Starting a New Job: A Guide to Navigating Your First Days and Weeks at a New Workplace
Starting a new job soon? Get clear, practical advice to reduce anxiety, make a strong first impression, and settle into your first weeks with confidence.
Starting a new job can stir up a surprising mix of excitement and nerves. Whether you’re changing careers, stepping into your first ever office role, or starting out in tech or IT, that uneasy, “how do I fit in here?” feeling is incredibly common. Most professionals experience this, or even worse, imposter syndrome at some point in their career.
I’ve put this guide together because I speak so often to capable people who underestimate themselves in those early days of a new role. The good news is this anxiety is normal, temporary, and very manageable with the right approach.
Vague encouragement or platitudes won’t help much. Clear steps, practical reassurance, and an understanding of what really matters to your colleagues is what makes a real difference in your first weeks.
If you’re coming from a big shift, like those who’ve recently changed career, this article is designed to be a calm, steady hand through those first days (not another thing to overthink!).
Written by
With over 3 years working at Learning People supporting students in their career search, Flo is here to offer one-to-one personal guidance, which proactively supports you as you venture towards your new or expanded career.
What's on this page?
Jump to:
- Preparing Before Day One
- Your First Day at a New Job: What to Expect
- Starting a New Job Anxiety: How to Handle the Mental Side
- Your First Weeks: How to Build Trust and Early Wins
- A Starting a New Job Checklist
- How We Support You Beyond the Job Offer
- Final Thoughts: You’re Allowed to Be New
- Starting a New Job FAQs
Day Zero: Preparing Before Day One
When I speak to people ahead of their first day, most of the stress comes from trying to control everything. You don’t need to. A little focused preparation goes a long way.
- Read all on-boarding and "welcome" emails you've received. You'll likely get a few of these before your first day. Beyond including a nice welcome message, they'll likely include important information, such as:
- what time you should arrive on your first day and where you should go
- the structure of your first day, if there is an induction planned, and what onboarding you'll do and with whom
- a confirmation of who your line manager is
- Make sure you've read any policy documents you've been sent. Related to the above, you'll likely be sent plenty of company documents to sign as part of your new starter pre-onboarding. These will cover all company policies including things such as dress codes and company codes of conduct, which can be very useful to read before your first day.
- Run through your technical set up (as much as you can): If you receive a laptop or any devices before your first day with login instructions, you can start setting up your user profiles, accounts, and logins before your first day so you're ready to hit the ground running. For fully remote jobs, you'll likely be sent your equipment directly to your address, but for hybrid or in-office jobs, you'll likely be given them on the premises on your first day.
- Most importantly, prepare your mindset. Remember: you have been hired based on your training, skills, and how you presented yourself throughout the entire interview process. You have earned this opportunity and proven that it aligns with your skill sets. No more is expected of you than to go there and approach everything that's asked of you with effort and curiosity.
Fact: It's Normal to Feel Overwhelmed Early On
Around 65% of new starters report feeling stressed or overwhelmed during their early days in a new role, often due to information overload and unclear expectations.
Feeling overwhelmed early on is a common experience, not a sign you’re struggling.
Your First Day at a New Job: What to Expect
I’ll be honest, first days can be intense. Induction sessions, new systems, unfamiliar faces, and a steady stream of information can be overwhelming, whether you’re in an office or working remotely.
If you're finding it hard to take everything in on your very first day, don't worry. It's very normal for new starters of any seniority level to say, "I'll just need a bit of time to get my head around it all!".
If you’re office-based, your day may involve:
- introductions to people in your team and around the business
- health and safety briefings
- a tour of the premises
Fully remote roles bring their own version of this:
- several video calls to introduce you to team members and to run virtual onboarding sessions
- ensuring you're logged into the company messaging system, be it Teams, Slack, or something else, so you can start communicating (I remind people that most communication tools are less formal than email, but clarity and politeness still matter)
- additional technical setup needed to accommodate remote work
What’s important to remember is this: The goal on your first day isn’t to impress. It’s to listen, ask sensible questions, and get through the day with curiosity rather than pressure.
How to Manage Anxiety When Starting a New Job
Unfamiliarity, feelings of self-doubt, or even just not knowing what to expect can all be causes of anxiety for people starting new jobs, especially if it's in a new field.
