From punctuality to asking for a raise too soon — starting a new job is full of pitfalls. Here’s what research and experience say about thriving from day one.
Getting a job is the first step, keeping it and thriving in a role is another. With decades of experience in recruitment and consultancy we know exactly how to get a new role and stick the landing.
Before we get to day one, securing a new job is challenging enough. We’ve seen thousands of candidates come and go, whether we’re placing people in roles for clients or hiring for our teams. Here’s how to write the perfect CV.
You’ve got the job, signed the paperwork and you’re heading into the office ready to start a new job.
Day 1 – Why does punctuality matter?
You’re late, miss timing the traffic, or snoozing your alarm. There’s no real difference. Sure, a kindhearted manager might let it slide. But don’t fool yourself into believing it wasn’t noticed.
Our answer
Arrive early, give yourself time to breathe, grab a coffee, and prepare yourself for the day. Starting a new job is stressful enough without rushing up the stairs. If you’re joining a team, punctuality matters even more. According to research on ‘meeting lateness’, turning up late to meetings causes significantly more interruptions, side conversations, and reduced satisfaction with a team. (1)
Day 2 - Do email mistakes really make a difference?
You’ve finally got access to your company’s email account. There’s the usual stuff, reports, updates, and at the top of your inbox, a poll on lunchroom snacks. Reply all, that’s what you decide to click suggesting your favorite brownies.
Our answer
Emails represent vital communication for most businesses, so yes, it does matter. Take your time. It’s understandable that you want to hit the ground running, but rushing is an easy way to make yourself appear incompetent. Double check everything, then once more to be safe.
Day 3 - When is it acceptable to call a meeting?
Everyone knows your name now, even the CEO. Three days in and you’re desperate to make an impression. After a quick revision of your team's systems, you schedule a meeting to present your insights. It doesn’t take long to realize you’ve overstepped, calling a meeting about insights which hardly scratches the surface.
Our answer
Let meetings come to you. When you’re starting a new job, your first week will be littered with meetings, and you’ll always be given a chance to express your first impressions. Scheduling a meeting in your first week will only sow seeds of doubt in your colleagues’ heads and set off alarm bells in your managers.
Day 4 - When should I escalate my concerns?
On reflection, your insights are worthy of consideration. It’s a shame they were shot down so abruptly. Going over your manager's head, you type out an email to the CEO expressing your views and frustration. Just to hammer home your point you CC your manager for ‘vigilance’.
Our answer
Slowing down and keeping your cool are skills you should master when starting a new job. Cal Newport's work on slow productivity makes this case compellingly — taking your time isn't a sign of weakness or laziness but reflects seriousness and conscientiousness. The benefits compound: less stress, better decisions, and stronger awareness of the people and environment around you. (2)
Day 5 - Do dress codes really matter?
It’s Friday and you’re pleased to hang up your suit and slide on flipflops. Perhaps the outfit is a little too casual for casual Fridays. By midafternoon you receive an email from HR pointing you to the dress code and asking you to refresh your memory.
Our answer
Dress to impress. It’s a law as old as time and it is good advice to remember when starting a new job. And it’s backed up with data; ‘enclothed cognition’ is a phrase coined by a 2012 study by Adam and Galinsky. Their findings point to a connection between how we perceive clothes or uniforms and our emotional response. Essentially, if you or others perceive a suit to represent professionalism and success then wearing one will. (3)
Day 6 - What happens if I miss a deadline?
You’ve missed your first deadline; it’s not critical but on top of everything else, your boss rolls his eyes. How hard can it be to read the company policies and make a few notes. To make things a little worse than they are, you excuse yourself with your horoscope.
Our answer
Everyone around you has missed a deadline, but the people who flourish in a role are those who react best to missing one. Take ownership, unpack why you missed it and how you can avoid it in future – do that and starting a new job will be easy. It’s not a big deal, but your reaction is.
Day 7 - How do I give feedback?
You’re getting comfortable now, remembering who’s who and who does what. But you take this comfort too far and start offering colleagues' feedback on their work. No one asked you and when you walk back to your desk, they’re already typing out an email to HR.
