On day one you will be given a username, a password and very little explanation. Knowing what to expect means you spend that day learning the job instead of feeling lost.
You will be asked to set your own password. Four ordinary words joined together, like tableriverorangeclock, is stronger than something like P@ssw0rd1 and much easier to remember.
Never share it, not even with a colleague you like and trust. If anything is done from your login, the record says it was you. This is the single most important rule of a work computer.
A colleague asks to borrow your login because theirs is not working.
What happens: Everything they do is recorded as you. If something goes wrong, you cannot prove it was not you, and in most workplaces sharing a login is itself a disciplinary matter.
What happens: You have still helped them, and you have not put your job on the record for someone else's actions.
How do I ask for help without looking stupid?
Say what you tried. "I am trying to save this to the shared folder and I cannot find it. I looked in Documents. Where should I be looking?" That is a question from someone who is thinking, and people answer it happily. Asking the same question three times without trying anything is what wears patience thin.
Everyone types so fast and I feel slow
They have had years, you have had days. Speed comes on its own with use. What managers actually notice in a first week is whether you are careful, whether you ask sensibly, and whether you come back the next day having remembered yesterday's answer.
Before you move on
- Choose a passphrase of four ordinary words
- Never share your login, with anyone
- When asking for help, say what you already tried
Check what you know
3 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
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