First Day On The Job: What Questions Do You Ask?

Whether you’ve just started a new job or are planning a move, the first day can feel daunting.

I remember on my first day I had a stack of questions I wanted to ask. Not all of them got answered on the first day (there was a lot to get through) but I’d prepared in advance for the known unknowns :wink:

So, it’s your first day/week on the job, what questions do you ask?

When starting new work, I usually have a bunch of technical questions. I am typically focused on the contents, and less on the people.

This time (I’m now 3 weeks on the job) I spend half of my first week talking about myself and asking about my coworkers (much easier to do this when work-from-home!). So far, it’s made a world of difference in helping me feel connected to my team.

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On my first day main questions are directed to the team lead and they often are not prepared, but a strategy that I like to use: if something suddenly comes to my mind I pick a team member to whom I have not talked yet and ask him/her :slight_smile: It helps me to get to know the team better and I get a better connection to them.

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Hey.

In an ideal environment, you wouldn’t need to ask any questions, because the onboarding process would give you all the answers.

As for me, I just ask the questions that pop up in my mind, usually random things that make me curious.

No one expects you to ask a list of questions in your first day.

Get to know the people, have a light conversation with them.

No hard and fast questions, but I always try to ask where do I find the answers, not just what the answer is.

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