Putting My Best Foot Forward

Do you guys remember last week when I shared my Interview Prep Tips?

Oops - the secret’s out - I wrote that as I was also prepping for an interview that would propel me into my next career move. Tricky me.

I’m happy to announce that I accepted an offer last week for a shiny new job and have thrown myself head-first into learning everything there is to know. I know that it takes time, but I'm putting in 100%. On top of learning about work duties and job requirements, I've found out a lot about myself in regards to what my reality looks like when it comes to putting my best foot forward around others.

I thought I’d share a few things with you that I've been increasingly aware of in the past week with all efforts focused toward making a great first impression:

1. Putting together a great “I didn't even try that hard” outfit

Put a strong focus on the little details of your personal style and you will hit a home run every time. I've been planning my outfits in advance per my Eight Great Goals – so thankfully I've been able to even get down to the dirty detail of purse coordination – since let’s face it, who wants to unpack and re-pack all those pockets? I will be meeting new people every day it seems and therefore will need to keep up appearances around the roost with clothing, hair and accessories. Plus the maiden voyage of these.

2. What I consume at my desk

I do care what people think about what I’m bringing back to my desk for lunch or how many cups of coffee I drink. I used to brew coffee at my own desk 1, 2, 3 times a day! The coffee pot is going to stay in storage for a few more months weeks until I feel like I won’t be labeled as the 'pumpkin-spice-brew-a-day girl'. Bringing in my own breakfast, lunch and snacks will be less of a challenge – but still won’t have a fruit bowl or a granola bar drawer for a while.

3. Being a Burden

Being the new person makes me want to jump in and learn everything that there is to know about the team – but I also realize that the training process can be extremely stressful and time consuming for others who are teaching me and could normally do the tasks with their eyes closed. Everyone has been incredibly helpful and patient – I just want to make sure I tread lightly while also soaking up as much as I can… stat!

4. The Workout Lunch

I have become used to running during my lunch break and I’m sad to put that on hold for a bit. It’s been a wonderful way to break up the work day for me, but I don’t want to take long workout lunches until I see some of my teammates begin to do the same. It takes 90 minutes away from my desk to run my 6 mile route and get cleaned up afterward and I’m not yet ready to step away from my desk for that long while I’m already way behind on productivity in comparison to the rest of my teammates.

5. Note Taking

I am a note taker. In two weeks I’m going to look back and evaluate my notes from this past week and think “why did I need to write that down, that’s so obvious to me now” or “oh no – I know we talked about this, but I didn’t have any context at the time. What did this mean!?!?” It’s better to be safe than sorry and I’d rather get hand cramps than miss an important note that could cost me some headaches or embarrassment down the road.

Thank you everyone for the well wishes as I start this new adventure!

<3 JE