First day nerves?

Days to new job: three

Nails bitten: all of them!

Having waited for several years to actually get a permanent position, now my start date is looming I am filled with a mixture of excitement and fear! I suppose it’s the same whenever a long sought after goal is fulfilled, whether it is in the realm of your career or personal life, but I think it is just dawning on me that actually getting the job was not even half the battle, doing it well and holding on to it is a far greater challenge.

There is a great deal of advice out there about how to get a job in the first place, by boosting and crafting your CV and covering letter, honing your interview and presentation techniques, networking like mad. However, there is less advice given on how to cope with starting a new job: something which many of us find really challenging. For example, on a personal level dealing with a total change in schedule, maybe you are facing a much longer commute, like me, and are afraid that it will be exhausting. Or perhaps you are unsure about how it’s going to affect relationships with family or friends.

Being selected to do the job is a huge vote of confidence, so I am pretty sure that I can perform the role I am being asked to do. But what about getting on well with new colleagues, and fitting in to the team? Getting used to new organizational structures and procedures? These factors can easily be forgotten by the jobseeker used to round after round of applications and interviews, but they need to be borne in mind. Human beings are essentially conservative creatures and we often don’t cope well with change. But starting a long awaited job, especially as for me in a field you are passionate about, will be so thrilling that it will be worth enduring the practical difficulties. And after a few months in your new job, it will feel as though you have been there for years!

Have you any tips on how to cope with starting a new job? Any nightmare experiences to share with others?!