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First week at a new job: checklist

Split by when it helps: the things that must be done before you arrive, the questions worth asking while asking is still free, and the admin that quietly rots.

34 items

Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.

The items

  1. Before day one
  2. Confirm start time, address and who to ask for
  3. Send bank details and tax forms back to HR
  4. Ask whether a laptop is provided or you bring one
  5. Check the dress code by asking, not by guessing
  6. Work out the commute at the actual hour you will do it
  7. Photo ID, if the building needs it
  8. Day one
  9. Arrive ten minutes early, not thirty
  10. Building access, badge and desk
  11. Laptop, accounts, password manager, two-factor
  12. Get added to the channels and the calendars
  13. Write down every name and what they doYou will not remember. Everyone assumes you will, and nobody does.
  14. Find the kitchen, the toilets and the quiet room
  15. Questions worth asking early
  16. Who do I ask when I am stuck?
  17. What does good look like at three months?
  18. What is the team's biggest problem right now?
  19. Which meetings actually matter?
  20. How does work get agreed — a ticket, a message, a conversation?
  21. What is the one thing new people always get wrong?
  22. Week one
  23. Coffee with each person on the team, one at a time
  24. Read the last three months of team notes or decisions
  25. Ship something small, however small
  26. Set up your calendar the way you want to work
  27. Book a check-in with your manager for the end of week two
  28. The admin that rots
  29. Pension enrolment or opt-out
  30. Health cover and any benefits with a sign-up windowMost have a deadline measured in weeks, then wait a year.
  31. Expenses process, and the card if there is one
  32. Holiday allowance and how to book it
  33. Emergency contact on file
  34. Update your address with payroll if you moved

Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.

Questions people ask

What should I do before my first day?
Confirm the start time and the address, send your bank and tax details if HR asked for them, and find out whether a laptop is waiting or you bring your own.
What should I ask in the first week?
Who to go to when you are stuck, what good looks like in three months, and how the team actually decides things. All three get harder to ask after week two.