First Day Nerves

I don't know about you, but when I get nervous about an upcoming event I start focusing on all of the potential catastrophes that could occur. If "What if I get to the first day of college and somehow everyone already knows everyone else? I'll never make any friends and I'll have to transfer after the first semester!" went through your head the summer before entering college, then you can relate. At this time last year I was done with finals and had a few weeks at home before moving to New York City for my internship. As usual, boredom quickly ensued and I began to visualize my life as intern, a life filled with malfunctioning copy machines, bosses like Professor Umbridge and daily coffee runs. The worst question that repeated itself in my head was, "What if I'm not cut out for this job?" I dreaded the day that I would have to take the elevator to the nineteenth floor and begin the three months of doom.


Needless to say, all of these concerns were only in my head. I knew after spending time in the office during my interviews that my bosses were fantastic, they did not want me to waste time on coffee runs when I was there to produce actual work and the copy machines, in fact, did work (most of the time). It took a few reassuring emails from my family and friends to realize the most important thing: there was a competitive pool of applicants and - guess what? - the company chose me to be the intern for the summer. After spending time looking at my cover letter, resume, multiple email exchanges, phone interviews and an in-person interview, they decided that I would be the best fit for their internship. My mantra had to change from "I can't do this" to "I know that I am right for this position and I can do it." It was weird to accept that a group of people I didn't know believed in my abilities, particularly those that I didn't know I had yet. 


This doesn't mean I walked into the office on my first day and:
A) Began to order my bosses around because of my newly found confidence 
or
B) Didn't feel a little nervous, despite my new mantra


I definitely was still nervous, yet there was always a little part of me that reminded myself that I could do it. It might not be groundbreaking advice to say the following, but they still serve as daily reminders for me as a returning intern.
1. It's okay to be nervous! It helped me to research the company a lot prior to my first day to feel more comfortable with the lingo. Also, as nerdy as it might sound, I did in fact repeat the mantra to myself the entire subway ride to work.
2. Look toward your co-workers for support. I was so lucky to have a friendly and helpful group of co-workers in my office. They were happy to help me in any way they could, from assisting me in my embarrassingly bad attempts with working the copier to giving me advice on presentation decks. 
3. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I initially thought that I would be thrown into assignments without any direction and be expected to run the magazine singlehandedly. For the first few times that I was a little confused about an assignment, I felt stupid asking my boss for more detailed instructions. The more times that I had to ask, the less I felt stupid; she actually appreciated that I wanted clarifications. 
4. If necessary, fake confidence.  There always are the days when confidence just isn't going to happen. In those cases, it is best to fake it. Whether it is pretending to know where the Mail Room is when you go to drop off a package or slow your steps so you can watch the person in front of you work that complicated coffee machine, confidence is key in navigating the corporate world. 


Do you have any advice for first day nerves? What do you tell yourself on the first day of something new?


Rebecca