Feeling Out of Place at my new job

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I just got a new job as a web and graphic designer and work in an office with many people. The work itself is very comforting. I spend a lot of time thinking and keeping generally to myself. The work generally has strict deadlines and I make lists in order to organize the work I want to get done for a given day. I generally have a lot of time and leeway to decide how I want to structure things, which helps since I'm very particular about things like that. The office environment, however, is very scary, because it's very distracting with all the people talking to each other and the phones ringing and people interrupting me. Sometimes I have to leave and sit in the bathroom for a few minutes to calm down.

Occasionally, when the office assistant is away from the phone, I have to answer it and it scares me to death! I never know what to say, and after I get off, someone always comes over and corrects me about what I should have said and It makes me feel stupid. I also feel like I might be putting my coworkers off. I rarely ever talk to any of the other people in the office and I have a habit of working things out quietly,verbally to myself softly while I work(it helps me think even though I know some people may think it's weird). I feel like I should know what to do and know what to say and that everybody expects that and I just don't sometimes!

Does anyone have any advice about working in a busy office environment? It'd be greatly appreciated

I remember when I first started my job I had to answer the phone when the receptionist was on break.

They would tell you to say "Good Morning, Ryan Carlisle Thomas," when you answered it. I was ok for a while, though I wasn't very good at getting what are referred to as "specials" off the phone. they are those clients that call constantly, get abusive when they find out the lawyer is busy and they can't speak to them right that second. also they call three times a day and expect the situation with their case to have changed. legal cases take months to resolve.

anyway I did stuff up quite a bit, eg by putting calls through without letting the lawyer know who the person was, one time I didn't note a callers full name and had to call them back to ask for their surname.
The biggest stuffup was when I say the switchboard light up and I thought it was just one of the support people calling the board, I picked up and answered "hello". It was the Managing Partner ie the Big boss. I got told off for not answering properly. After that they said I would not have to relieve the receptionist anymore.

Whenever you answer the phone you must say " Good morning, (company name)". I learned that the hard way.

Thanks! I'm glad to know I'm not alone in this. I'll be sure to remember your tip.

When answering the phone, take the above respondents advice and answer "Company name, cmyoung speaking"

Also, have a telephone message pad in front of you. You can also print off your own if you need more space than the traditional message pads. Here is a common layout:

Name of person call is directed

Callers name and number

Date of call

Time of call

Brief message (optional)

The important bits are the name of the caller AND their phone number. People often hate having to dig up somebody's phone number. If the caller refuses to give it - just write down "refused to give number" The person returning the call can set them straight themselves.

When you are finished the dreaded reception duty - make sure you deliver all the messages to the respective people right away.

If someone is getting abusive on the phone, just say calmly and clearly, "I will forward your name and number to (name of person they are trying to speak to) and they will be happy to assist you." If they continue to be abusive, you say, "I'll forward your message, now I am hanging up. Goodbye" and hang up without further ado.

As for the noise of the office, see if there is a desk that faces a wall (or has it's back to the wall). See if you can place pictures or plants or ?? on your desk that will block some of the visual distractions. If you are bothered by constant interruptions - ask your co-workers to e-mail you with non-urgent stuff or leave a written note on a message board at your desk and explain that you just work better that way. Also, advise that you are always available for urgent or especially important verbal communication - but that you can concentrate on the work better with less interruption and help boost overall productivity.

BTW - if you get along good with your boss, let them in on your specific needs and relate them to how you can get the job done better without taking away from your co-workers needs. If the boss is backing you up - sometimes co-workers can be more okay with quirks and special needs.

I'm not sure if any of these ideas will work in your situation, but I thought I'd offer the suggestions regardless.

I hope things go well.

I really appreciate the tips, CanadianRose. There are some that I think may work for my situation. Thank you very much!

I worked in an office once at a technical type job and when they hired me they told me they were in between receptionists. What they really meant by that was "You also must do all the receptionist duties."

Now there is a particular reason I did not apply for the receptionist position, and that was, I am not a receptionist. And I am not a receptionist because...I am not good at receptioning, or, receptionism, if you wish.

So we became quite annoyed, the boss and I both, he that I was an incompetent receptionist (as I forgot to write down one person's last name ONCE) and I that he was an incompetent boss, which was the reason he was "in between" receptionists to begin with because he kept firing them.

And shortly there after he also found himself in between technical operators, and I'm sure he remained so for quite a while.