I’ve been a big fan of reading Felicia Sullivan for years now (and if you haven’t read her memoir yet, you really should). Anyway, one of my favorite parts of her blog is when she posts an outfit of the day. As I got closer to work I began enjoying it even more since I was looking for office-appropriate ideas on piecing an outfit together.

Another blogger who does something similar is Ali Martell. She lays hers out a little differently, posting once to show the last five days’ worth of work outfit. I’ve been thinking of doing the same thing, so I fully credit her with this. Also, we’ll see how long my attention span has me keeping this up!

Anyway, since I only started work on a Friday I obviously don’t have a lot to share. However, back in early July I had my in-person interview (previous interviews had understandably been over the phone since I was still in Montreal) and I wore this.

For my first day I went with a skirt that I love but had never worn before, a top that I borrowed from my sister (since she’s still on maternity leave and I have few summery office-appropriate clothing, I borrowed several tops and blouses from her until I can go buy some more of my own), and a pair of cool red shoes that I got secondhand for five bucks.

I loved the shoes but they ended up being wildly uncomfortable by the end of the day with my bare feet stuffed in there so I think from now on I’ll just wear them with socks and pants instead.

Technically I don’t need to dress up this much right now; although it’s a business casual office they do allow jeans in the summer as long as they’re nice. I liked my outfit though. They also allow you to wear jeans on Friday the rest of the year as long as you bring a donation in for charity, so I can still wear jeans later on anyway.

And here’s an example of why I probably won’t be updating the wardrobe shots on weekends unless I’m wearing something particularly awesome, because most weekend days (and as soon as I get home after work) I dress like this.

Oh, yoga pants, how I will miss you at the office.

If you want to know how my first day went, keep reading!

I was quite nervous on Friday morning when I woke up but I was frankly shocked that I had slept all night. I went to bed around 11 and didn’t wake up once until my alarm went off at 6:15. I fully expected to wake up every half hour or to pop up at 3 am and not be able to get back to sleep. At least I was well rested!

One thing that helped to ease my nerves was the fact that I knew I wasn’t alone. I had been hired with a group so I knew that other people were new too. It’s always hard to be the one lone new person on a job among people who have been there for awhile so this is preferable.

Upon arriving at work I found that we were being well cared for because they had laid out tables for each of us with binders, notepads, pens, highlighters, post-it notes, and name cards. We were also given coffee, water, juice, and tea although that part was only for our first day.

The entire day was basically an orientation. We learned about the company, who all the high-ups are, how things work, and we got a tour of the entire office. We also had photo ID badges taken, filled out a lot of forms and paperwork, and had a nice session with someone from human resources before being let out for the day.

Several things struck me in that first shift. Most notably was that everyone there looked happy. It wasn’t just the people who were dealing with us directly who appeared that way. I mean everyone. Every single person that we passed, no matter what they were doing, looked happy to be there. That’s huge to me. When the majority of a company’s employees actually enjoy being there, that’s a good sign of what kind of company you’re working for.

Another thing that stood out for me was “the wall”. In fact, there was more than one. On several walls around the office they have names and photos of people who have really excelled and risen above expectations. Our trainer was quick to point out that not all of the people up on the wall are those who have been there for years. Many of them had been hired within the past year so it’s possible to be excellent even if you’re still fairly new. I want my name and face up there. One of many goals.

Speaking of people being there for a long time, that’s a third thing that was a big deal to me. The people that we met directly had all been there for several years. Some had been there for MANY years. In general the job market is full of people who hop from one place to the next, so again I think it says a lot about this place that most of the people working there want to stay there. There’s also a lot of room for advancement and growth. This really isn’t a job it’s a career path and all I need to do is figure out where I want to go and they’ll help me get there.

The last thing that has stayed with me – and it’s something I want to remind myself of whenever I have a day where I doubt myself – was when the trainer talked to us about the hiring process. He said that in order to get to our group of five new hires, human resources had weeded their way through 200-300 resumes. They went from that many potential people to a group that includes me. We were referred to as being the “Best of the Best” and let me tell you, that does wonders for someone’s self-esteem and self-confidence, espeically when it’s someone like me who has been out of the work force for so many years. Hearing stats like that makes me realize that the bar has been set high, and I want to not only reach that bar but vault right over it.

I was exceptionally nervous before starting, but by the end of the day I was overjoyed to be working there. I think I found the perfect company. This is such an incredible opportunity that I can’t even put it into words.

(Note: I know that people might want to ask what I’m doing or where this amazing company is, but considering the number of people who lose their jobs from talking about them online – most infamously Heather Armstrong who was “dooced” – I can’t answer those questions. I’m sorry but I’m sure you understand. I kind of really love my life and have no intentions of doing anything to jeopardize the amazing things I have.)