Clothes, handbags and cream cheese.

Firstly I would like to thank everyone for all the messages you have sent me to wish me good luck in my new job which I started yesterday. I've been really touched by your kindness.

I have spent most of this week preparing for yesterday and there have been a lot of serious decisions to make.

Firstly the difficult decision of what to wear. When I attended my interview I had checked out what everyone was wearing so already knew that I didn't have to dress particularly formally, but then as its my first week I wanted to show that I had made an effort. It's a balancing act really, dressing to look the part but not looking like I'm over dressed. So after 2 days of trying on every item in my wardrobe (twice) I had whittled the outfits down to 4 possibilities. Another day of considering these 4 sets of clothes included trying them all on three more times and weighing up the pros and cons of the different looks. One outfit looked OK when I was standing up but kind of runkled around the midriff area when seated and one of the other outfits I decided was a bit too warm. I tried on the two finalists one last time and made my choice, opting for the outfit that to me said professional, hardworking and decisive.

So clothes decided, next up, and even more importantly was the accessories. I really love shoes and handbags and whilst I based my clothes choice on creating a professional look I think that your shoe choice can say more about your character. Choosing my accessories I wanted to show that I am friendly, approachable and maybe a little quirky. I opted for a lovely soft green handbag and cream shoes with little green knots on. Once again I tried on the clothes with the accessories and felt that I looked like someone who would put in a hard days work and in their spare time would have some interesting hobbies such as playing in a skiffle band or making papier mache sculptures and not at all like someone who actually sat at home sewing and playing Candy Crush.

Clothes decided, tick. Accessories sorted, tick. 

Next up the important issue of which mug to take to work. The mug you have on your desk also says a lot about you. There are those who have mugs with jokey sayings on eg,

 "You don't have to be mad to work here, but it helps" 

I rejected this option as not creating a good first impression. Some people have mugs with their names on, but I decided against this too, as I felt that it could make me look a bit territorial and not like a good team worker. Some mugs have cutsie puppies or kittens on, I rejected these as I felt they lacked a certain gravitas. I opted instead for a white mug with blue birds on which had the added benefit of toning with my new notebook and pen. Perfect.

Next decision was what to put in the mug and what to take for my lunch. I settled on a small jar of nice-ish instant coffee, the stuff with added ground coffee, and some decent teabags. I really like Earl Grey tea in the afternoon but decided against taking these as thought that they suggested that I was a bit hoity toity. I made sure that I didn't buy a seeded loaf to make my sandwich with. In my old job I could rely on my colleagues telling me if I had a stray poppy seed stuck between my teeth, but wasn't sure if my new colleagues could be relied on in this way. I'd obviously been avoiding garlic for a few days already and knew that taking egg sandwiches to work on my first day was a real no no.

Monday night I went to bed nice and early secure in the knowledge that I was as prepared as I could be, I might not be able to do the job yet but at least I felt that I would look the part. Bright and early Tuesday morning I took the dog for a walk and got ready for work in plenty of time, dressing in my meticulously planned outfit and making my innocuous cream cheese sandwich in plain bread. I then went to pack my handbag only to find my quirky, friendly looking bag was no where near big enough to contain my lunch, mug, jar of coffee, packet of teabags, notebook, wallet etc.

Panic set in and momentarily I froze before my mind went into overdrive. The way I saw it I had 4 options:

1. Shove overflow items in a plastic bag and go to work looking like a bag lady.
2. Change my outfit to match my larger bag and risk being late on my first day.
3. Phone in sick.
4. Take my largest bag which didn't match my outfit and made me look as if I was planning to move into the office, the bag being more like a weekend bag than a handbag.

I chose option 4.

Well long story short, I got to work only to find that, unlike my previous employer they provide coffee, tea and mugs for employees, the inconsiderate devils. My hours of planning and panic were all for nothing and they must have been wondering why I had turned up for work with luggage that didn't match my clothes. After all this my first day was fine, as far as these things go. A typical induction day getting acquainted with company values, reading procedures and policies and being introduced to people whose names and job roles I instantaneously forgot. But the people seem nice, my desk is in a good position and I have managed to get my IT system set up.

All in all a week that at times has had me wondering if occasionally I over think things, mulling over whether I place too much importance on appearance and pondering if maybe I should have planned even more thoroughly than I had. But I have survived the first day without embarrassing myself too badly, except for turning up for work with a suitcase of course. Now I just need to decide on an outfit today that says its my second day, so don't ask me any difficult questions, and shoes that suggest that yes of course I remember meeting you yesterday, altough I haven't a clue what you do or what you're called, but why not come along to my gig tonight, its a charity do in aid of supporting widowed elephants. I think I just may have the perfect outfit for this.