Essentials for the first day at your new job...

Ok, so you've decided that you're not happy at your old job, you've looked around and found a totally kick-ass firm to work for, and it's your first day. now what?

• dress up. you should have a good idea what everyone dresses like from when you came for the interview. dress above this mark, you can always come down later. first impressions count.
• bring a pen and a notebook. The learning curve is gonna be steep, and a lot of knowledge is going to be dropped by you on your first few days, you'll need to write it down. Don't wait to raid the stationary cupbaord, bring your own.
• Forms filled out. There's a million pieces of paper to get started on their way through the system, bank account details, next of kin, super, disclaimers, medical declarations etc. Fill them out the night before and bring them with you. the sooner you hand them in, the sooner your pay will arrive...;-p
• ID. All that paperwork will probably need verification, so bring the requisite 100 points of ID, which is usually a drivers licence and passport or birth certificate.
• if you're starting in a position that requires security clearance, then you'll need 5- or 10 years worth of history, some places may require this before you start, some may let you provide it after you start, play it by ear.
• Don't bring lunch. Carrying food will slow you down, plus you don't know where to put it yet. just bring tucker money, it's a good excuse to go out to lunch with a colleague.
• Most importantly, get a good nights sleep the night before. You'll need it!

Ok, on day two you can start to enscounce yourself a bit...

• bring your lunch today, now that you know where the staff fridge is...;-p
• start setting up your environment, this includes your favorite utilities and programs.
  
• bring some music. you may be lucky enough that they have a shared music drive somewhere, othewise you'll have to provide for yourself. depending on the corporate environment you may need to keep it all on a portable HD for quick removal...
• bring in your personal coffee mug
  

What I haven't mentioned is day zero, before you start it's a good idea to come in, meet & greet (if you haven't already), but most importantly ask about your login profiles. If these can be kicked off before you start then you can be sure of doing something practical on your first day. otherwise you'll be twiddling your thumbs waiting for help desk to get back to you...