Guide
First month in a new field: a practical checklist
The first month after an industry change is where old habits collide with new norms. Use this checklist as a starting point; adjust it with your manager.
Week 1. Write down who approves what: schedules, budgets, external emails, tool access. Ask your manager which meetings are mandatory and which are optional. Resist fixing processes you do not yet own.
Week 2. Shadow one colleague through a routine task in the new field. Note vocabulary you still translate from your previous industry, and ask for preferred terms.
Week 3. Deliver one small, visible piece of work your manager requested — a status note, a cleaned data sheet, a supplier call summary. Confirm the format before you invest hours.
Week 4. Hold a short checkpoint: what went better than expected, where you still guess, and one skill to prioritise in month two. If you are in First Ninety Days Orientation with us, this checkpoint is the second session’s spine.
Candidates who treat the opening month as observation plus small proofs settle faster than those who try to recreate their old authority on day three.