocational training. The law covers all sectors of employment including public and private. Employers are no longer able to recruit, train, promote or retire people on the basis of age, unless it can be objectively justified.

YOUR OBLIGATION:

You are under no obligation to disclose your age on your CV or at an interview. This is completely at your discretion.

This does not mean it is illegal for an employer to request your age or date of birth; the only legal requirement is that they do not discriminate based on this information.

A lot of jobs websites that will submit your CV to employers will ask for your age/date of birth. This is not used in any way as a means of filtering out too old/young candidates. Job sites often use this information purely from a marketing perspective, to gage the average age range of its users, in order to market their services effectively to jobseekers.

The only way age may inhibit your chance of gaining employment, is if the law requires you to be of a certain age. For example, a job which involves the serving of alcohol will not legally allow a person less than 18 years of age to be employed in this capacity.

PRECONCEPTIONS:

Jobseekers often think that if they are young, they will be overlooked as younger candidates inevitably have a lack of experience.

Jobseekers of a more mature age might think that the job market offers them less prospects. They may believe that companies are more interested in employing younger candidates, especially if you are nearing a retirement age or an age where you might leave to start a family etc.

THE REALITY:

There are many positive aspects that can be applied to the employment of both older and younger candidates.

More mature candidates may bring more experience to the table, be more likely to commit to the employment on a long term basis, be more adaptable to different workforces, etc.

Younger people have the advantage of being new and fresh to the job market, may have different ideas and approaches, be keen and quick to learn, etc.

There is no hard and fast rule to the age debate- you could choose not to disclose your age on your CV, but the chances are, an employer can guess from your experience as to what kind of age you are. The bottom line is; an employer will not and cannot make the decision of employment based on age. So whether you shout it from the rooftops, or take a more reserved approach, the main thing is to ensure that you have the right skills for the job in hand, and a good impression, whether 15 or 50, will go a long way.

What?

A group interview means that you will be assessed at the same time as all other candidates for the same position. If you are interviewed as a group, this is generally the first stage, and a one-on-one interview may take place afterwards or at a later date, if you are successful.

The main aim of a group interview is to enable the employer to monitor your behaviour as a member of a team. It will allow the employer to see how you react in a group scenario and see whether you fit in well with a team and help complete objectives, or hinder the progress of the team as a whole.

If the job role you are applying for is fundamentally about teamwork then the employer may choose this type of interview to see how you behave in a group situation; as this will be essential to the job role.

Some employers may choose a group interview process as a way of saving time if they have a lot of candidates to interview. They might use the group stage to quickly and efficiently ‘weed out’ those candidates who are unsuitable.

The good news is- the group interview shouldn’t be a surprise. Most employers or recruitment agencies will let you know that you are being interviewed as part of a group beforehand. This enables you to prepare and approach the interview with some consideration.

Role Play: You may have to act out a scenario with some of your fellow group members based on the type of work the company does. This could include simulating a phone call, giving an example of a sales pitch, or good customer service technique. Ensure you are fully aware of what the company does beforehand and listen carefully to what the interviewer wants you to do.

Presentations: This is often an important part of the group interview. You may have to present an idea as part of a group or as an individual. If you present with a group you should ensure that you take an active role in the presentation. Those who do not speak during the presentation will be questioned as to why they have not taken part, even if they came up with the ideas that are being presented. Ensure you make your points clearly and effectively. If you are allowed visual aids, then these could help to get your message across.

Team Building Exercises and Problem Solving: In order to let the employer see how well you participate within a group there will invariably be some team building exercises which will involve problem solving. Ensure you interact well with the group and take a thoughtful, proactive approach to the task.

Be proactive: You should voice your opinions and take an active role in the process to ensure you stand out. Even if you decide you do not want to be the outright leader of a task, ensure you are voicing opinions and participating fully to ensure you are noticed.

Avoid showing off: Invariably there is always at least one member of the group who believes that the way to get noticed is to make jokes, be very loud and show off. Remember, there are better ways to get noticed! Pay attention to the tasks and what is being asked and focus your attention on completing task successfully and to the best of your ability.