3 Ways To Amplify Your First 90 Days On The Job

Congrats, you have a new job! You’ve spent hours filling out applications, writing cover letters, and praying that cyber space didn’t eat your resume. At last, you landed the job, and now you can begin investing in this next phase of your career and ministry. There’s a lot to think about as you embark on this new journey, not least of which is integrating into a new staff culture that’s probably well established.

Here are 3 pieces of advice to consider when trying to build your reputation with your new team.

1. Say yes to as much as possible!

I’m not endorsing jumping off bridges, but say yes to as much as you can. This is two-fold:

First, say yes to as much social interaction as you can stand. Join your team members if you’re invited out to lunch. Say yes to grabbing a cup of coffee after hours. This concentrated amount of socialization on the front-end gives you insight into the personalities and lives of the people with whom you’ll be spending quite a lot of time. This in turn allows you to better understand how they work and the best ways to communicate with them. Plus, everyone loves a person who’s always up for hanging out with them.

Second, say yes to as much as you can handle on your “work plate.” Say yes if you’re asked to join a new project. Say yes to taking on something your superiors will be involved in. One defining part of our culture at Vanderbloemen is that we never use the phrase, “That’s not my job.” Because of that, we’re constantly helping each other, learning new things, and being stretched and strengthened; and the resulting sense of teamwork is outstanding. We accomplish so much more together.  

2. Be quiet. Be humble.

Earlier in life, I was once given this humbling advice: “You’re new. You seem bright and eager, but until you’ve been here long enough to really understand the ins and outs of what we do, keep your opinions to yourself.”  

This was frustrating but very wise advice. (Keeping my mouth shut isn’t a strength of mine.) After about sixty days on the job, many of my original opinions and critiques had shifted because I had a better understanding of why things functioned the way they did and of how I could work on my end to improve upon them.

No one likes a loud “know-it-all” that takes up way too much floor time at their first meeting. The stink of pride is always stronger than one realizes, so keeping a careful watch on the air you’re projecting is important. Be quiet, be humble, and be open to what others can teach you.

3. Bring cookies (or pie!).

This may seem trite or like you’re trying too hard… but that’s good! It’s great when new people try hard. It makes a clear statement that you’re excited to be there and going to try hard on your end to be an excellent employee and coworker.

Find out your coworkers’ favorite treats. Maybe there’s a famous donut place in town that everyone loves, or you can bring one of your favorites to share. The moral of the story is that no one dislikes the gal or guy that brought cookies because it shows they are thoughtful. 

What are other ways you can build your reputation and amplify your first 90 days on the job?

If you liked this, then you’ll also like How To Start Well & Earn The Trust Of Church Leadership.