Prolly some orientation of sources and basic intro intro into the standard operating procedure.
Only so much can be stuffed into the first day.
Perhaps I can answer this from a slightly different angle, as the employer (I'm a co-founder of a startup).
So, this is still a learning curve for us, as we've only really employed interns and not full time people.
So here's what we provide. NB - By this point almost all the HR/paperwork has been complete. The only outstanding documents are those that need to be handed to the new team member to have a copy of, and to also have a physically signed copy of the contract.
As Adam said. There's no real work done in the first day, just intros and settling in.
Some people here my disagree with not fully setting up the devs computer with exactly what they need, but I feel allowing them to choose the programs they prefer provide them with the opportunity to setup a new environment (which can be difficult if not done in a while, because we all just set it up then leave it and hope it continues to work). But I also feel it gives them an additional sense of appreciation as I care about what they want to use, instead of just telling them to use something they don't prefer.
On my first working day (ie. when all the paperwork is done, and I know a few faces I must know), I expect only a few things:
If any of those is not met on my first working day raises red flags. It shocked me hard when I realised most big companies fail to do them.
I think that covers it.
On my first day, I'd expect the following in no particular order:
In my experience, the first day is usually spent getting settled in with no real work getting done. I'd expect it to be a welcoming experience with people dropping by to say hello and a bit of breathing room to settle in before the grind kicks in a few days later.
cengkuru michael
Full Stack Web Developer
Prolly some orientation of sources and basic intro intro into the standard operating procedure.
Only so much can be stuffed into the first day.