Your First 90 Days - Setting the Right Foundation

Series 0, Blog 6:

The content of this blog is now available as a podcast too. If you are an auditory consumer of wisdom, listen to this scintillating exchange below:

Welcome to the Real World: The First-Day Shock

You’ve made it. The job offer is signed, the onboarding emails have arrived, and you’ve spent the last week debating whether to overpack your office bag with notebooks you may never use. And then – Day One!

You step into the office (or log in virtually - getting increasingly rare), expecting to be handed a well-structured guidebook on how to be amazing at this job. But instead, you’re bombarded with introductions, acronyms you don’t understand, and a to-do list that makes Game of Thrones look short. No one is sitting you down and explaining how things actually work.

Breathe. You’re not alone. The first 90 days are about finding your footing, understanding the landscape, and slowly making your mark.

I remember my first day vividly. I walked in expecting someone to guide me, maybe hand me a neat little ‘Welcome to the Company’ handbook. Instead, I got a five-minute introduction, a stack of paperwork, and a ‘Just ping me if you need anything.’ Ping who? About what? I spent the first hour pretending to ‘set up my system’ while sneakily observing everyone else, trying to decode the work culture. Fun times!"

There could be different ways to deal with the situation, but the basics remain the same. Let’s break them down.

Listen More Than You Speak (Yes, Really)

One of the biggest mistakes freshers make? Talking too much, too soon. The urge to prove yourself is understandable, but the smartest people in the room aren’t always the ones speaking the loudest.

Observe the office culture – Who holds real influence? How do teams communicate? What are the unspoken rules?
Ask thoughtful questions – Instead of blurting out ideas to impress, ask why things are done a certain way. A simple, “I noticed we do X this way. What’s the thought process behind it?” makes you look engaged and eager to learn.
Take notes like your career depends on it – Because, well, it does. Your future self will thank you when you don’t have to ask the same question twice. I learned this one the hard way. In one of my first meetings, I was so eager to impress that I jumped in with suggestions before I had fully grasped the problem. The senior manager looked at me, paused, and said, “That’s an interesting thought. But if you’d listened a little longer, you’d know we tried that last quarter and it failed spectacularly.” Lesson learned? Speak less, absorb more!

Pro Tip: People will forgive you for not knowing things early on, but they will also remember how quickly you learn.

Cracking the Office Culture Code

Every workplace has its own rhythm. Some are formal and hierarchical; others feel like a college canteen with occasional work. Figuring out where yours falls on the spectrum is crucial.

Communication style – Does your boss prefer emails or quick chats on Teams? Are meetings structured, or do discussions happen over chai breaks?
Dress code reality check – HR might say “business casual,” but if your seniors are walking around in jeans and sneakers, take the hint.
Unwritten rules – Is it acceptable to leave at 6 PM, or does everyone “wrap up” at 9 PM while pretending it’s normal? I once asked a colleague when people ‘normally’ left the office. He laughed and said, “Technically, 6 PM. Realistically, when the boss leaves.” That was my first unofficial lesson in corporate survival.

Pro Tip: Find a “culture mentor” (could be a friendly senior or colleague) who can help you decode these subtle but essential details.

Showing Value Early Without Overpromising

Want to stand out early? Solve small but important problems. It doesn’t have to be revolutionary – just something that makes work easier for your team.

Find process gaps – If a report takes forever to compile, suggest a simple automation or a more efficient way.
Take ownership of small but annoying tasks – Everyone hates them. You’ll become instantly valuable. In my first job, I noticed a small but annoying process gap – nobody was tracking minutes of the meeting (MOM) or action items from meetings. So, I started sending short recap emails after every discussion. A month later, my manager publicly thanked me for ‘bringing structure’ to the team. It was such a small thing, but it got me noticed in all the right ways.
Deliver on what you promise – If you commit to something, see it through. If you can’t, communicate early.

Pro Tip: Reliability > Raw talent. Managers trust people who get things done.

Networking Without the Cringe Factor

In college, success was mostly you vs. exams. In the workplace, success is you + the people you work with. Your ability to navigate relationships can make or break opportunities.

Find informal mentors – Not just senior leaders but also peers who “get” how things work.
Be curious about others – Ask colleagues about their roles. People love talking about themselves, and you might learn something useful.
Don’t just network up, network across – The best career allies are often your peers, not just your bosses.

Pro Tip: The difference between an average performer and a rising star? The strength of their network.

The Mindset Shift: Work ≠ College

One of the hardest adjustments is realizing that effort doesn’t always equal reward the way it did in college.

In college: Study hard, get good grades. Simple equation.
At work: Doing your job well is the baseline. What sets you apart is strategic thinking, adaptability, and knowing when to push forward vs. when to step back.

Ask yourself these questions:

How do I want to be perceived in my organization?
What small but impactful changes can I contribute?
Am I actively shaping my career, or waiting for things to happen to me?

Pro Tip: Career growth isn’t just about how hard you work – it’s about how well you position yourself.

Final Thoughts: The Long Game

Your first 90 days aren’t about being perfect. They’re about learning the rules, proving reliability, and positioning yourself for bigger opportunities. Absorb, adapt, and slowly step into your own.

Because here’s the secret: No one really knows what they’re doing in the beginning. The ones who succeed? They figure it out fast, and they do it with confidence. Looking back, I realize how much I overthought everything in my first 90 days. Every email, every sentence in meetings – I kept second-guessing myself. The moment I stopped worrying about ‘sounding smart’ and started focusing on ‘adding value,’ things changed. And that’s when I truly settled in.

Go make your mark!

Got a first-job story or question? Drop it in the comments – I’d love to hear from you!