What to Bring on the First Day

In almost all of my daily conversations I find it necessary to include as many movie quotes as possible. I believe that they can explain myself better than I can or, and this only works occasionally, my audience doesn't recognize the quote and they begin to realize how hilarious, intelligent or philosophical I really am. Or sometimes they serve no purpose, but I say them anyway. Whenever it is the first day of school or work, I always reference the classic film, Billy Madison, as the main character accurately sums up my thoughts:

Back to school, back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight... 

While I'm not truly concerned about getting in a fight or convincing my dad that I'm not a fool (that ship sailed a long time ago), I do understand Billy's sentiment about preparing oneself mentally and physically for the first day. Yes, I realize that this is a completely ridiculous analysis of a quote from an Adam Sandler comedy, but I provided full warning above that I still quote movies when they serve no purpose. As I mentioned in my post First Day Nerves, I get nervous before the first day of school or work. I have found that preparing myself in advance helps limit my anxiety. 

Although my internship does not start until June 6th, I have already begun organizing what I need for that day. My first day of work outfit is put to the side to ensure that it will be clean for next Monday. While New York City in the summer is painfully hot sometimes, companies usually compensate by setting the air conditioning at Arctic temperatures. In order to avoid frostbite, I keep two to three basic cardigans at my desk at all times. This is probably not surprising at all, but I am quite anal about the pens that I use, so I set a few aside to bring to work. Instead of relying on post-it notes and scrap pieces of paper, I bring my own planner to keep assignments and dates organized; I bought one in the style that I like (one week takes up two consecutive pages), which will make it easier for me to keep track of my tasks. Some people rely just on online calendars and they also work great. I would suggest making one trip to CVS or the grocery store to stock up on desk essentials: portioned snacks, individual packets of Crystal Light or Propel to add to water, eye drops, hand sanitizer, tampons and hand lotion. I also brought one photo to personalize my desk a little bit. Those items may come in hand at any point during an internship. 

In list form:

First day of work outfit

Cardigans (or blazers) 

Pens (this is probably unnecessary unless if you're like me!)

Organizer or planner

Random desk essentials (snacks/toiletries/etc.)

Even with the amount of preparation that I put into my first day of work, it is possible that my essentials vary from others' lists. Also, many companies will provide items from the list above, such as a planner, snacks, toiletries and even pens. It also is easy to ask co-workers for any basics, like a pump of their lotion or packet of sugar until it is possible to restock. 

How far in advance do you prepare for the first day of something? Is there anything that you would add to my list?

Rebecca

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