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New job? Take these tips to work

You finally land a new job, and you show up for your first day of work wearing your comfy sneakers and your new nose ring.

When the human resources representative says you’ve got some paperwork to do before getting started, you roll your eyes and stuff the papers into your backpack, knowing you probably won’t get to them anytime soon.

After all, you’re excited about this new job and don’t want to waste time filling out forms. You’re raring to get started, although the first order of business will be telling your new manager you must leave by 3 p.m. Thursday because you’ve got to pick up friends at the airport.

But, wait, what’s that noise? It’s the sound of your new job sinking faster than the Titanic.

“In the first few weeks of a new job, 100 percent of the success is purely on the new employee,” says Tom Gimbel, CEO of the LaSalle Network. “You set the tone from the minute you start.”

That means that when you show up for work with the wrong kind of attitude, wearing inappropriate clothing and thinking more of your personal life than your work life, you’re headed in the wrong direction.

“It’s the little things that can really matter, even if all you do is complain about the weather on your first day. Non-work issues will be watched closely,” Gimbel says. “You’re under more scrutiny by everyone else when you’re the new person.”

That’s why Gimbel says it’s critical — from the moment you accept a new position through your first months on a job — that you be prepared. If you don’t plan ahead, he said, your hopes for a promising career can be torpedoed. He offers these pointers for new workers seeking to get off on the right foot:

• Don’t be a Bridezilla. “How would you like to propose marriage to someone and they accept — and then you don’t hear from them for three weeks?” Gimbel asked. When you accept a position, keep in contact with your new employer, sending a couple of e-mails, or phone, reiterating how excited you are about the new position how you’re “ready to go,” he said.

• Do a sound check. Call the employer a week before you are scheduled to start and find out if you need any special papers or equipment to begin work. Ask about appropriate attire. It’s always a good idea to dress for the job just as you did for the interview — that clothing helped get you hired, and it will help set the right tone for the job.

• Get a good watch. For the first day, give yourself plenty of time for the commute, since it may be more difficult than you envisioned. If you arrive early, just grab a cup of coffee nearby and wait for the time to start. Once it nears quitting time, don’t leave early, even if you don’t have much to do your first days on the job.

“You don’t want others to see you putting on your coat at 4:45 p.m. the first day,” Gimbel said. “Being late, taking a long lunch, slouching in your chair — all those things make people think you’re already slacking.”

• Clear your calendar. “Nothing is more frustrating for a manager than to hear a new employee say that he’s got to take off early because he’s got tickets to the Cubs game for his brother’s birthday,” Gimbel said. “All the manager thinks is that the new person wants off early to go to a game and get drunk.” Only take time off the first week for absolute emergencies.

• Ask questions. On your first day, ask the manager how you should communicate. Should you save all your questions to ask him at the end of the day? Is there a person you can go to as questions arise? How would he best like to communicate with you?

“On your first day, write a summary of what you’ve learned and give it to your manager. For the next three or four weeks, summarize what you’ve learned for the manager either weekly or daily,” Gimbel said. “This not only shows what you’re learning and that you can document your work, but ensures that you understand it correctly.”