Starting off with a Good Impression
Good impression comic by Resourceful Manager - www.resourcefulmanager.com
Introductory 1:1s
You’ve met your team and they’ve taken you out for coffee or lunch on your first day. Now it’s time to get to know them 1-on-1. Send each of your team members a quick note:
Hi _____,
I wanted to set up some time on your calendar to get to know each other. I’d love to learn more about your work on the team and how my role relates to it. Please let me know what works best for you.
Thanks,
Your Name
Take the initiative to set up a 30-minute appointment on their calendar - do not expect or wait for them to set it up. If you do not have access to your teammate’s calendar, you can modify the last sentence to “Please let me know what time works best for you.” and once they respond with several options, confirm a time that works for you. And if it’s a smaller or friendlier office environment, you can stop by their office or desk to ask in person rather than through email.
Set up 1:1’s with your:
Teammates
Skip manager (manager’s manager)/higher leadership (director or VPs)
Other partners you will be working with (business, finance, members of other teams you will be collaborating with)
Anyone you come across at the company that you’d like to get to know better or think you can learn from
Your manager will usually set up a meeting with you on your first day and ask you to set up weekly or bi-weekly 1:1’s in their calendar. In the first meeting, you should ask for a list of people outside of your team that you should reach out to and establish who the 2’s and 3’s in the list above are.
First Things First
Spend your first week identifying and requesting permissions and access to team folders, databases, and (restricted) websites. Ask your teammates, boss, or other interns what email lists, Slack channels, weekly meetings, and team calendars you should add that might be fun/useful or involve your team/work. You do not want to be the intern whose manager or colleague discovers did not have access to the team’s calendar halfway through the internship.
