Getting a job is one of the greatest feelings in the world. After so much time looking, applying, interviewing, the job search process can get a little stressful, and when the call comes in that you’ve been accepted into a position, it’s exciting and relieving to know the search is over and a new journey is about to begin.

People spend a lot of time preparing for their first day of work. Pick the perfect outfit, bring all the right materials, maybe even go on a little shopping spree to celebrate. Additionally, meeting people on their first days, especially your new boss, can be equally exciting and stressful when it comes to trying to make a good first impression. However, no matter how much you prepare for your first day or meeting your new boss, things can still go wrong…terribly wrong.

Luckily, Whisper Confessions give us a little insight. So, if you’ve had a terrible first day or made an ass of yourself in front of your new boss, take a look at what these 21 people went through when it came to first impressions at work. You may find that your bad day pales in comparison.

21. Late For a Very Important Date

When meeting a new manager, it’s always best to plan ahead, but if the busses have other plans, there isn’t very much you can do about it. We’ve all had little things that made us late for work. A traffic debacle here; a spilled coffee there. However, when it comes to meeting your new manager, that first impression of being ten minutes late (even if you’re usually very responsibly) is a hard one to make up for. Your new manager won’t really care if you’re a victim of circumstance or not. He or she will just see you as that person who was late on his/her first day.

20. Hop, Skip, and a Trip

“Hi…I’m the new guy who has fallen victim to gravity.” Maybe it was his new shoes, or perhaps he was just so nervous, he forgot to compensate for the topography of the floor. Either way, this is definitely something that leads to embarrassment on your first day. As a first impression, this leads people to recognize you as “the guy who fell down.” Example:

“You know Jerry, right?”

“Which one is that?”

“The dude who fell down in front of everyone in the break room.”

It takes a while to get over that kind of embarrassing branding, but it’s not a total loss… at least Jerry has a job.

19. Nervous Rambling in front of the boss

When meeting a new boss, it’s definitely normal to get a case of nerves. Some people experience butterflies in their stomachs. Others get the jitters. Some completely shut down. Some people bring that to a whole new level when they end up stuttering and stumbling over their words. The worst part about this phenomenon is the fact that we recognize when we are stumbling and that makes us stumble even more. This can send most people into a downward spiral and total communication breakdown. Hopefully, this guy made a comeback the next day when he was a little more comfortable with the new boss.

18. Pregnancy Pangs

“Hello, new boss…excuse my bucket.” When it comes to morning sickness, it’s best to always be prepared. Even if that means carrying around a bucket to catch anything the baby throws back at you. When you’re meeting a new boss, that can require a little bit of explanation, of course. While most people (even bosses) are understanding of the side effects of pregnancy, carrying around a bucket can often be a very memorable first impression. “There she was, carrying a bucket. A constant reminder that at any moment, we might see, and smell, what she had for breakfast.” Luckily, morning sickness ends.

17. How Else Would He Know It’s Your Birthday?

It’s good to be crowned the king. But when your work friends throw you a birthday celebration, and you put on your Burger King crown that identifies you as the birthday boy, it’s probably for the best to take it off before you’re introduced to your new boss. No, the crown doesn’t make people associate you with the king of the office. It can actually look a little unprofessional. However, it is a great way to see if your new boss has a sense of humour…you might want to give that new boss of yours the crown, even if it isn’t her birthday.

16. Feeling A Little Sluggish

Getting excited about your first day is very common, and everyone can relate to being so excited about your new job that you just can’t sleep the night before. Of course, this can often lead to bags under your eyes, and people associating you with a raccoon. Try doing breathing exercises, and avoiding caffeine the day before your first day at the new place. Otherwise, people might just end up calling you “the tired girl/guy” for the rest of your employment there. Additionally, a good night’s sleep will help you focus as you train and set everything up on your first day.

15. A Fight With the Vacuum Cleaner?

I hope the dress code allows you to wear turtlenecks. Yikes! Sometimes, we have significant others that like to mark their territory, but the night before your first day of work? Not such a hot idea. It’s hard to explain yourself on the first day of work when you show up with a nice vampire welt on your neck. People don’t know you or your personality, and (unfortunately) it can lead to some pretty harsh judgements about your character. But let’s face it, nothing say “I’m not super professional” like a big honkin’ hickey on your neck on your first day.

14. Bad Memories From An Old Job

We leave jobs that are bad. More and more, people hear about how bosses tear them down. Those who are lucky enough to get out of terrible employment situations can often bring the bad memories with them. The case of this guy who continuously apologized for everything and anything he did (right or wrong) at work, led to a show of a lack of confidence. IF you were ever in a situation where a boss tore you to shreds, it’s common to lose confidence and self-esteem in every situation, even if you aren’t messing up. It’s time to get your confidence back! You just got a new job!

13. Pesky Medical Conditions

It’s not embarrassing to have a medical condition. There isn’t much you can really do about it. However, when that medical condition causes you to have a seizure on your first day of work, it could leave a different kind of first impression. You probably aren’t going to be known as “seizure girl,” but it will make people aware of your condition, and it could actually work to your benefit, if people understand how to respond to an episode if it happens at another inopportune time. So, having a seizure at work on your first day isn’t ideal, by any means, but it definitely isn’t something you probably could control or prevent.

12. Just Start Breaking Things

Whoops! Everyone has had an encounter with dropping something, accidentally kicking something over, spilling things (on them or on the ground), and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s all about how you bounce back from these situations that can help make or break a first impression. In the case of this guy who almost destroyed a table, at least it was an ALMOST rather than a “yeah, I definitely destroyed that table…there’s no coming back from here. I might as well destroy this lamp as well.” It’s rare that you’ll ever be known as “the guy who almost broke something.”