I hear it often in conversation I have with Learning People students who have landed their dream job, and are now preparing for their first day. Thoughts like “what if everyone else knows more than me?” or “what if I don't fit in?” are especially common for career changers and people entering an office environment for the first time.
Although it's difficult, this is a normal response to unfamiliar territory. My best advice is to set the right mindset and then ask questions from the word go:
- Mindset: Your job in the early weeks isn’t to impress. It’s to learn. Confidence doesn’t arrive on day one. It builds through repetition, small wins, and real understanding.
- Action - Don't be afraid to ask questions: One of the most effective ways to steady yourself is to ask questions early and ask them clearly. This shows engagement, not weakness, and can help you build a closer relationship with your manager and team. Most managers would much rather explain something once than undo a misunderstanding later.
I know from my experience helping people settle into their new roles that people who don’t put too much pressure on themselves to be perfect from their first moment on the job, and ask a lot of questions early on, settle in faster and perform better in the long run.
Your First Weeks: How to Build Trust and Early Wins
In the first few weeks, I often see people put pressure on themselves to prove technical ability straight away. In my experience, what builds trust quickly is reliability.
Turning up when you say you will, following through on small tasks, and keeping others informed if something changes.
Communication plays a big role here. You don’t need to speak constantly, but it helps to be clear. If you’re unsure about something, ask early and with context. A simple “I want to check I’ve understood this correctly” goes a long way and never sounds awkward.
I also encourage people to pay attention to how the team works. Some teams are chatty, others more focused. Some prefer quick Slack messages, others longer updates. Understanding these dynamics helps you fit in without forcing it.
Early wins aren’t about brilliance. They’re about showing you’re engaged, dependable, and keen to learn. We see those qualities earn trust faster than any single technical achievement.
Fact: Australia Continues to Have a High Number of Job Vacancies
In August 2025, Australia recorded 327,200 job vacancies, according to official data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This level of demand shows that opportunities remain strong across the labour market, particularly for people entering new roles or changing careers, even as conditions continue to shift.
Starting-a-New-Job Checklist
I always recommend people keep their early goals visible and simple. This checklist is designed to give you structure without adding pressure. You can save it, print it, or just use it as a mental guide.
First day:
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Log in early or arrive with time to spare.
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Introduce yourself to as many people you will be working with as you can.
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Take notes in meetings and on-boarding sessions unless you're told otherwise and review them when you have time. Make time to review any onboarding slide decks that are sent to you following the sessions.
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Observe how people communicate on email, Teams, or Slack to get a feel of the company culture and how to speak with colleagues.
First week:
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Clarify priorities and expectations with your manager
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Ask questions as they come up rather than saving them all
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Create your own notes and setup your own to-do lists and basic project management boards (e.g. in a free tool like Trello) if you need this to stay organised and on track. These can be private, just for you to use.
First month:
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Request informal feedback from your manager as well as other relevant stakeholders/team members once you've been in the role around 4 weeks.
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Focus on learning core tasks well, not everything at once
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Reflect on what’s clicking and where you need support
How Learning People can Support You Beyond the Job Offer
One thing I always make clear is that support doesn’t stop once you’ve accepted a job. At Learning People, all our courses come with free access to Career Services which you can benefit from long after you've passed your exams, and even after you've landed your first job.
For example, you could contact your Career Services contact to discuss first-week worries, questions about workplace communication, or a knock in confidence when things feel unfamiliar. Having a Career Advisor as a neutral sounding board can make those moments far easier to navigate. We help you sense-check situations, think through conversations, and regain perspective.
This applies across tech, IT, cyber, data, and project roles. We’re here to support your transition into work, not just help you get there.
Final Thoughts: You’re Allowed to Be New
Starting somewhere new is a learning phase, not a performance review.
I remind people all the time that confidence grows through experience, consistency, and reliability, not perfection. Give yourself time to settle, ask questions, and find your rhythm. That’s how real progress happens.
If you've studied with Learning People and feel unsure as you approach your first day of a new role, you don’t have to work it out alone. Your dedicated Career Services Consultant will always happy to talk things through. To become a Learning People student and start your journey towards a new job and benefit from our Career Services, hit the button below to leave your details, and one of our Career Consultants will be in touch soon, typically within one working day.
