7 Ways to Ensure Success in the First 90 Days of Your New Job

Awesome! You got the job and you’re more than ready to get going. It’s something to really look forward to and a new opportunity to excel.

There’s nothing better than that new job to spark visions of being rewarded and recognized the way you think you should. It’s a small “reset” button on your career. You are surrounded by fresh faces who have yet to understand your personal brand. You can build your reputation from the ground up.

Yet, for all the great potential of a new job, a lot of it is about the “integration period” in the first 90 days. They really set the tone for years to come. It’s the first impression you make on others at work and, if you give it some planning and thought, it can set you up for ongoing career success.

Here is your checklist:

1. Define your job. Trust me, you only think you know what your role entails. Until you’re there, getting the full download, you really don’t know. Meet with your new boss and all other key players to get their detailed input on what they expect from you.
2. Ask for performance expectations. Too many people go into a job and fail to match pace with the rest of the office. Begin the performance discussion with your team early and continue it on an ongoing basis.
3. Be ready to learn. Even if you are an industry expert, you have a lot to learn about all the other moving pieces in an organization -- including company culture! If you don’t “read the system” early, you will be out of sync with the group. That can set you back a long way.
4. Learn the entire business. It’s surprising how much better you will work when you have a full understanding of the departments and teams outside of your own. This info helps you get a grasp on your role within the system and understand the responsibilities of your peers. Once you get the bigger picture, your ability to add value increases dramatically.
5. Plan for an early win. This might not happen in the first month, but plan to find a significant and untouched problem to solve. Make sure it’s relevant to your boss and visible to the team. 6. Delivering a long-awaited solution in your first 90 days will help cement your place as a rockstar.
6. Learn the people. You not only want an understanding of each person’s job, you want to know what makes them tick as people and professionals. If you don’t normally do this, try to make a change with this job. Career success heavily depends on how well you form relationships with your peers, and less so (whether right or wrong) on your technical prowess.
7. Reinforce your personal brand. If you aren’t clear on the personal brand you want to project, figure it out ASAP. Once you do, find ways to reinforce and reflect it in your conversations and actions. This is how the team should come to know you.

Make a lasting impression in your first 90 days. You’ll thank yourself later.