Onboarding is not the finish line—passing probation is. The first 90 days determine whether you can stay and whether you stay well.
The Three Stages of the First 90 Days
Days 1-30: Observation Period
Goal: Figure out the situation; don't rush to show off.
- Figure out who the key people are (decision-makers, influencers, executors)
- Figure out the team's way of working and unwritten rules
- Have one in-depth conversation with your direct leader: what the expectations are, how success is measured
- Listen more, speak less; ask more, judge less
Days 31-60: Contribution Period
Goal: Produce your first visible result.
- Choose a small project that can produce results quickly
- Proactively report progress (don't wait for your leader to ask)
Days 61-90: Integration Period
Goal: Go from "newcomer" to "one of us."
- Establish a stable work rhythm
- Start building cross-department relationships
Legal Red Lines During Probation (Protect Yourself)
- Probation salary ≥ 80% of post-probation salary; the same employer can only set probation once; social insurance must be paid during probation
- If arbitrarily dismissed: demand a written reason + assessment basis, negotiate compensation, then go to arbitration
- See the complete red-line table at
references/probation-survival.md
Probation Confirmation Alignment (Proactively Do This on Day 60)
Schedule alignment with your leader 2-4 weeks in advance: prepare 3 pieces of evidence of results → confirm the probation confirmation criteria → if there are gaps, ask for an improvement plan on the spot.
See the complete process and probation defense structure at references/probation-survival.md。
Downstream Collaboration
| Trigger Condition | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Encountered a setback and need to review it | taxue-career-fail |
| Probation is almost over and you need to summarize | taxue-state |
| Need to improve a specific ability | taxue-learn |
DO NOT
- Create a new skill from scratch →
skill-creator - Haven't gotten the Offer yet →
taxue-career-offerortaxue-career-direction - Pre-onboarding preparation (not an adaptation issue) →
taxue-career-interview
Language
- If the user uses Chinese, reply in Chinese; if they use English, reply in English
- Chinese replies follow the "Chinese Copywriting Typography Guide"
taxue-career-onboard v2.6