How to make the most of your first 100 days in a new job…

Congratulations you have a new job… now what?

The first 100 days (which is often your probation period) decide whether you’re a successful hire. So, how can you make the most of the first 100 days in a new job?

Changing jobs and/or changing position provides you with a great opportunity. However, it also means that you are on show and that others will be judging your performance. You will also need to be getting to know the people you work with, the company and what they are “about”.

Prepare

If you are not an internal hire and are changing companies you will be the “new” person (sometimes for the majority of those 100 days).  You will have a lot of learning to do about your new company. You will have prepared for your interview but your preparation should not stop there, it is in your best interest to do whatever preparation you can before you even get there. Do your due diligence on your new company.

Once you start, prepare for doing your day-to-day job by attending all your training and being proactive about getting to grips with the system and learning how to do things. Write notes and put together a list of who can help you with each different situation – this way, you’ll know who to contact, should you meet any issues in your transition.

Ask Questions

Ask questions and keep asking questions. This will help you learn about the business, about how to do things, about what is expected of you. As mentioned above keep track of who the go-to people are on various programmes and topics internally. Find a sensible/workable way to keep track of all of this information and start with a good way to organise it – right from the word go to save time in the long run.

Don’t be afraid of asking questions, no matter when they arise. I tend to find that you won’t know you don’t know some thing until you need it.

Expectations

The job role will have been discussed at interview, but it is likely that the company will have various expectations of you now that you have joined. Take the time to inform yourself about your future tasks and responsibilities, and be sure that the expectations for your performance are clear on both sides.

Once you get a bit more settled you should take the opportunity to have further conversations/set objectives to help you plan how you are going to move forward.

All expectations (on both sides) should be realistic. If they are not realistic be sure that you manage expectations properly from the outset.

Build Relationships

When you are new you need to start over with meeting people and getting to know people. You will often meet a huge number of new people in a short period of time. Be polite and professional with your new colleagues. As time passes your relationships with them will develop and you will get to know people better.

Remember quite often you really only have one chance to make a good impression this includes your relationship with others. Think about the message you are sending, who you are interacting with and how you are interacting with people.

Demonstrate Your Capabilities and Commitment

From the moment you start you need to show that you are motivated and committed. This means asking questions, networking, and demonstrating that you want to integrate 100%.

Whether you are hired to bring about change or are simply inspired to try and change / improve things once you join (e.g. improving / optimising work processes) you should settle in and get to know how things are currently done before trying to implement change. However, there is nothing to stop you  sharing best practices from past experiences in more general terms and/or mentioning new ideas.

Avoid Taking On “Too Much Too Soon”

During your first 100 days you should be focused on doing your day job well and getting to know the systems and your colleagues.

A great way of showing your committment is to get involved in the “extra projects”. But watch your step, don’t over commit . It is important during your first 100 days to meet if not exceed expectations, make a good lasting impression and meet your commitments and undertakings. If you have said you will do something. You should do it! Over commit too much in the first few months and you will run out of time and energy and potentially make more mistakes – and this will not be the impression that you want to make.