You have a start date. Half of your first day is settling in. The other half is protecting yourself, and that is the half nobody briefs you on. Here are both.
Settling in
Do show up a few minutes early and expect to spend the morning on forms, not real work. That is normal.
Do write down names. Your manager, the person who runs payroll, the person who fixes your laptop, and whoever you ate lunch with. By Wednesday you will have forgotten all four.
Do ask your manager what a good first month looks like. If they can answer in a sentence, they have thought about your job. If they can’t, that tells you something too.
Don’t try to prove yourself. Nobody expects output on day one. They expect you to listen, ask questions and find the bathroom.
Don’t say yes to everything. “Let me check and get back to you” is a complete answer on your first day.
Don’t run down your last employer, even if they earned it. The people listening will wonder what you will say about them.
Protecting yourself
Most of this half is one habit. Get it in writing, and keep the writing.
Do keep a copy of your offer letter and everything you sign today. The handbook, the acknowledgment forms, the benefits summary, the direct deposit form. Photograph them if you have to. If something was promised in the interview that is not in the offer letter, ask for it by email before the week is out.
Do get your pay and your classification in writing. Hourly or salaried, and whether the job pays overtime. A job title does not decide that under federal law; the actual duties do (U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet 17A).
If you expected to be an employee and the paperwork says contractor, ask why. Misclassified workers can lose minimum wage, overtime and the other protections employees get (U.S. Department of Labor). In California, employers must hand most new hires a written notice with the pay rate, the overtime rate and the regular payday (California Labor Code 2810.5). Anywhere else, ask for the same thing.
Do bring your own ID documents, and know that you choose which ones. You fill in Section 1 of Form I-9 no later than your first day and show your documents within three business days. The employer cannot tell you which documents to use (USCIS, Form I-9 instructions).
Do ask the exact date your health coverage starts. Once you are eligible, a group health plan cannot make you wait more than 90 days (29 CFR 2590.715-2708). If you are coming off a layoff, that date decides whether COBRA or a Marketplace plan is worth paying for in between. Our coverage deadline calculator does the math.
Don’t sign a non-compete, an arbitration agreement or an invention assignment because the stack is sitting in front of you. Ask to take it home and read it tonight. A reasonable employer says yes.
Don’t assume you can’t talk about pay. Federal labor law protects most workers’ right to discuss wages with coworkers, and a policy that bans it is unlawful (National Labor Relations Board).
Don’t assume finishing probation protects your job. In every state except Montana, employment is at-will by default. You can be let go at any time for any legal reason, probation or not (National Conference of State Legislatures). Keep the handbook anyway. Written promises in it can matter later.
Before you leave, check that you have four things:
- your offer letter
- a copy of everything you signed
- your pay rate and classification in writing
- the date your health coverage starts
If one is missing, the email asking for it is tomorrow’s first task.