You knew that first impressions were important in your interview, and you obviously aced that, because now you’ve got the job. However, did you know that first impressions are equally as important when starting a new job?

During your first hours, days, and even weeks on the new job, your new boss and coworkers are going to form their opinions of you, and these will likely color the rest of your time with this employer. For instance, if you earn a reputation as a slacker early on, it will be difficult to shake that label for long enough to earn a promotion, even if you deserve it. Conversely, if you work hard during your first few weeks on the job, your boss and coworkers will be much more likely to overlook rough periods in your performance later on.

Here are ten tips for creating stellar first impressions when starting a new job.

Take Time Off Between Jobs

At a wine tasting, guests are served bland foods to cleanse their palates between wines. Likewise, taking time off between jobs helps you to shake off the old routine and prepare for the new.

Humans are creatures of habit. Any job, but especially one at which you have spent a considerable length of time, establishes a sense of routine in your life that you may unknowingly be reluctant to change. Even a few days off between jobs can help you to prepare for a new routine and a new work environment.

Do Your Homework

You probably did a certain amount of research on your new employer during the application and interview stages. Now is the time to finish your research and round out your understanding of your new employer. If you are taking time off between jobs, you can use that time for this purpose.

To research or brush up on your new employer, read any materials about the company you can get your hands on, including the employee handbook. Your goal is two-fold: to understand what the company does and how you fit in, and to know what to expect in the workplace. If you or someone in your professional network knows someone at the company, plan to meet them for lunch or coffee before your first day – a little inside information can go a long way toward a smooth transition.

Dress Professionally

Presenting a neat appearance reflects positively on your work ethic and habits. Therefore, when beginning a new job you should always dress a notch or two above what is expected. Once those critical early days or weeks are over, you can relax a little without worrying about being perceived as slovenly or a poor worker.

If you have done your homework as suggest above, you should have a feel for your new employer’s dress code. However, if you are unsure it is always better to err on the side of too professional rather than not professional enough.

Arrive Early, Leave Late

Always being the last one in the door and the first one out will make it seem like you don’t actually want to be there – a dangerous impression to make, particularly during your first few weeks on the job.

Instead, always plan to be a little early, and don’t be in a rush to leave at the end of the day. Besides giving the impression that you are enthusiastic and ambitious about your work, you will also gain a reputation of never being late unless there is a real emergency – a valuable reputation to hold.

Get to Know Your Coworkers

Part of settling into a new job is integrating yourself into the workplace’s social network. Like it or not, you spend more waking hours with your coworkers than with almost any other people in your life. Moreover, these people’s opinions of you can directly impact your success with the company, not to mention your day-to-day happiness with your job.

Whatever you, don’t distance yourself from your new coworkers. While it may be tempting to frequently have lunch with your old coworkers, you may be inadvertently signaling to the new group that you are not “one of them.” Instead, socialize with your new coworkers over lunch and coffee as much as possible. Lunch dates with old coworkers can help you to maintain a strong network, but should not be overdone.

Ask for Help

Asking for help is an important part of settling into a new job, yet many people worry about seeming incompetent. In actuality, the opposite is true. By not asking for or accepting help from your coworkers, you risk ostracizing yourself from them, not to mention wasting time and energy on avoidable mistakes.

However, you also don’t want to ask the same questions over and over. If you know you may have a hard time remembering a complicated procedure, or that you have a bad memory in general, take notes whenever you get help. By only asking each question once, you will come across as a quick learner to your boss and coworkers.

Take Initiative

The first few weeks on the job, your new employer will most likely give you a more relaxed workload than your coworkers are expected to carry. Although the expectation is that you won’t be up to speed right off the bat, your employer also expects that you will let them know when you are ready for more work.

Use your light workload to focus on mastering and completing the work you have been assigned, and let your supervisor know if you will need another assignment soon. The sooner you can handle a full workload, the better the impression you will make. You may also opt to volunteer for special projects in order to really get noticed – but only do this if you are sure you can handle the extra work.

Make a Plan

Having a plan can help you monitor and achieve your goals during your first few weeks on the job. Your plan should include all of the things you are expected to learn, as well as a few goals you set for yourself to keep you motivated. Prioritize your goals to help you remember which skills are more important to master. Remember, the point is to keep yourself challenged so that you stay motivated, but not so challenged that you get discouraged.

A nice touch is to share your goals – and your progress – with your boss. To you, this may seem awkward and anal-retentive. To your boss, it will make you appear organized and ambitious.

