Week 1 Checklist: how to look competent in your first 7 days

Your first week is not about “proving you’re smart.”

It’s about eliminating uncertainty.

Because in corporate life, most confusion isn’t about effort — it’s about expectations:

• Who decides?
• What does “done” mean?
• What’s the deadline really?
• What happens if it slips?
• Where are the landmines?

Scene

I remember walking into my first job at a tech firm with brand-new shoes that looked great and felt… less great.

They were a tiny bit too tight — which meant every step felt like a reminder that I was new.

I was excited, but also hyper-aware of every signal: how people greeted each other, how they asked questions, what “normal” looked like.

That’s the emotional texture of Week 1.

You’re learning the job and the hidden rules at the same time.

Promise

This is the Week 1 checklist I’d use if I started a new job Monday:

• a day-by-day plan
• scripts you can copy/paste
• one small win that makes you look reliable fast

What prompted this

Week 1 anxiety is basically a universal experience, and the internet debates it like it’s a personality flaw: “am I supposed to be proactive?” vs “am I annoying?” vs “why is onboarding just vibes?” The most helpful framing I’ve seen is: start by getting oriented, then get aligned, then ship one small thing (see: https://www.askamanager.org/2012/08/how-to-start-your-new-job-properly.html and the classic “new job anxiety” thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/p0dzq5/is_it_normal_to_be_hit_by_crippling_anxiety_when/).

The Week 1 mindset

Three principles:

1. Be useful quickly. Not heroic. Useful.
2. Ask good questions early. Confusion compounds.
3. Write things down. Your brain is not a CRM.

You don’t need to be perfect. You need to be clear.

Day 0 (the night before): set yourself up to win

If you have 30 minutes before Day 1, do this.

• Confirm start time, location, and any setup instructions.
• Set up a note called “Week 1 — Onboarding” with sections: People, Glossary, Links, Questions, Wins.

Basic preparation.

Day 1: reset your defaults

Day 1 is about signal, not output.

Checklist

• Show up early (even on Zoom). Punctuality is an easy signal.
• Ask for the basics:
  • org chart
  • team goals
  • glossary / acronyms list (or start one)
  • links: docs, dashboards, ticketing system, repos
• Confirm logistics:
  • how your manager prefers updates (Slack vs email)
  • when your 1:1 will be
  • what “urgent” looks like on this team
• Write down your manager’s top 3 priorities.

Scripts (copy/paste)

Ask for the basics

“To make sure I ramp fast, what are the top 3 things you recommend I read first? And is there an org chart / team doc you can point me to?”

Ask about communication norms

“Quick style question: do you prefer updates in Slack, email, or in the project doc? And how often is ‘normal’ here?”

Deliverable for Day 1

• Create a personal glossary doc.
• Send one short “thanks + recap” message to your manager if you got key info.

You’re setting your baseline.

Day 2: map the people (relationships are leverage)

Most new hires underestimate how much work is really “who knows what.”

Checklist

• Ask your manager:
  • “Who should I meet with to understand how this actually works?”
• Schedule 3–5 short intro meetings (15–25 minutes).
• In every intro, ask the same three questions:
  1. What are your team’s goals right now?
  2. What does a great partner look like?
  3. What’s the fastest way I can accidentally make your life harder?

Intro meeting script

“I’m new on the team and doing quick intros. I’d love to learn what you’re working on, how my role intersects, and what ‘good collaboration’ looks like from your perspective.”

Notes template

For each person, capture:

• Their role + what they own
• What they care about (metrics, deadlines, customers)
• Their preferences (Slack vs email, async vs meetings)
• One thing you can do that helps them

This becomes your map.

Day 3: define “good” (clarify quality)

One of the best career hacks is boring: calibrate expectations early.

Checklist

• Pick the main project or responsibility you were given.
• Write a one-page “definition of done.”
• Confirm:
  • the audience
  • the deadline
  • the format (doc, slides, code, ticket)
  • the quality bar (rough draft vs final)
  • who approves

Definition-of-done template

# Definition of Done — [Project]

## Outcome
What problem are we solving, and for whom?

## Scope (in / out)
In:
Out:

## Deliverable
Format:
Where it lives:

## Quality bar
What does "great" look like?
What does "good enough" look like?

## Stakeholders
Decider:
Approvers:
Informed:

## Timeline
Milestone 1:
Milestone 2:
Final:

## Risks
-

Script to confirm expectations

“I drafted a quick definition of done so I don’t miss the target. Can I send it for a fast thumbs-up?”

You will look extremely organized.

Day 4: pick a small win (visibility + low risk)

You want one thing you can ship in Week 1. Not a moonshot.

A good small win is:

• visible to your manager or team
• low risk (won’t break production)
• clearly useful (removes friction)
• finishable in 1–2 days

Examples:

• Fix a small bug.
• Improve a template.
• Document a confusing process.
• Close a straightforward ticket.
• Clean up a report/dashboard.

Checklist

• Choose the win.
• Confirm it’s the right win.
• Communicate the plan and ETA.

Script

“For Week 1, I’m going to ship ___. It’s small but useful, and I can finish by ___. If there’s a better ‘first win’ you’d prefer, tell me and I’ll adjust.”

This shows initiative and alignment.

Day 5: lock in your weekly rhythm

Week 1 is not complete until you have a cadence.

The goal is to avoid the “I’m busy but nobody knows what I’m doing” trap.

Checklist

• Schedule a recurring 1:1 with your manager.
• Create a simple weekly status update format.
• Identify your recurring meetings and what each one is “for.”
• Set up your personal system:
  • a running work log
  • a parking-lot question list
  • a place for meeting notes

Friday wrap-up (10 minutes)

Write down:

• What I learned
• What’s still unclear
• What I shipped
• What I’m shipping next week
• Biggest risk

Then send a short note to your manager.

Friday note template

“Week 1 recap:

• Wins: ___
• What I learned: ___
• Open questions: ___
• Next week: ___
• Any early feedback for me: anything you want me to do differently?”

That last line is gold.

The Week 1 “do not do this” list

These mistakes are common:

• Don’t pretend you understand when you don’t.
• Don’t wait a week to ask how priorities work.
• Don’t schedule 60-minute intro meetings (keep them short).
• Don’t complain about processes before you understand why they exist.
• Don’t try to solve everything in Week 1.

Be curious. Be useful. Be steady.

A quick note for both sides of the table:

• Early-career: your goal is not “impress everyone.” Your goal is “make it easy for people to work with me.”
• Manager: if you tell a new hire (1) the top 3 priorities, (2) how you want updates, and (3) who they should meet first, you’ll prevent a month of guesswork.

Edge cases

• Remote roles: over-communicate your availability and default to written updates. Nobody can see you “working.”
• Highly regulated roles (finance, healthcare, etc.): prioritize learning the compliance rules early. Accidental mistakes have bigger blast radius.

Next step

Pick one item from Day 1 and do it today: create your “Week 1 — Onboarding” note with the People/Glossary/Questions sections.

If you want a simple alignment doc to pair with this checklist, use the 30/60/90 plan template.