Whether you’re starting a new job or entering your first internship, your first 30 days are foundational. They’re like your first impression – the brand you build during this time will likely influence the rest of your experience at an organization. So, how do you navigate onboarding successfully and set up a solid foundation in your new role? 

Let’s get into it. 

Before You Begin 

Even before you arrive at the office (virtual or on-site), you have some work to do to ensure everything goes smoothly. If you’re in the office, we have a guide that you can check out that covers the dos and don’ts of working in an office.

Whether you’ll be working virtually or in person, it’s helpful to nail down your introduction before your start date. What you want to include depends on your company (are they more buttoned up? Or would they love to hear the heart-warming story of how you found your kitten in a flower pot?). You should be able to tell from the interviews, emails, and general interactions you have with a company what the vibes are.

For the most part, you’ll want to cover your job title and what you do, a little bit about your work or educational experience, where you’re from, and anything else relevant to your job that someone else should know. 

You’ll be saying this a lot, so make sure you have it nailed down beforehand so you don’t trip over your words when you say it. It’ll help you seem more confident and professional! 

Week 1

You’re new. You’re in the learning phase. As RTC member Niyati says, “It could be daunting to learn new things at first, however constantly reminding yourself that this is a part of the whole journey, and it is going to be difficult, and that’s okay is important.”

There are many processes and systems that differ between organizations, so make sure to take notes, especially on key tasks you’re assigned, and ask questions. Get familiar with company policies, benefits your company offers, and anything else your company shares with you. 

Speaking of questions, you can even ask about why they do things a certain way. This will help you understand how the company functions and might also help the company with its processes. 

Week one is also when you’ll want to start setting boundaries and learning what type of workplace you work in. These boundaries can vary from physical boundaries, if you’re working in person, to emotional boundaries, such as sharing personal experiences. It’s never too early to start setting boundaries and laying the groundwork for the work environment you desire and thrive in.

Some examples of boundaries you can set are:

• Setting do not disturb on Slack during hours you aren’t working
• Saying, “I’m going to keep that one private—hope that’s okay,” when asked a question
• Not working through lunch
• Don’t bring work out of your office (both virtually and in-person)

Week 2

By week two, you’ll have said your introduction around 300 times (that might be overkill, but it’ll feel like that). Now, it is time to start networking. This isn’t just within your team, though, but externally. Start talking to Valorie in marketing or Derrick in finance—networking is an important part of your work experience (and highly underrated) that will come in handy more than you know! 

Internal networking helps you build bridges to other parts of the organization, offering you a glimpse into the inner workings of your company. It helps break down silos and accelerate knowledge sharing. Plus, it’s helpful to understand how other departments in your organization work – being on an island isn’t going to help you in the long run. 

Another important thing you want to do during your second week at your new job is to define what success looks like in the role. You might not fully sort this out by the end of the second week, and that’s totally fine. It might take until the end of the month to truly understand every piece of your role. It could help to set up a 30/60/90 day plan. Work with your manager to flesh this out. 

Defining success can involve discussing goals (which might be something you put together further down the road than just in week two), what your manager expects from you, and how success will be measured, such as when you’re going to have meetings, what type of reviews the organization has, and other similar topics. 

Week 3

You’ve been at the company for two full weeks, and week 3 is the time to dig in. In weeks 1 and 2, you started to get to know people and the systems in your organization, but now is the time for you to fully understand them. Within your arena, learn the systems and people who use them. Identify pain points, discover why things work the way they do, and ask questions if you don’t understand.

By the end of week 3, you should have a solid understanding of how the organization works and where you fit into processes (and if you don’t – talk to your manager). Your manager also likely has scheduled a one-on-one with you, and if they haven’t, now is the time. As RTC member, Niyati says, “Something that helped me during my first 30 days was taking charge and scheduling recurring 1-1’s with my manager to build a good rapport.” 

Week 4

Week 4 should be about everything you started doing in previous weeks, but finish it off strong with a debrief with your manager. Have you been hitting their expectations? Where can you improve? What are your expectations for going into month two? 

Understanding expectations is extremely important, especially now that you’ve been at an organization for a month.

Folding it all together

Starting a new job (or internship!) can be scary and stressful, and there’s so much going on that it can be hard to remember what you need to do. However, using this as a basic framework will make your first month more manageable, confident, and aligned with long-term success.