Hello.

Hi there! I've started this blog as a way to catalog the adventures/misadventures of a web designer working through his first major professional project.

Tomorrow's entry will begin to get into the aspects of the design of the current website (both good and bad), but in this post I would like to focus on some good habits for beginning a job like this. I looked quickly on the web for examples of good practices for beginning new jobs, but for all the lists out there I would like to add a few things.

Acclimate to your work area

I am replacing a previous student employee who has moved on to bigger and better things. As excited as I am for him, I was more excited to see if there were any notes that he had left for me - Apologies for quick fixes used in the past, certain pages (or people!) that can be difficult to work with, and the like. I didn't have much luck, but once I was left to settle in to my desk, I checked the drawers for office supplies, references materials, flash drives, or other useful things that the previous employee thought worth keeping around. I made a note of the office supplies that were missing - it is very embarrassing to have to ask the secretary two hours into your job where to find a pen!

Along with this, find out details such as common acronyms/abbreviations are used around the office - It'll make you stick out less when explaining to others which area or project you're working on, help find your way around the office, help integrate yourself into the team, etc.

Make Friends with your Secretary

That said, getting to know your office's secretary will save you a lot of hassles later on, especially in the beginning days of work. You will see them often, and they will be life savers in a pinch when you need them. In the first days of work, answering questions for things such as where the restroom is located can be a daunting task; asking a coworker repeated questions over time may annoy them, and asking a manager or boss runs the risk of coming off as incompetent or like you're wasting their time. A good secretary will be happy to oblige, and will make sure you're one of the first to know when a certain boss's birthday is coming up so you can be ready with a card.

Check Everything

Try your password, try your chair, send yourself a test email, check all drawers and supplies to make sure that they are in working order. If they are noticed quickly they can be replaced without much hassle - noticed later on, and you may be the one blamed for why they were broken in the first place.


Get Familiar

Although similar to acclimating to your surroundings, this goes to the next step - Getting to know your coworkers. Make a point to meet and introduce yourself to everyone you know you will be working with, and say a friendly hello to everyone you get the chance to interact with: the chances are that if you've crossed paths with them once, you will probably do so again in the future. Take a quick tour around the area of your office - locate the break rooms, restrooms, and other places of interest. You don't want to work somewhere for two months before you realize they have a gym.

Stay on Task

A to-do list is a great way to keep oriented on the job at hand, especially in the midst of all the excitement that comes with being a new employee. A productive worker knows not only what he has accomplished, but also what remains to be done. While other new employees would be overwhelmed with the big picture of a project, you can calmly move from one task onto the next without losing your cool.


Get Connected!

This one may come off as either a surprise or a no-brainer.. start a blog. The purpose of writing down your progress with the job is two-fold: On one hand, it helps keep your thoughts organized. First, if an idea I tried did not work, I could go back to where I had written down other ideas I had been considering.

Second to that is my last remaining task on my to-do list for my first day on the job. I am realizing the truth in the quotation that "No man is an island." The classroom days of yore are over, and with them, the isolated and unrealistic projects. The business needs of one client to the next will vary, but chances are that someone has worked on a similar project before. Branching out to the internet and networking with other design professionals is a great way to get inspiration when there are no other directions to turn to. It also lets you network with future employers and coworkers.. after all, you never know who may read your blog someday. You're reading this, aren't you?