5 Questions to Ask Your Boss on Your First Day

It’s a new day at work! It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious and not sure of yourself. You probably have a million and one questions to ask your immediate manager so you know exactly what is expected of you… and what you need to do as a newbie and as you progress.

Plus, asking questions helps you make a great first impression at work! So here we have five great questions to ask and to tell your boss you’re ready for action.

#1 What goals should I be setting for the first week… and the first month?
Ask your manager specifically what objectives you should set to offer the most value to the organisation and to know that you’re on the right track. Having these set clearly for you will help you understand if you’re learning and doing the right things to achieve your role’s targets. They can also act as markers for you to come back to and track your progress.

#2 What do you want me to work on right now?
Your team probably already has some urgent projects they are currently working on and being a newbie, you want to jump in and help out immediately. But without knowing for sure what you are supposed to do, where do you begin? Asking your manager this question will give you clear deliverables, who you need to work with, and what you need to do within your team to assist everyone. Plus, you won’t feel so lost when everyone is hustling about trying to get the project done!

#3 How often do you want me to check in? What’s your preferred method of communication?
Maybe your boss is open for you to check in whenever you want. Or maybe your boss prefers to have some clear indication weekly on how you’re doing. It’s probably best for you to find out this as soon as you can so you won’t be caught unprepared when your boss asks for an update. Plus, find out if the team directs all questions via email or schedules in short discussions with your boss to discuss things through so you can do the same. Better to know all these instead of making your own assumptions!

#4 What sort of skills do you expect for someone in my role?
Why should you ask this? Because it’s pretty hard to know what to do if you don’t know what’s expected of you. Getting clarity on what your boss expects of you in your role will help improve on your skills, know what to focus on for immediate efficiency, and hopefully, get the recognition when you’ve met all the checkmarks! It also gives you a good insight on what your boss values as good skills to have.

#5 What is the workflow or processes like?
If you don’t know how things work, how can you do them? Ask this question to get a clear picture of what your day-to-day will be like. With this question, you get clarity of your team’s overall organisation, how you’re expected to report in, and the things you need to do to be considered as following the processes. You don’t want to be the newbie who does things her own way!

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.