The document provides tips for succeeding in the first 90 days of a new IT position or project. It recommends preparing by researching the company's plans and how one's role fits in. It also suggests starting with an open mindset, orienting oneself by meeting key stakeholders, maintaining professionalism, focusing on the company's goals, learning the culture, understanding different perspectives, making small contributions first, sharing credit, gaining experience through doing tasks, practicing tact, being flexible, and keeping these tips in mind and action. Following these tips can help one confidently start this new exciting IT career phase.

1. Here are a few tips to help you succeed in the first 90
days of any new IT position or project:
• Prepare. As they say, preparation is half the work. Research what your new
company’s plans are, how IT fits into them, how your role supports them,
and the major stakeholders you’ll be interacting with.
• Start with a blank slate. Assess your strengths and weaknesses,
and develop a plan to leverage your assets while mitigating your
shortcomings. Remain positive, but refrain from overcommitment.
• Orient yourself. Schedule meetings with the key players you’ll be
working alongside—in and outside of your IT department and the rest
of the company. Network, observe, and ask questions in order to learn
the different roles, pipelines, and procedures.
• Project professionalism. Dress, communicate, and perform
professionally at all times. Listen before contributing an opinion, and
adopt a can-do attitude.
• Stay grounded. Never let your enthusiasm for a problem or project
distract you from your company’s goals. Align all your efforts to
providing the service for which you’ve been hired.
a program to
rock the first 90 days in
your new IT job
If you’re familiar with User Experience (UX), you
understand the importance of first impressions, as
well as the capacity to follow through on the promises
they make. Just think about it: engaging and easy-
to-navigate interfaces that subsequently perform the
tasks they’re supposed to are the keystones of many
new successful applications, devices, and services.
First impressions are equally important in a new IT
endeavor when all eyes are on you. Everybody’s
waiting to see what you’re going to do and how you’ll
perform. That’s why what you do and how you behave
during the first 90 days in a new position or project are
critical to establishing yourself as a valued contributor
within the organization.
“The first 90 days can have a substantial impact on
your success in a new position,” says Doug Paulo,
director, Americas IT Product Group – Kelly®
. “This is
the time that you build momentum, gain credibility,
and get your new team focused and ‘in the zone.’”
Interestingly, according to Harvard Business School®
Professor Michael Watkins, these first three months
are both full of potential pitfalls and rich with
opportunities. Basically, if you can avoid making
mistakes and instead secure early wins, you can lay the
groundwork for your future success and professional
brand enhancement.
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• Learn the culture(s). Not only does your company have its own unique
culture, so does your department. Observe how others perform,
communicate, and behave—and follow their rules. By adapting to the
group, you enhance your chances of successful collaborations with
others in the future.
• Be understanding. Whether it’s a tech worker with a workplace issue or
an HR person who doesn’t understand anything about IT, learn to put
yourself in their shoes. By understanding their perspectives, you’ll be
better equipped to communicate, solve problems, and get things done.
• Start small. Focus first and foremost on bringing value to your new IT
team. Once established as a team player, carefully draw on those skills
and experiences that will give you an advantage.
• Share credit. No IT worker is an island. Your successes are built upon
and with the efforts of your colleagues and extended teams. Make sure
you credit everybody involved for each achievement.
• Do. The IT industry is constantly developing. In order to master
new tasks, programs, or platforms as efficiently as possible, learn by
doing—or shadow somebody else.
• Practice tact. If you have criticism, keep it to yourself. Until you know
the whys, whens, or hows behind every IT initiative your department is
working on, you can’t offer constructive feedback.
• Be flexible. In order to thrive in your new company and meet all of the
challenges of your new position, you’ll need to be open to change. And
since it’s a vital aspect of growth, don’t resist it. Instead, keep an open
mind about new roles, processes, and attitudes.
Keep these points in mind and in action, and you’ll confidently start this
new exciting phase of your IT career.
Kelly has the connections to develop
your IT career. Our customers include 90
percent of Fortune 500
®
companies and
99 percent of Fortune 100
™
companies.
We put a new IT employee to work every
28 minutes, and our IT contractors work
7 million hours per year.
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®
, or get career insights at
kellyservices.us/ITcareers today.
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