With the “Great Reshuffle” comes the “Great Hiring” and you have now found yourself one of the many workers starting a new job in 2022.  Changing jobs has become the norm in modern society and the pandemic heightened those shifts. U.S. workers have an average tenure of about 4.1 years with a single employer. 65% of American workers are actively searching for a new full-time job right now. (1) 

Congratulations!  But now is not the time to rest on your laurels.  The first 90 days in a new role are crucial to setting yourself up for success, making strategic relationships, and contributing in a meaningful way to the company bottom line.  Well before you report in for your first meeting with your new supervisor, make a plan.  Even if you are not in a managerial or executive role, a 90 day plan should be created before you come on board and shared with the hiring manager during the interview process. Leadership consultant Michael Watkins, author of The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter states “By talking about how you would approach your first 90 days, you demonstrate agility and proactiveness.” (2)

During your first three months in a new role, don’t rely on others to define your path or progress.  Take charge of your own professional development.  Part of your plan should include an assessment of the strengths that you bring, as well as the gaps where you will have to grow.  You can then obtain additional resources and education in order to accomplish those aspects of the role. (3) 

Start an accomplishments journal NOW so you have tangible evidence to show what achieved in your first three months on the job and keep track so you have concrete evidence next time you are up for a promotion or just want to remind yourself of your progress.  Leadership and Career Coach Andrew Lacavita talks about this tool not only for promotion but also for succession planning. (4)

The most important thing you can do in your first 90 days at a new company is to build a strategic network.  According to Harvard Business Review the key is to reach out across business units.   “The people who are the most productive, innovative, and engaged in new roles—the “fast movers”—are those who establish extremely broad, mutually beneficial, uplifting connections from the start. Specifically, they surge rapidly into a broad network; generate pull; identify how they add value, where they fall short, and who can fill the gaps; create scale; and shape their networks for maximum thriving.” (5)

In a remote work environment, meeting co-workers and cross-functional team members can be difficult.  “When you are hired, you will most likely be given a list of initial people to meet with,” says Lisa Rangel, former recruiter and managing director of Chameleon Resumes . “Do LinkedIn and internet research to find other people to potentially meet with and ask in these initial meetings who on your list will be best to meet with first and get feedback.” Don’t wait for people to come to you. “Reach out to people at the company without a formal intro when possible.,” Rangel says. “Show initiative.” (6)

Do you work in sales?  Consider a reach out to accounts payable, legal, or operations. Get to know different aspects of your new company.  Even if it seems awkward and random to send an invite to someone you don’t know, most people will be happy to tell you about their job and department.  Notice common interests next time you are on that virtual “all-hands” call, maybe a favorite sports team, plants, or pets.

Lastly, remember to be thoughtful and kind to all of those who took time out of their busy day to show you the ropes and teach you new systems and processes, etc.  Get to know your co-workers and direct reports as people and don’t be afraid to show your excitement and enthusiasm for your new role! 

Footnotes:

(1)   21 Career Change Statistics [2022]: How Often Do People Change Jobs? – Zippia

(2)   30-60-90 Day Plan: Ultimate Guide Plus Template | The Muse

(3)  How to Rock Your First 90 Days on the Job - WorkMonger

(4)  Get Promoted at Work by Tracking this Information

(5)  How to Succeed Quickly in a New Role

(6)  How to succeed in your first 90 days of a new job when you start remote | The Enterprisers Project