They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression but what happens when you’re already in the door on a new job and made a blunder right off the bat?

According to The New York Post’s “Go to Greg” column, Greg Giangrande advises, “empty suits and lazy people who don’t pull their weight” will naturally develop a poor reputation. But, what if you’re not one of those guys or gals and simply didn’t step up to the plate on one little task? After all, we all make mistakes, right?

The chief human resources officer at Dow Jones says in this case “the only thing you can do is demonstrate a new, proactive and productive work ethic that is equal to that of your peers.”

Considering you’re still new on the job, people’s thoughts of you haven’t been cemented just yet so there will be plenty of opportunities to redeem yourself with outstanding work to shed that initial impression. He adds in the piece, “Own and apologize for all of your mistakes, and chalk them up to a newbie’s anxiety — say that what they’ve seen is not the real you and tell them you’d like a fresh start.”

Buyer beware: If poor performance continues on project after project, there won’t be many opportunities to prove everyone wrong and offer up another excuse.