Finally! The day you have been looking forward to for the past days and weeks is approaching fast and at this point you’re probably so stressed out and nervous about starting your new job.
Your first day at the major fashion house that you’ve always wanted to work for, it’s like a dream come true, however this is real, you made it.
You were probably as excited (or even more) when you found out that you were selected to go for an interview. Obviously you did a brilliant job or you wouldn’t be here now.
The good thing is, if you have survived one or more rounds of nerve-racking interviews, you will unquestionably rock your first day at your dream job.
To make your life easier and take some weight – and stress – off your shoulders we listed 3 of our rules to survive your first day at work without a hitch.
Research, research and research!
You want to arrive at your first day with as much knowledge of the company as possible, so research a lot about the brand. One thing you do not want is someone asking you when the brand was founded, or who the main designer is and your face turned red because you don’t know the answer.
Go through the company website and uncover all the details you can, find out what their true brand values are and memorize the main events and dates of the brand.
If you’re super curious about who you will be working with, pick up your phone, go to LinkedIn and browse around to see who else works there.
Get into work-mode and buy yourself a new notebook, pen and bring your laptop along for your first day as well. It’s not uncommon that the person who previously had your position is still there for a week or two for the handover and usually you will have to share one computer.
Arrive on time
Plan your journey from home to work and detect anything that can go wrong – traffic, strikes, road works, etc. – and determine which is the best way to get to your first day at work. Take the safest option even if it takes a bit longer to get there, you do not want to be stuck in traffic, this will only increase your stress levels.
It’s common to get there 5 to 10 min early, don’t arrive 30 minutes too early, this will only annoy people and there might not even be someone to open the offices at that time. Grant yourself those 5 extra minutes to breath and fight off the stress.
 Fancy pants or business classy?
When working at a big fashion company, it’s normal to be worried what to wear. Especially if you have this visualization that people who work at a fashion brand wear heels and very eccentric outfits every day, but we can tell you that isn’t the fact, at all! Most people wear simple, yet fashionable and stylish outfits that are comfortable for sitting at a desk and move around.
We advise you wear a simple yet classy look, such as black pants worn with a white shirt and finish your look with a pair of loafers. Don’t be worried about wanting to prove something to your new colleagues by wearing luxury brands – there’s nothing wrong with a head to toe Zara look. It’s best to check up-front if there is a company dress code, if so dress accordingly.
You really have to be prepared for any scenario on your first day. Depending on when you join the company, it might be a very relaxed atmosphere as it might also be close to a major deadline and be very chaotic. It’s very possible to have a quite first day going over handovers, but we’ve seen girls start at major fashion houses where they had to help bring boxes up to the third floor. Needless to tell you don’t want to be wearing heels on a day like this.
To give you a little recap – wear looks that are comfortable yet classy and don’t be afraid to show your sense of style, but avoid anything too extravagant for Day 1. Nothing worse than being remembered as “the girl who wore a big pink skirt on her first day”.
Finally, we want to add that you should sure as hell just enjoy this day. It’s supposed to be your dream job, so try to ease up on it.  The reason you’re there is because you have a job to do, and you’re probably damn good at it! You might not feel that way the first weeks, which is normal because everything is new, but don’t be afraid to ask your new colleagues for help in the beginning.
Most certainly don’t beat yourself up if something didn’t go according to plan or if it did not go as you had expected – you can only be so prepared.
Words  Virginie Dardenne
