December 11, 2025

Congratulations on your first hire! The time between now and their first day of employment will be filled with anticipation, excitement, and paperwork. Here are key things to get done before their first day:

1. Send a written offer to the candidate so they can review and sign it. An offer letter typically includes information about the employee’s role, pay, benefits (if applicable), at-will status (if applicable), employment classification, start date, work location, and any contingencies that must be met before hire (such as a background check or drug screening).

2. Plan the employee’s first week. It will probably involve job training, compliance training (if applicable), and paperwork (more on that below).

3. If you haven’t done so already, order and configure equipment and tools the employee will need to do their job. These might include a computer, email address, system login credentials, phone, badge, and a key to access the worksite. If the employee is fully remote, coordinate shipping of necessary equipment and ensure receipt.

4. Call your new employee prior to their start date to welcome them, express how excited you are, confirm their start date and time, and share what they can expect on their first day. Follow up with an email outlining this information along with anything else they should know before starting.

5. Prepare onboarding paperwork. Gather necessary forms like the I-9, W-4, and applicable benefits enrollment materials so they’re ready to go on the employee’s first day. Keep in mind that soon-to-be-employees shouldn’t be required to spend time filling things out or reading employee handbooks before they start—that time would be compensable.

This Q&A does not constitute legal advice and does not address state or local law..