Starting a new job is stressful stuff. You never know quite what it’s going to be until you’re there. The job description and the interview process only give you so much information. The rest won’t truly dawn on you until you’re there. How many active hours will your tasks take you to complete? What is your boss like? How do your coworkers respond to pressure? Where are the good lunch spots around there? What do they really mean when they say «fast-paced environment?» These are all essential questions that you won’t get answers to until you’re a week in at least. 

But at some jobs, they find even weirder ways to ease you in. Some jobs require something called a «trial shift,» where you test out doing your job before they actually agree to hire you. This can give you an even deeper picture of what’s going on in your prospective workplace.