11. Running Away After the First Day of Training

Real bad, dude. Real bad. Okay, we all know that the first day of work is all about getting to know the ins and outs of the company you’re working for, and sometimes, the ins and outs of the company you’re working for are…less than interesting. Most of the time, they can be a real snooze fest. You know, when you are in your first 90 days probationary period, it’s also the company’s 90-day probationary period for you to decide if you want to work there or not. If you want to keep the job and give a good first impression, running for the hills during training isn’t such a great idea.

10. Daddy to the Rescue

We’ve all been there. Anxiety is no joke. However, when an employer expects to see you on your first day, and instead sees an older gentlemen who has some similar facial features as you (A.K.A. your dad), it could lead to a very awkward first impression. When you can’t even show up to work on your first day because of the debilitating anxiety that you have, you may have to rethink your choice in profession. This anxiety can only grow and fester as you think about walking in on your second day after the first impression you just made when you weren’t even there to impress.

9. New Employee Made A “Major” Mistake

Some first impressions aren’t necessarily the fault of the person who actually makes them. We saw this with the trip and fall, the vomit bucket, and the seizure, but when the first impression comes from the fact that you weren’t given certain information, it can lead to a high-stress situation. I mean, if you knew it was your job to roll the silverware, you would have done it, right? Hell yeah! You would have rolled the hell out of that silverware. Don’t let little things like this stress you out and lead to tears. Don’t cry over unrolled silverware, just make sure you do it next time, before it leads to angry bosses on Mother’s Day.

8. Employer Lied About the Job When they Hired You

First impressions work both ways. When you show up thinking you’re meant to do one job, and your new employer tells you it’s another, your first impression of them is probably going to be negative. I mean, they lied to you before you even started working for them. They wasted your valuable time…you could have been looking for the job you actually wanted instead of preparing to start the job you thought you were going to have. So, yeah, it’s definitely time to walk away. No second chances to make a first impression here.

7. Holding Your Own When Everything Falls Apart

One thing about making a first impression with your boss is to make sure that you can hold your own, even in the most stressful of situations. At a new job, anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and sometimes it will all go wrong on your first day. Calling the boss every 15 minutes with a new problem with the systems or machinery that you use can often lead to a bad first impression, even if it isn’t necessarily your fault. In the end, it’s always best to contact management when you aren’t sure exactly what to do.

6. Didn’t Even Make It on The First Day

As stated before, anxiety is no joke. Depression is just as bad. Starting a new job in the midst of a bout of depression can be tough, because it can lead to something this bad. Not showing up for your first day on a job is a terrible first impression, and (just like with anxiety) it can lead to an even deeper depression when you think about the fact that you’re going to eventually have to face the music with your new employer. Whether or not you plan on working there after missing your first day, it’s essential that you contact the new employer with information one way or the other.

5. Fired Before They Even Showed Up For Work

When you don’t even have a chance to make a first impression, it can be a little disheartening. You were all ready to get working at your new job, and suddenly, they didn’t want you anymore, and they told you via message rather than calling you (as a professional place actually would). Don’t overthink it. Companies often do this, and do you really want to work for a company as wishy-washy as this? At least this guy didn’t drive in and work his first day, then hear that he wasn’t what they were looking for. It would have been nice to have that job, but there are plenty of other ones out there. Just maintain that excitement with the next one you’re offered.

4. Ride Sharing Gone Wrong

Whether or not being late is your fault, you’re still the one who is late. Employers know this, and excuses aren’t necessarily the best way to go about things. I wonder if she showed up on time for her first day. Nothing is more frustrating than planning out your first day of work perfectly, and having it all fall apart because one person you relied on didn’t come through.

Anyways, being late on your first day, as always, never makes for a good first impression. It’s unprofessional, and can often lead to employers thinking you’re unreliable…even if it’s your ride that was the unreliable one.

3. Secret’s Out About Your True Colours

It’s usually good practice to focus on work while you’re at work, but when new coworkers want to know different details about your personal life, it can be difficult to keep your secrets to yourself. If you don’t want your coworkers to know everything there is to know about you, don’t talk about it. If you are all about bonding with coworkers and sharing your life, it might be best to give out the details of your personal life in small increments over time. However, this isn’t always easy. Sometimes people grill you on what you do in your free time, and they want to know all of the juicy tidbits right away. For this girl, she let the cat out of the bag pretty quickly.

2. Terribly sick at work

Spoiler Alert! Not all vomit is caused by morning sickness, and even if you never get sick, sickness can come around when you least expect it. Sometimes, the employment gods like to torture us just a little, and sometimes that happens to be on your first day. “Eh… my stomach is just a little upset today. I’ll be fine.” Suddenly, the flu takes over and your first day of work is spent releasing all of your breakfast and lunch in the bathroom stall. This is a rough first impression, because many around you might assume that you get nervous, and you can’t handle your own, even if it’s just a stomach bug.

1. Being Asked Out By Creepy Coworker

While it’s never the best idea ever to date the people you work with, if you choose to go for the gold, you might want to exercise a little restraint. Asking someone out on your first day of work can often lead to that person having a bad first impression of you. One of the reasons office relationships happen is because people spend so much time together, and they start to understand each other while they learn more about each other. That’s not so easy to do on your first day, and it’s kind of a turnoff for your coworker.