Part 13 of 15 in How to Find a Job: Stop queuing on portals. Show an employer the value you can add.← Part 12Part 14 →
This chapter provides guidance on how to handle the period between receiving a job offer and the first ninety days of employment. It is particularly useful for those starting their first job in India and dealing with family expectations.
- Read the appointment letter carefully to understand terms like bonds, probation, and salary details.
- Communicate clearly with family about job offers and career plans to manage expectations.
- Involve family in your job search strategy to reduce pressure for well-known brands.
- During the first ninety days, focus on learning and contributing to the workplace.
- Document your work and communicate regularly with your manager to stand out.
Getting the offer is not the end of the search. Indian first jobs are lost in the gap between the offer and the ninetieth day, and in the living room where the offer is judged against a cousin. This chapter is about both rooms.
Read the paper
Before you resign from anything, or announce anything, read the appointment letter. Look for the bond and its cost, the probation and the notice during probation, who owns work you create, whether Saturdays are included, how variable pay is calculated, and whether the stipend and the salary are different numbers. Ask the unclear line in writing. A spoken “don’t worry” is not a term. If the letter and the conversation disagree, the letter will win later.
The family conversation
Parents are not the enemy of this method. They are often the people who will fund the next six months, and they are carrying a picture of safety built in a different market. Show them the page, not a speech. Show them the twenty-company list. Show them the floor you calculated. Distinguish a government exam, which can be a parallel project with a known calendar, from a job search that consists of waiting. A parent who sees a system is less likely to demand a brand they have heard of. A parent who sees only anxiety will reach for the brand, because the brand is the only unit they were given.
If the family business is the unspoken plan, say so out loud. Working in it can be an excellent first proof, if the role is real and the owner will let you own a result. It is a poor plan if you are there as an extra pair of hands with no artefact at the end. Negotiate the artefact. “I will run the Sunday close for three months and write the process” is a job. “Help out” is not.
The first ninety days
You were hired to make a week lighter. Act like it.
- Learn the names and the real process before you propose a change. Karthik’s jig worked because the supervisor had already accepted him in the room.
- Write things down. A short Friday note to your manager, three lines on what moved and what is stuck, will set you apart in most Indian offices, where updates are oral and then disputed.
- Ask for a standard. “What does good look like on this by next Friday?” is the most useful sentence in month one.
- Do not vanish into exam preparation in the hours they are paying for. If an exam is real, do it in your time, and do not make your colleagues cover a secret.
- Keep the website, and add the new proof when you are allowed to. The page is how the next job will be easier. The first job is not a marriage.
If the place is abusive, illegal, or a permanent unpaid trial, leave on the terms of the letter, and take the proof with you. Endurance is not the same as judgment. Bolles’s deeper point still holds: you are the manager of your working life. A bad room does not get to be the only room, once you know how to build another door.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check in my appointment letter before accepting a job offer?
Check for bond terms, probation period, notice requirements, work ownership, salary details, and any unclear terms.
How can I manage family expectations about my job?
Show them your job search strategy, including company lists and salary expectations, to help them understand your decisions.
What should I focus on during the first ninety days of a new job?
Learn the workplace processes, contribute effectively, document your work, and maintain regular communication with your manager.
How do I handle a job that becomes unbearable?
If the job is abusive or illegal, leave according to the terms of the appointment letter and take your work proof with you.