First impressions DO count

At times you may feel like it’s almost a full time job in itself trying to get your first opportunity in the workplace. As we have talked about previously, there are a lot of considerations to take on board when seeking opportunities. Have you fully considered all your skills and selling points? Have you researched the areas of work that you are interested in? Have you looked at all opportunity providers, large or small? Have you considered the hidden job market, and finally, are you doing yourself justice on your applications and CV’s?

Once you have secured yourself that internship or graduate role it is important to recognise that you are moving into a totally different environment that, for many of you, may well feel a bit alien. The workplace. It is important to ready yourself for this transition into the workplace, as first impressions really do count. How you present yourself, your manner, and interactions with your new colleagues, really will last. If you are going onto an internship or placement it is important to be aware of this as these interactions with your colleagues could well determine whether you receive a permanent offer of a full time role on completion of your studies. Lots of organisations are using their internship programmes as a way to identify talent early on and to start building a relationship with their future employees. This, for you, is a great opportunity to really show what you can do, and perhaps even secure a graduate role based on both your performance and the impression that you have made. Starting your final year with a job offer is a great position to be in.

Some of you will also be starting with a completely new employer. Again, your initial interactions with your new colleagues will create an impression, and you want to make sure it’s a good one as you embark on your career after your years of study at Imperial.

The Careers Service has compiled some key considerations to note before you start your new role to enable you to make that all important first impression.

1 Remember that you are no longer within your familiar environment, with well-known faces who you have got to know over the last 3 to 4 years. How you now need to communicate may well differ markedly to how you talk with fellow students and friends. This also is the case in your written interactions in the workplace. You should maintain a professional approach. Also don’t be too quick to disclose details about yourself that you may regret later. As a rule of thumb, if it feels wrong to say or write something, then generally it is! Learn to listen to your intuition. It is something you will rely on as you progress through your career.

2 Consider your social media presence. Some organisations may check out your Facebook profile. Those holiday photos that were taken last year might be best if they are not accessible to your employer. Ensure that you have your privacy settings set to the full. Some organisations even recommend that you have two Facebook pages, one for your personal life and another for your outward facing professional life. Also if you use Twitter remember that these 140 character statements are open to all to see. Take care with what you tweet! There have been a few cases recently of past tweets coming back to haunt people. LinkedIn is also something else to consider. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account you should consider one. This will not only give you a professional front of house image, but it’s also a great way to keep connected to all the professional contacts you will start to make.

3 People can start to form impressions straight away. Your body language and appearance is important. Dress appropriately for the organisation and when being introduced to your new colleagues offer a firm handshake and make eye contact. Have tidy, well groomed hair, nails etc. and be conservative with jewellery, make up, and so on. This sounds very obvious, but in the Careers Service we often hear feedback from employers about times when students have not quite made the transition from student life to working life successfully. Also show some of your personality and smile. By the end of the day you will be amazed at how tiring it is to permanently display a positive persona, but it will certainly help you integrate and build up a circle of friends and support at work.

4 Now you are in the workplace be careful to adhere to some basic professional business etiquette. Be alert and engaged, polite and courteous. Show consideration for others. During all your research before applying you will have gathered some idea about the organisations culture and values. Do not forget these on day one. Remember that you should show respect for all employees from the reception staff right up to the CEO. Most organisations now have a very strict code of conduct which includes aspects of mutual respect for all employees. This might be the first time that you have been in the situation of instructing someone or supervising another person. This should be done in a positive, supportive way, appreciating the individual’s skills and strengths.

5 Emails and phone calls can be the first indication to an employer of how you will fit into the organisation. When writing emails use professional language and certainly don’t be tempted to use shorthand text style language or add smiley faces to correspondence. Start emails with Dear and continue to do so until you have established a relationship with whoever you are writing to and they perhaps reply with “Hi”. Do not use work time or email for personal use and the same goes for having your Facebook page open at your desk. Over time, once you have gained a bit of confidence and awareness of the organisation, it may ok to use the internet over lunch for personal use, however do not assume this. Remember, if your intuition tells you this feels wrong, it probably is. Some other points to consider are using headphones to listen to music, eating at your desk, and trying to become too familiar with new colleagues. This will take time, so take your time. Get to know them, how they act and talk with each other and before long you will feel comfortable in your interactions with them. It pays to spend the first few weeks trying to listen and absorb as much as possible and this also means the culture of the work place.

These are just some of the aspects that you need to be aware of as you start work. You will undoubtedly come across more, however just as Imperial was a learning experience, so is the workplace. Employability skills are not something that you learn once and never improve on. You will be learning new things every day and these will make you into the experienced and desirable professional that you are striving to become.

For more information on some of these issues visit www.imperial.ac.uk/careers