The first 90 days for any new employee is critical to their ramp time. Both the ramp it will take them to learn the job and the ramp it will take them to be viewed as a trusted source of information. What you do and how you behave during the probation period sets the tone for how others will view you for sometime to come. Naturally this is both a positive thing and a negative one but that isn’t’ what this article is about. This is about impressing each other during the first 90 days.
Some companies hire slow and others hire fast. The hiring process is meant to make sure that both parties are a fit for one another. When both parties agree to move forward there is a standard probationary period. This period is used for both parties to make sure the culture and job core functions are a fit for each other. Therefore, both sides need to work hard to impress each other.
How to Impress the Boss in the First 60 Days
The first 90 days are important. You are being evaluated, critiqued, measured against what you sold. You agreed to move forward and develop a partnership. This is what they call rubber meeting the road.
Best Foot Forward at All Times
Mind your behavior. The social norms have not yet been established. You don’t want to offend within the first 90 days. Use your manners, act in accordance with an office environment, no matter how relaxed you think it may be. Show your best self first at all times, because the first impression is usually the lasting one.
Ask a Lot of Questions
Really learn about the role, the company, the people. Become immersed in it. Seek to understand the identified best practices and characteristics of top employees. Learn what’s important to the boss and how you can support them to meet it. Understand what is expected and the necessary steps to get there.
Words and Actions Are Tightly Aligned
What you say is what you do. Early on employers are looking at patterns of behavior or times when words don’t match with actions. Patterns seldom change over time so make sure you are establishing the right perception about you as a person and employee. Demonstrating the wrong patterns won’t get to to day 91.
Avoid Gossip, Unnecessary Politics and Personal Issues
Everyone loves to claim to know something. Knowledge is unspoken power and unfortunately some take this too seriously. Be cautious with people who run to tell you things. It’s a difficult position to be in, being new. You have to handle it delicately and bow away from the conversation graciously. Or, you can take it in, observe and determine yourself if it proves true. Running with it is not a recommended option because you can quickly find yourself on the other side of the gossip. Unless you want the whole office to know your personal life don’t talk about it. Politics and sports create more drama than the elementary school playground so stay away from those as well.
Be Proactive
Be a go getter. See something, say something or ask something. Introduce, get to know and ask some more. You sold them now show them. Take an interest. Remember with first impressions, they tend to be lasting.
Do What You Were Hired For
This goes without saying but it will be said. You have to perform to the minimum acceptable level and/or show signs of being able to do so with the core functions of the job.
How to Impress the Employee in the First 90 Days
Just like the employee needs to impress in the first 90 days, so does the employer. The probation period goes both ways and should be treated as a means to retain the new talent you’ve spent time and money bringing into the organization.
Best Foot Forward at All Times
Mind your behavior. New hires don’t understand what is socially acceptable in the office during their early days. Be cautious how you act, the jokes you make and the way in which you talk to people. Your behavior is being evaluated and it is one of the most important areas to focus on when delivering a good employee experience.
Words and Actions Are Tightly Aligned
What you say is what you do. Sometimes things won’t always work out and you will not be able to deliver on this objective. Just so long as the times you don’t do what you say aren’t greater than the times you do. Explain why it is different and when or if that will change to match what you sold. Remember that life is about patterns. Patterns seldom change over time. That said, the intent should always be to deliver on what you say.
Check-in and Ask Questions
Check-in with the new hires during their first few weeks to find out how it is going. Ask if it is what they thought it was. Solicit feedback on the onboarding, training and inclusion by the rest of the team. Make sure they know where things are and that they have what they need.
Don’t be a Jerk
Anxiety is high, emotions are erratic, patience may be thin but mind your tone, body language, facial expressions, eye contact. All the little signs that truly give away what you are thinking and feeling. Smile often, practice gratitude, leave each interaction with a positive lasting impression. Don’t give the new hire reasons to view you as unapproachable or not having time to help them.
Deliver on the Company and Job You Sold
You sold a vision of what it is like to work at the company, you sold a vision for the role they were hired for. Make sure you are delivering on those things or offering explanations as to why there may be differences. This shouldn’t be hard if you were honest and upfront during the interview process. There are ways to do that without underselling the company or job. Use the feedback from your check-in to alter your interview process to cover any gaps identified.
Avoid Gossip, Unnecessary Politics and Personal Issues
Don’t “bring them up to speed” on the who’s who of the office. Allow them to experience it in their own way and at their own time. Giving the low down of the office and its people is a bad sign to send to a new hire and can quickly erode trust or cause them to leave. Or worse, they like the drama of gossip and stay, going on to contribute to the problem.
Doing well in these areas will help make the first 90 days memorable and send the right message about who you are. It should give, without a doubt, good reason to continue on after day 91. The truth is that the first 90 days never ends. You are always interviewing and selling yourself whether you are the employee or the employer. Evaluations are ongoing and the impression you made at the start will carry forward whether it was good or bad.
