Your first week in a job: the things nobody briefs you onStarting Work · 4 minute readThe induction covers the kitchen and the clocking-in machine. It does not cover the unwritten rules that decide whether you settle in.Nobody explains the parts of a new job that actually decide how it goes. Here they are, in the order they matter.Read the contract before you sign itIt sets out your hours, your pay, your holiday, your notice period and whether you are on a probation period. Ask for it in writing before your first day. An employer who will not put terms in writing is telling you something about how they operate.Ask questions early, on purposeIn your first two weeks, asking is expected. By the second month it reads as not paying attention. So spend your first fortnight asking everything, and write the answers down.What you are entitled to

At least the minimum wage for your age. It goes up on your birthday, not at the end of the tax year.

A payslip showing your pay and every deduction.

Breaks, and a maximum working week.

Paid holiday, which starts building from your first day.

Why the first month decides the next yearTurn up on time, do what you said you would do, and say something early when it is going wrong. That combination gets people promoted far more reliably than talent on its own.Keep your contract and every payslip somewhere you control. Not in a work email account you lose access to the day you leave.More free articles about money, work and business are at The Next Generation Blog.

Let's Play Business — LPB Deepcar Learning Centre, Deepcar, Sheffield. Contact: anna@letsplaybusiness.co.uk