Communicate with Your Boss

Just as sharing your goals with your boss can help promote a positive impression, communicating other aspects of your settling-in can encourage trust and confidence in your abilities. Your boss has hired you because you seemed like the best person for the job; in other words, he or she has taken a chance on you, and will appreciate updates on your progress.

Maintain a Positive Outlook

Optimists almost always make better first impressions than more negative people. Those who maintain a positive attitude in the face of a new or challenging situation tend to be looked on more favorably. Smile when you meet people for the first time or pass coworkers in the hall. Avoid complaining about anything, and stay out of the workplace gossip during these critical early weeks.

The Importance of Good Impressions

Because Americans only stay in each job for an average of about four years, it is safe to say that this job probably won’t be your last. So why put so much effort into making a good first impression?

While it’s true that this job is most likely a short-term solution, it still has the power to impact your career. Making a good impression might benefit you at this job by helping you to get promotions and special projects that look good on your resume and supercharge your career. In addition, starting a new job off on the right foot improves your chances of creating long-term networking contacts.

By following these ten tips and starting every job on the right foot, you can create solid stepping-stones from which to eventually reach even your loftiest career goals.

There are many ways to add value in the workplace. The most basic is to show up and perform the job you were hired to do. Let’s look at four ways to improve your value-add at work without spending a dime.

1. Start with Your Reputation

An old saying goes like this: “A good name is hard to regain once it is lost.” The trick is never to lose your good name to start with. So what’s your reputation saying about you?

Don’t let your name be tarnished because you’re late all the time. Learn how to manage your time more effectively. Sign up for a time management seminar like Franklin Covey. This type of seminar will teach you how to prioritize your activities to align with what’s most important. That’s a valuable skill you can use over and over again. The more you use this skill the better your reputation gets.

Do you do what you say? Are you in the habit of over promising and under delivering? Stop it your reputation is at stake! You have complete control over what you say. Start doing what you said you would. Else be selective with your words. Whatever you say people are expecting you will do it. If you don’t plan to do something, don’t say you will.

2. Be Willing to Learn

The most tedious jobs can be rewarding when learning opportunities are taken. When a new class or training is offered, sign up for it. Keeping your mind active by constantly learning new things makes you valuable.

Be willing to learn from others. No one person can know everything, even though some act like they do. We can all learn from each other. I am some what of an advanced Excel user. Yet, I still run into others who show me great keyboard short cuts!

Use what you know. Put into practice any skills you’ve been taught. For example, say you took an email etiquette class. Your employer will expect you to craft email messages using the tips you were taught.

Don’t forget to share. If you come across a new short cut, or fancy way to format a presentation, share it with your co-workers. That way the whole team benefits from your experience. A word of caution: Don’t act like you know it all. Instead offer gentle humble suggestions that are more readily received by others.

3. Know Your Company’s Priorities

Take time to learn about the company you work for. Discover history behind it. What are they known for? Who are their customers? What products or services do they sell to meet the customer needs? What goals does your company have? Are they trying to increase market share? Are they trying to create new markets?

Understanding your company’s priorities helps you map your job to the bigger picture. When you know how your part fits in the larger context it drives your motivation. Improving your internal motivation allows you to put up with lesser important burdens for the stake of the larger, more important goal. Having a hard time figuring out how your part fits? Ask your boss. Talk to others about their part. Maybe hearing how Jane Doe fits may help you envision your place.

4. Get Creative and Make Things Better

Just because you have a job with specific tasks that are not very efficient, it doesn’t mean you should continue to do it that way. There may be a better way to organize the tasks. Try doing things differently. You may change a process for the better and save tons of time for you and your co-workers.

Look for problems. Listen for business needs. What is not getting done? Why? Ask why a few more times to get to the root cause. Figure out who’s involved, ask questions. Then brainstorm ways to solve the problem. Two heads are better than one. If you have a room full of people, that’s even better.

There’s always something you can do to make the situation better. Asking questions may reveal information being requested is no longer needed. For example, I know someone who stopped sending a certain report to see if anyone would miss it. Guess what? No one missed the report and she stopped producing it. Other times there might be improvements for better systems or documentation. Still other times questioning might reveal the need to automate a manual process, which could save time and money. Which ever you choose, do something to make it better. What good is it to recognize a need and not do anything about?

Let’s recap what we’ve discussed so far. Tip 1 was about focusing on your reputation. Take small steps to improve your reputation. Tip 2 talked about how your willingness to learn becomes a value to your company. Tip 3 discussed the importance of knowing your company’s priorities so you can understand how your job fits with the bigger picture. Tip 4 was all about making things better. Solve problems. Improve your working conditions. All of these tips can help you increase your value-add at work.