The impression you make in the first few weeks of a job can set the scene for a more fruitful experience, writes Jim Bright.

Paul writes: "Shortly, I will be beginning a new role with another company at a higher level than my present role, which I have been in for the past eight years. Are there particular things to look for when beginning with a new employer during orientation and initiation to show some initiative and create a good impression?"

First impressions count. People are best at remembering what came first and last. In job interviews, if a positive impression is made at the beginning, it biases the interviewers to spend the rest of the time trying to confirm their positive view. Paul has made a positive first impression, because he has been offered the job.

He comes highly recommended, not only by his referees and track record but also by the people from his new employer who decided to take him on. So Paul is spot-on in wanting to leverage this position to ensure he consolidates positive thoughts among his colleagues and bosses.

The most obvious thing is to be unfailingly pleasant to all the people you meet. Work is a political place, so it is reasonable to expect that if any interpersonal rivalries are going on, one side or the other may try to turn you to their view of their rival. Don't buy into office politics or gossip.

The advantage of being new is that you can easily fob off any attempts to get you to agree with a particular point of view, with a non-committal answer such as, "I've only been here a short while, so I haven't had a chance to really ..." and so on.

Don't overlook the trivial. This may seem insane but you can blot your copybook forever if you unwittingly use Doreen's coffee mug or Derek's organic, low-fat, oven-fired soy milk. Try to observe before acting wherever you can and take the lead of others in the initial weeks so as not to upset the fragile eco-culture of the office.

Taking initiative, as Paul suggests, is a slightly trickier proposition. It depends critically on what initiative you are thinking of taking and the degree to which it is going to "upset the apple cart".

If Paul has been given the task of coming in and shaking things up, then getting going early might be a good idea, but if that is not his mission, he may want to be a little more cautious with the new ideas. He has a lot of goodwill as the new person but he does not yet have any trust and he has a low familiarity quotient.

These will count against any radical initiatives. Taking initiative to impress is really trying to demonstrate one's engagement and enthusiasm. Another, less risky and more reassuring way to do this is to ask a lot of questions.

The best ones to ask are prefaced with a "how?" not a "why?". Asking, "Why do you still use typewriters?" could be construed as challenging or disrespectful, whereas, "How do the typewriters fit into the overall work flow?" conveys less of a value judgment.

Asking questions instead of expressing opinions will reduce the risk of offending or making naive suggestions and increases the chances of being seen as motivated to understand and master the role you are moving into.
In the first few weeks in the new role, be diplomatic, be seen, ask questions, turn up to things, offer to help.

Do things for yourself (get your own coffee), or ask others for help so that you can do things for yourself. These suggestions work well whether you are new or well established.

Jim Bright is professor of career education and development at ACU and a partner at Bright and Associates, a career management consultancy. Email marked clearly "FOR PUBLICATION" to brightside@jimbright.com