Our answer
Don’t force your value. It’s one of the most common mistakes for new starters. Naturally you want to impress, but you should withhold your assessments of others until you have grasped the dynamics of the business and office. The data is quite strong on this too, with one study finding 76% of people reporting mood changes after receiving unsolicited feedback and 31% actively avoiding people who give it. There is a place and time for feedback, but forcing the issue may alienate you to your new colleagues. (4)
Day 8 – How to navigate office conflict?
Conflict arises naturally in a healthy workplace but on your eighth day you decide to hurry it along. The colleague sitting opposite you has a knack of drumming on their desk when they’re thinking, and you take it upon yourself to write another email, this one passive aggressively explaining why desk drumming is unnecessary.
Our answer
Communicate clearly. According to the workplace conflict researcher, Cy Wakeman, ego and poor communication often fuel workplace drama. Her data found that workplaces spend 2.5 hours per employee per day on conflicts. Learning how to communicate effectively and respectfully is an important skill for anyone starting a new job and priceless the further you progress in your career. (5)
Day 9 - Should you ever post about work frustrations online?
After a rough week and a half, your frustration has peaked, and you take to LinkedIn to air your grievances in an unsubtly veiled post. Although some of your network give you a thumbs up, most are cringing while they read it.
Our answer
No, nothing good can come from going public about internal conflicts. Unless you’re facing extreme ethical dilemmas, the best way to resolve internal conflict is directly and often face-to-face. Take the lessons you’ve learnt from day 4 and 8. Take a breath, consider how you are communicating and why. If you have valid grievances with company policy or culture, it’s much more effective to change that from within.
Day 10 - When should I ask for a raise?
Ask for a raise. It’s obvious to you, and you assume to those around you that you’re delivering value beyond your role and pay. That shouldn’t stand, and you schedule another meeting with your boss to ask for a raise. It’s the final straw.
Our answer
Asking for a raise is good but timing is important. There are particularly advantageous windows – after a lucrative quarter – and there are broken ones – like layoffs periods. But whatever window you pick, there are some general rules to help you get the best offer. Keep a ‘Brag Document’ listing your achievements, research the market, and start early. We’ve seen this a thousand times; people who prepare, work hard and communicate their desires early can build an easy case to get a raise. (6)
Let’s face it, anyone can lose a job in 10 days; the real trick is thriving from the start. At Amoria Bond we have decades of recruitment experience under our belts, allowing us to navigate through the challenges of hiring. Our recruitment consultants are not only experts in their sectors; they develop expertise in people and culture.
Not everyone is up for that challenge – balancing hard and soft skills to place the perfect candidate in a role. But we have a third expertise: finding people who can. Can you? Apply now
FAQs
How long does it take to make a good impression in a new job?
Research suggests first impressions form within the first seven to thirty days. The critical window is your first two weeks — how you communicate, present yourself, and handle early mistakes sets the tone for how colleagues and managers perceive you long-term.
What are the most common mistakes people make when starting a new job?
The most frequently cited mistakes include arriving late, offering unsolicited opinions before understanding team dynamics, missing early deadlines without taking ownership, and escalating issues prematurely. All of these signal poor self-awareness at a stage where observation and listening are more valuable than action.
When is the right time to ask for a raise in a new role?
Most career experts and HR research suggest waiting until after your first formal performance review, or after demonstrably contributing to a positive business outcome. Raising it in the first few months — before trust and track record are established — significantly reduces your chances of success and can create an unfavorable impression.
References
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Allen, Joseph & Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale & Rogelberg, Steven. (2018). Let's get this meeting started: Meeting lateness and actual meeting outcomes. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 39. 10.1002/job.2276.
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Newport, C. (2024). Slow productivity: The lost art of accomplishment without burnout. Portfolio/Penguin
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Adam, H., & Galinsky, A. D. (2012). Enclothed cognition. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(4), 918-925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.008
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Sheikh, S., Nausheen, F., Arvizo-Zavala, J., & Hassan, S. S. (2023). Impact of Unsolicited Negative Feedback in Academic Settings. Cureus, 15(8), e43640. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.43640
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Wakeman, C. (n.d.). The cost of drama. Reality-Based Leadership. https://realitybasedleadership.com/the-cost-of-drama/
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Russell, M. (2024, March 18). How to successfully negotiate a salary increase. Harvard Division of Continuing Education, Professional & Executive Development. https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-successfully-negotiate-a-salary-increase/