Starting a new job can be scary. When you have no solid foundation waiting for you, you’re going to be relying on others to help you fit in and feel included. Luckily, most workplaces encourage healthy work relationships.

If you’re working at a well-established place like Reynolds, the company probably invests heavily in helping employees get to know each other using team building and intramural leagues. If you’re working at a startup company with few resources for employee activities, there are many other ways to find peas in your workplace pod.

Generally, lunchtime is a great place to start interacting with other employees. Lunch is a relaxed atmosphere so it’s easier to feel welcome and see who has the same interests or sense of humor as you. Usually everyone is talking at lunch so it takes the pressure off to be a major contributor to the conversation.

Another easy way to make connections in the workplace is to observe how other people express themselves by accessorizing their workspaces. Start a conversation by acknowledging a coworker’s pictures, college banner, or tiny trinkets, and a friendship might blossom from there.

Reliability is essential in new friendships. It’s easy to make friends with people who went through orientation with you, but you probably won’t see them very often. Check the area around you to see who would be a good person to lean on. If you laugh at what they say and you see them frequently, you have found prime material for a work buddy.

The most important part of making friends at work is also the simplest: be yourself. If you are putting on a front it is usually obvious. If you don’t like football, lifting weights, or your coworker’s jokes, don’t pretend to. Make sure you are polite in your delivery and giving the respect you wish to receive, and you will establish yourself as someone others can relate to.

Good luck, and happy friend hunting!