First Job: 10 Ways to Succeed in Just 90 Days

Nothing is more daunting than starting your first job. It’s a rite of passage every person goes through. Graduating from college marks the beginning of your professional life – what follows is the anxiety and excitement of applying to companies and, eventually, landing your first job. It’s difficult to stress how important your first job is. It’s the initial step toward your career goals. It also sets the tone for your professional life. A great first job could inspire you further to meet your goals, but a terrible one could make you lose motivation and even cause burnout early on in your career.

Equipped with the knowledge on how to succeed in your first job, you can easily make great first impressions, gain more skills, and climb the corporate ladder within the first 90 days of your first job.

Here’s how to get started.

In the First 30 Days…

Focus on growth.

When you land your first job, you might make the mistake of aspiring for promotion straight away. We all feel the pressure to succeed, but success is a process, not an overnight event. That should be the first lesson you learn at your first job. All good things take time, so don’t feel disappointed if you don’t thrive as fast as you’d like. Concentrate on the journey, not the destination. Focus on growth, not promotions or job titles. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the bottom of the corporate ladder may be the source of your life's most valuable lessons.

Observe your colleagues.

There’s a misconception that employees will only learn from their immediate supervisors or employers. It couldn’t be further from the truth. You can learn from everyone around you, and at your first job, you’ll probably learn more from your colleagues than your supervisor. By observing how they work, communicate, and succeed, you can make a blueprint for yourself. Watching your colleagues might teach you the ins and outs of your industry, and they might be more open to sharing personal insights, tips, and tricks on how to make it in your field of choice. They can also educate you on the work culture of your new company.

Talk to your manager.

We mean this in the least aggressive way possible. When you land your first job, your manager will be your first experience with professional leadership. Your supervisor will be responsible for showing you the ropes, so take advantage of the opportunity to talk to them. Don’t make the mistake of being shy about your ambitions or questions. Communicate your goals with your manager. Ask them what success looks like to them. Determine their expectations for you, and work toward achieving them. If you’re lucky, your manager could become your mentor.

From Day 30 to 60…

Build foundations.

As businesswoman and speaker Carol Bartz once said, build your career like a pyramid, not a ladder. Grow horizontally, not just vertically. Career growth is not just about climbing up. By making lateral movements, you can attain more skills and strengthen the foundations of your knowledge and training. Learn more about other departments, skill sets, and professions to widen your proficiency and understanding of your role in the company. Expand your worldview. Become a jack of all trades instead of just a master of one.

Create your network.

Networking is one of the most significant tasks of any career. By making contacts in different corners of the industry, you’ll make invaluable friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. You never know when you might need their participation or collaboration on a future project. Your network is an asset, and you should never undervalue an asset. Not only can these relationships build your contact base, but by making more acquaintances inside your company, you have more people to see your worth and potentially contribute to your bid for promotion.

Outside your company, your network can help you find your next job and guide you toward your career goals.

Ask for responsibilities.

At your first job, you’ll likely receive a light workload, but after a while, they’ll give you more responsibilities to see how you can handle it. Prove that you can manage your workload and even more. A promotion will mean more responsibilities, and, as such, you must prove that you can endure more than the basic requirements. It will send a positive message to your managers. You can take this step further by asking for more responsibilities to show off your initiative.

From Day 60 to 90…

Earn respect.

Gen Zs and millennials have a bad reputation for being entitled, but you can prove this stereotype wrong to your employers. Don’t think that you deserve a promotion just because you want it. Recognise that your managers will have specific metrics or standards that you need to meet before they believe you deserve a promotion. Respect is gained, not commanded, so for them to think you deserve a promotion, you’ll have to put in the work to earn it. Show up on time, go the extra mile, and work hard.

Stand out.

Make yourself indispensable to your manager and the company. Go above and beyond the bare minimum and prove your reliability every day. Show that you can handle anything thrown at you. Have a positive attitude and show that you share the values and goals of the company. Work well with others to prove your team spirit.

A strong work ethic can get you places, and having the right mentality will get your foot in the door. But aside from that, you must also brush up on your skills, whether you’re in IT or healthcare. Use your talents to show off your problem-solving and innovative thinking.

Make an impact.

While you’re busy making connections and carrying out your tasks, never lose sight of the importance of delivering quality work. Whatever work you do, produce quality outputs that speak for themselves. The more you focus on quality, the more impact you’ll create. All workplaces rely on data to make decisions, and if you can prove that you’re creating a positive impact, then you’re on your way to showing you’re indispensable. Impact means value. Prove your worth using the metrics your company adopts to measure success, whether that means sales or customer service. Focus on working smarter and yielding impactful results.

Pace yourself.

As daunting as your first job might be, don’t let intimidation ruin your fun. This role is meant to be an exciting start to your career. Enjoy every task, and take in every new nugget of information. Enjoy yourself, and most importantly, don’t burn yourself out. It can be easy to fall into the trap of sacrificing your sanity to get a promotion. As early as now, understand the importance of work-life balance. Give just enough of yourself to your job, but not all of you. Set boundaries for your mental health, and know when to say no if you can’t handle more tasks. Maintain the balance – and your sanity – by pacing yourself. Remember, your career is a marathon. Not a race.

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