How to ask questions on the job during your first 90 days

- I once had an employee where when I would teach her something new or explain a concept, her response was often, oh, I was wondering about that. And my reply to her was always, well then don't hesitate to ask about it. And when I would correct things she did, her first response was, I didn't know I was supposed to do it that way, almost offensively. And know that it's okay to not know things, but it's not okay to passively wait for all of the information to be delivered to you. Instead, ask questions along the way. There are going to be opportunities to ask questions both one-on-one with coworkers and in groups. Let's first focus on which questions to ask one-on-one. If you need to ask a colleague or your manager questions, don't hesitate to get on their calendar. I see too many new hires send emails that go unanswered and save all of their questions until it's a meeting someone else set, instead of taking the initiative. If you are one-on-one with your manager or a coworker, here are the kinds of things you should ask about. Where can you find additional information about things so you can further your learning independently. Terminology and acronyms that you're unfamiliar with. Coworkers often forget to explain the internal jargon. When something doesn't quite make sense to you, or is different than what was done at your previous companies, you may be onto something. In general, say, could you tell me more about, to show curiosity and dive deeper into the business. What if you're in a meeting with multiple people? If you are being brought in to a project as a key stakeholder, be sure to ask lots of questions to get clear on the scope of the project, what the team has already done and the key roles and responsibilities. If you were brought into the meeting to shadow, observe, or listen to a report out of something, then read the room. It may not be the moment for you to interject with questions. There is a risk though, of being too quiet. One of my early corporate jobs, I was brought into team meetings and I didn't know what the heck the directors and managers were talking about. Therefore, I didn't contribute anything to the meeting. My manager eventually asked me the question after one of the meetings, do you even want to be here? I was taken aback by that question and asked what she meant. She said, you always appear so bored in the meetings. You just sit there without saying anything. She advised that I take notes in the meeting and then ask her questions about anything I needed clarification on after the meeting. This was a great approach because not only did I look more engaged, but I also was learning more because I was making a point to ask my manager questions. So ask questions early and often. Questions are not a sign of weakness and aren't annoying to your colleagues. They actually help you so much and truly make you appear more focused and passionate about the new role.