Career Jump Start: Part 12 – Your First 90 Days

 You  feel GREAT! At this point in your career jump start, you have made it through the gate-keepers, the recruiters, and impressed the hiring manager. You got a job offer, and saw it was the best move to make so you accepted the offer. It’s all in the rear-view mirror. Done and done…right? Well no. It may be a shocker to hear, but the most important of all the steps in your career jump start, is how you address your first 90 days on the new job. If you do not do well in the first 90 days, you may need to restart your job search again.   Consider that the important milestones on the new job are the first day, the first week, the first 90 days, and the first year. The emphasis I want to make here is on the first day, the first week, and the first 90 days. Why the first 90 days are important will be explained shortly. But first, let’s spend a little time discussing the first day, and first week.  The old adage goes “you never have a second chance to make your first impression”. Like other adages, this one has stuck around, because there is truth in it. The first day is your chance to make a great first impression to your new boss, your new management team, your department, business partners, and peers. I include impressions for your boss here as the last time you saw your new boss was in an interview situation – a rather artificial construct. The first day is different, because the hiring manager has not seen you in your new role, so I include your boss in the group that includes first impressions. Here is a quick list of suggestions to consider for your first day:

PLAN THE COMMUTE: Map out your commute. It is best to allow more than enough time to get to your new offices. Make it a big window. Remember that the last drive to the offices were probably in the middle of the day. You did not have to estimate for rush hour traffic. But starting with your first day at the office you will need to account for extra time if you hit rush hour traffic, or road work.

ATTIRE: Lay out your business attire the night before your first day in the office. This will be one less thing to think about your first day at the new offices.

LOOK PROFESSIONAL: It is better to be over-dressed than under dressed. Anticipate your boss’s business attire and match that. You will project a professional image that people will note – including your boss.

SMILE: Be friendly, but professional. A smile tells people you are friendly, condiment, ready for the challenge.

NOTES: Bring along a notebook, or a tablet to take notes. (Some organizations ban electronic tablets due to security concerns – check with your HR department to clear this.) You will be meeting new people and you might want to make notes. 

STAY LATE: Try to stay late. If you can stay as late as your boss stays in the office. You are communicating to your new boss you are in the thick of it – just like they are. Your boss, and your teammates will take notice of this. They will see you are committed, and not shy about putting in extra effort.  In summary, the first day is about being on-time, making great impressions, and projecting the right appearance and attitude. In contrast the first week is about digging into the work.   Here are some suggestions on how to use the first week to your best advantage; to communicate that your boss made the right decision in hiring you.

MAKING A LIST: The first week make a list of tasks to be done, and start with those that are most pressing, most important. Not those that are most pleasant or convenient. Your boss, and peers will recognize you are not afraid of digging in, and getting your hands dirty right away.

CHECK IN: Check briefly with your boss daily before you leave the office. This can be a short question like “is there anything you need from me by close of business?” or “is there anything you need to tell me before I call it a day?” Most likely a daily check in will not be needed, but best to check in daily in the first week. You do this check in to make sure your boss, and you are on the same page on how you approach your work.

NOTES: Take notes. A lot of notes. Even if there is an assigned scribe at meetings take your own personal notes. Capture names, areas of responsibility, and respective missions if possible. You are learning the playing field.

COMPLETED TASKS: Record work you have completed. Include dates of accomplishments. This list will be handy if your boss, or others do a follow up with you on outstanding assignments. Sometimes managers may ask you out of the blue “what are you working on?” or “what have you done so far?” Your list will keep completed work fresh in your mind.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS: In addition to digging into the work, start building relationships. Offer to have coffee with your stakeholders, business partners, or peers. Focus on listening. People can tell if you are really listening. This communicates that you care about them and their problems. People are drawn to those that listen to them.

COMMUNICATION GOING FORWARD: Starting the second week explain to your boss you have been checking in daily to make sure you are on the same page, and to it the ground running. As if they want you to continue checking in daily. Most likely they will not. But no two managers are exactly alike – so best to check in, and agree on a communication plan going forward.  The next big milestone toward success in your new job is the 90-day mark. Ninety days is an important milestone for a number of reasons. Foremost, most states require companies to contribute to unemployment insurance if an employee is terminated after 90 days – if terminated in under 90 days they do not. Making a determination on whether to keep an employee at the 90-day mark becomes a cost factor to many companies. Financially companies are better off to let a new employ go before 90 days, if things are not working out, or if the company has a change in direction.   Here is a list of suggestions for surviving past the first 90 days:  

START TIME: Start your day at the agreed upon time. If you can, stay late in the office – as late as your boss stays.

LOG: Keep a log of what tasks you are working on. This log is not something you need to use forever, but my suggestion is to keep one through the first 90 days. Include list of accomplishments with dates, meetings that you attended, and if there are disagreements, notes on who said what, and what your positon was. If there were open issues, how they got resolved. The key point here is to make an accounting of what you have been working on. If there are concerns about the progress you are making on the job, this log may help you in discussing how you have been applying yourself in the new job.

APPOINTMENTS: If you have a personal appointment make sure your boss is aware of it, and has OK’d it. Don’t rely on email, or instant message, get a minute of face tie to make sure your boss is aware of your absence. It is important that your boss will not be surprised by your absence.

MAKE EXTRA EFFORT VISIBLE: If you needed to take work home, or worked part of a weekend, mention this to your boss. You don’t need to grandstand, but your boss will not know you put the extra effort in unless you tell them. This can even be mentioned in a passing conversation.

CHECK POINT: If you do not have regular one on one meetings with your boss, set one about 45 days into your new job. Use this as a touch base to get feedback from your boss on how you are doing. If there are gaps, or concerns, this is where you can identify them, and you will have a few weeks to correct them, or at least make improvements before you hit the 90-day mark.

RECORD BLOCKS: If there have been obstacles that prevent you from completing your work, or push back due dates, make note of these. If you have the ability to reduce or remove these obstacles yourself, or through your team, do the follow through. If these can only be resolved with the help of your boss, explain the situation, and see if they want a meeting to discuss. But pull in your boss sparingly. If you can solve your own problems, it will bow well for you. You were hired to remove problems, not to create new ones. The big milestones in a new job are the first day, the first week, and the first ninety days. Suggestions for the first day, and week are to make a good impression, be in the office on time, project a professional persona, and start digging into the problems that are most pressing. During the first ninety days, be aware you are under close observation. Your peers, your new team, and most importantly your boss will be assessing your worth. They are looking to see if you will be an asset, or a liability. They are looking to see if you that you fit into the team. Most importantly they are looking to see you are working the job and reducing, or removing problems. A last word that if for whatever reason you do not survive the first 90 days – do not take it personally. It most likely is not an issue with you – but rather some issue within the team, the organization, or even some issue with your boss. You can only control what you can control, and you can’t please everyone. Personally, I stopped trying to do that a couple decades ago. Thank the boss for their time, and the opportunity, shake the dust off your shoes and walk on. But optimistically, by following the suggestions above, you will make it past the crucial 90-day threshold, then the first year, and will be planted in your new job for many years to come.  

Author: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC, CCC is a Career and Business Coach. For more information see AscendProCoach.com