Building A 90-Day Onboarding Plan At A New Company | Early Career Advice

You've got 90 days to make a great impression. So what do you do? Hey, my name is Jackie, and here at Uvaro, we want to help you build a fulfilling career in tech from hired to retired. But first — let's talk about building a 90-day onboarding plan!

We've talked about your first week at a company, and your first month at a company. But now, what about your first 90 days at a new company? In this video, I'm going to be talking about this incredibly important new time period because it is when you'll be making the most impressions and setting the tone for the rest of your tenure. So, let's get started. Here are four tips for your first 90 days at a new company building your 90-day onboarding plan.

Plan Your Career Growth

Our first tip when building a 90-day onboarding plan is to plan your career growth. A 2016 study done by Udemy demonstrates this exact same concept. If employees are not continuously learning, they aren't engaging in their work. In this study, 80% of people agreed that learning new skills would make them more engaged. Yet, only 56% are actually learning new skills.

This exemplifies the mismatch between what employees need from their employers and what they're currently given. As a result, it is not only important for employees to keep seeking out learning opportunities to stay fulfilled and engaged in their careers.

It is also important for employers to give their employees the chance to learn and grow.

After those first few months have passed. It's important to know where you want to continue to keep growing. Career growth is something that is very personal. We'll need to advocate for ourselves in this process. Don't stop for 90 days, there are always new things to learn, whether it's about your job or the industry. But learning all of this will not happen overnight.

You need to have a plan. An hour or two of extra learning every day can go a very long way and pays off over time. Your plan needs to fit your ambitions, your time, your other commitments, and your life. Try not to grow too quickly and risk burnout.

Enjoy the process and find support along the way, like a friendly career success company like Uvaro. And as you grow in your career, you'll also have the opportunity to share your knowledge with others and to help others grow as well. So, never stop learning, never stop growing. It's the best way to stay ahead of the competition and keep your career moving forward.

Don't Be Afraid Of New Challenge Or Opportunity

Our second tip when building a 90-day onboarding plan is to not be afraid to take on new challenges and opportunities. Now that you know the direction of where you want to go in your new company, how do you get there?

Stewart Butterfield, the co-founder of Flickr and the Chief Executive Officer at Slack, one of the fastest growing business apps of all time, recently shared his best advice for young people with the New York Times. He said, "Some people will know exactly what they want to do at a very young age, but the odds are low. I feel like people in their early to mid-20s are very earnest. They're severe, and they want to feel like they've accomplished a lot at a very young age rather than just trying to figure stuff out. So I try to push them towards a more experimental attitude."

The first few months at a new job are always a learning curve, but it's really important to take on new challenges and responsibilities in order to both grow personally and professionally.

So, just like he said, don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You might surprise yourself at how well you can adapt. So, GO AHEAD, volunteer for that big new project, or speak up in that next important meeting. You might find that you thrive on challenges after all!

However, while taking on more is always good, you can't let your day-to-day responsibilities slip away. You were hired to do a job and you can't sacrifice that to go above and beyond for other projects. So, just keep that in mind.

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Get involved in extra events and activities

Our third tip when building a 90-day onboarding plan is to get involved with events, workshops, and other opportunities. One of the best ways to get acclimated to a new job is to get involved with events, workshops, and other activities offered by your new company.

We recognize that with remote jobs, this can be a bit difficult. Of course, the remote zoom calls can seem a little dry at times and there aren't as many opportunities to connect with your coworkers. But even with virtual events or workshops, we encourage you to still get involved.

Not only will this help you learn more about your new colleagues and the company culture, but it will also give you a chance to build relationships and network.

Even if there's nothing scheduled there are still a lot of ways that are just as effective where you can connect with your teammates in a remote setting.

Some examples are:

• Having lunch over Zoom.
• Having a coffee chat in the morning,
• Starting special groups based on your interests and either your Slack channels or any direct messaging app that your company uses.
• Planning activities that surround your common interests like cooking classes, crafts, getting active together, movie nights, paint nights, et cetera.

Your coworkers want to get to know you, so if you're invited to lunch or an after-work event accept the invitation. There are usually plenty of opportunities to get involved in the first few months, so be sure to take advantage of them. You never know where they might lead. It may lead to a new opportunity, a new connection, or a new network, the opportunities are endless!

Take Time To Breathe And Reflect

Our fourth tip is to breathe and reflect. Now is the time for iteration and improvement. Take a moment to reflect on your onboarding period, what worked, what didn't work, and what could have you done differently. You can also include your goals in this reflection as well.

We talked about how important goal setting is in our previous videos, so why not ask yourself:

• How your goals are shaping up when you've hit the 90-day mark? S
• Are you on the right track to achieving your goals?
• Are the goals that you set smart goals, or should you reevaluate your goals?

We can all be our worst critics but think of all the new things you've learned the challenges you've faced, and the progress you've made. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind, but taking some time to reflect on your accomplishments will help you stay motivated and focused on your career goals. And who knows? You might even surprise yourself with how much you've accomplished in such a short amount of time.

However, if you're tracking off the pace for your goals, don't worry. This is where you're meant to reflect and plan better for your next 90 days. If you find yourself tracking off the pace for your goals, try breaking your goals into smaller, manageable steps.

If you break your goals down into smaller chunks, you can identify each step that will ultimately lead you to your goal. The larger the goal, the more steps you will need to complete to achieve your goal. So, make your steps visible so you can more readily take them.

You can also share your goal with other people to give yourself a little push. Keeping your goal to yourself can undermine your efforts. If you don't achieve your goal, you may shrug it off like it doesn't matter. Sharing goals with others such as your manager can make you more compelled to take action. You can also open yourself up to feedback. Don't just tell other people your goal, ask people about your goal. Ask them:

• What do you think about this?
• Do you have experience or insights into this particular area?
• Or do you know someone who can shed more light on this idea?
• What roadblocks may I encounter?
• Or, what am I not thinking of?

People may be able to help if they know what you're trying to achieve. So take the opportunity to collaborate with others and maximize your chances of success. If you want to see your idea become even better, why don't you invite others to build on top of it?

There you have it. Our four tips to help you succeed in building your 90-day onboarding plan for a new job. If you're looking for more resources to enable your Career Success, check out our current course offerings and our Career Success Catalog!

We help people change careers and enable them to land their dream jobs in tech. We'd love to be a part of your career journey!