A Project Manager's First Day

If you're a fresh faced PM girl or boy, you've just been born, so young you can still see the 'legs', here are the kind of things you can expect:

-You will feel like a tool - a spare tool to begin with. This is common in most new workplaces.
-Someone will be walking you round introducing you to key people in your area and perhaps in the wider business.
-That person will also be getting your vitals together - like your laptop, your mobile phone....e.g....and showing you where all the documentation is held.
-If you're a graduate, you may be assigned a mentor to begin with. This person will show you where to start, where to hang your bag, show you where to collect your milk at play time (joke)....and things like these.

It is daunting on the first day. You wont know what to do. You will want to ask questions - but you may not be sure of the right ones to ask. Here's a run down of a few you could shoot at your mentor or person showing you the ropes:

-What is the priority of the business?
-How many PMs are there?
-What projects are you currently working on?
-What projects are around the corner?
-What is the average lifetime of a project here?
-Is development encouraged?

Be open minded, have a sense of humour and listen. It helps to take a few notes also.