The Mistake Heard Round The World

As the days approaching my job, I was informed that the job consisted of a very, corporate minded environment. Suits. Ties. Polished shoes. Since working at the bank, everything was very business causal and so I didn't have that many suits (just the one acutally) and I had several ties, three of which were ugly ties left over from high school. So some new wardrobe choices were in order and it was the one thing I was worred about.

So call it an abscence of logic or just dumb reasoning, but I was told that Tuesday I had to swing by my new offices and fill out paperwork. I woke that morning, not conerned with what the day would bring, because to me it was a low impact day. Paperwork. My new boss was still on vacation and I would just be filling things out by meeting the office manager. So I just threw something on. Basically jeans and a t-shirt. Now grant it, Rick told me about wearing something else the night before and I shrugged it off as being a overly-cautious suggestion, one that I didn't heed and more than likely should have listened to initially.

I show up and everything is cool. Well except for the fact that no one knew who I was. My new boss wasn't around and informed only a few that I'd be showing up today to fill out paperwork. I was a mystery new-hire: in a t-shirt and jeans. So it was wierd to begin with as I found out later. After filling out the paperwork, I met with Hefty Smurf really quick, where I am then lambasted for my choice of dress and basically condemned for being completely stupid for doing so. I took the critque as severely dramatic and extremely hurtful. I rushed out of there as soon as I can.

As words are exchanged and reasoning explored, I clearly didn't know what I was doing in wearing what I wore, because my reasoning was simply -- it was just paperwork. It didn't end up that way. The malady turned ugly and Hefty Smurf's rep was in danger and possibly frowned upon, because it was at his behestment that I'd be interviewed for the position, because he was being a friend and a being who knows me, felt that I could do that job. His recommendation might now seemed ill-informed. People saw me. So not only was I there and was a new hire with no paperwork at all in the que, but I as dressed similarity to that of a student. Big mistake. Commenting to him was the first step, but it also got back to my new boss apparently, who approached Hefty Smurf on the subject of his new hire, mainly me. I don't really know what was exchanged, but the end result was that I was talked to about it by Hefty Smurf and that I would not do it again. Momentary insanity was more than likely the story. (who knows)

Now as guilty as I had already been feeling, I was hoping that it wasn't a big deal and that now that my training had started, we could all look in the other direction and move on. Nope.

I can't blame this on anyone or anything, but myself. My judgement of the situation wasn't the greatest no matter what I was doing. It seems it was about as damaging as wearing a suede Sean John sweatsuit to my first day of training. Even though I felt that I hadn't started working, it was no biggie, but as I was reminded a few times, first impressions mean everything and I fell flat on my face for my impression. In this type of environment, I had to fit the part. I didn't.

I thought I was going start with a bang, but it became a stutter. Hopefully, I can make up for it in being sucessful at my new job. If I don't I wouldn't be able to deal with letting people down who believe in me doing the right thing.