Starting a new job is both exciting and nerve-racking. On the one hand, your future is wide open and filled with new opportunities, while, on the other, you’re in unfamiliar territory fraught with unprecedented dangers. That’s why it’s crucial for you to set your emotions aside and focus on how to make a good impression on your first day. For better or for worse, how your colleagues and supervisors perceive you on your first day can have a lasting impact on the rest of your career within the company.

Follow these six tips to make a good impression on your first day and keep your professional reputation intact.

Come in early

Your new employer should have indicated when your training begins. If you don’t have this information, make sure you call ahead to find out, and try to come into the office about 15 to 30 minutes early, which should give you plenty of extra time to deal with traffic jams and other unforeseen complications. You can’t afford to be late if you’re going to make a good impression on your first day. Keep in mind, however, that your supervisor is not likely to be ready until the scheduled time, so you may have to wait at reception.

Overdress

Try to remember what employees wore when you went in for your job interview, then dress just a bit more conservatively -- and we do mean a bit. Though you should avoid denim as a general rule if you’re trying to make a good impression on your first day, don’t show up in a three-piece suit if the average worker had on jeans and a T-shirt. If the case is as casual as this example, dress pants and a well-ironed shirt ought to be enough to make a good impression on your first day. If you can’t recollect your new office’s dress code, err on the side of caution and go with the classic suit and tie.