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Mastering the First 90 Days of a New Job

Congratulations! You're starting a new job. How you handle the first 90 days will set the tone of your tenure with your new company. Take advantage of these proven tips to help you make the most of your new opportunity:

  • Do your homework. Take the time to learn all you can about your new company before you start. Ask for information about its products and services and/or business strategies or go online and read up. Jot down key questions you want to get answered.
  • Start with a clean sheet. Think about previous jobs and experiences: what worked for you and what didn't, and why. Write down those personal characteristics that you'd like to improve and develop a strategy to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
  • Develop a reputation for honesty and integrity. It is a reputation you must earn over time.
  • Orient yourself. Set up meetings with the key people that you will interact with. Remember names. Find out what departments you will need to work with. Look for resources you need or that you can draw upon.
  • Send the right message. Dress appropriately so your clothes don’t attract more attention than your ideas. Conduct yourself professionally during work hours avoiding gossip, disrespectful jokes, or profanity.
  • Stay grounded. Learn about your new company's customer base. What attracts them? Why do they stay? Why do they leave? Become the voice of the customer and you’ll become an invaluable asset to the company.
  • Get cultured. One of the most important ingredients of success is navigating the corporate culture. Look for clues about how the company operates. What’s the popular means of communication? Face-to-face meetings? Memos? E-mail? Is it an open-door or are formal meeting environment? Who do you need to keep in the loop and when? How flexible are lunch hours and time off? The more you know about the unwritten rules, the more effective you will be.
  • Always arrive early to meetings.
  • Listen up. To work well with others means understanding their personalities and capabilities so show an interest in your co-workers. Treat everybody as equals with an air of cautious openness and don't be too quick to align yourself with certain individuals. Disgruntled employees in particular can try to win you over to their agenda.
  • Keep perspective. Look beyond the intoxication of newness for any warning signs that may indicate issues you’ll need to deal with down the road.
  •  Avoid politics. Keep your hands clean and your nose to the grindstone. Getting caught up in internal politics or turf battles is a no-win proposition. Avoid building your own personal power base or fiefdom.
  • Talk it up. Be ready to give a 30-second overview about your company to anyone that asks. The more you talk about corporate goals and objectives, the clearer they become in your mind, and the sooner you start living them.
  • Earn your stripes. Coming from the outside you will see lots of things that you will be tempted to change. You want to hit the ground running but come out too aggressively and you could be perceived as a threat to the status quo. Be patient and the opportunities to make improvements will come.
  • Share credit. One of the quickest ways to gain acceptance is to include other people in your initiatives. When it works, give them the credit. If it bombs, shoulder the responsibility. You will quickly engender a flood of support and good will.
  • Do your chores. One of the most effective ways to learn about an organization is to roll up your sleeves and do the menial tasks. How are the phones answered? How is printing done? The coffee? Showing a willingness to pitch in will quickly enhance your standing and provide you with a better sense of what it takes to get the job done.
  • Be tactful. Be supportive of other people’s ideas. Let go of your own preconceived notions and try to understand the concept in its original form or make a thoughtful enhancement.
  • Set the right precedents. Although you want to show you’re hard working, be careful about tackling too much or working long hours. If and when you attempt to scale back, it could be perceived as a waning of commitment or enthusiasm.
  • Keep balance. Don’t forget the other priorities in your life—your family, your health, your hobbies, your friends. Remember, you work to live. Not vice versa.

Personal Development