Starting a new job in Marketing can be both exciting and overwhelming.
The first 90 days are crucial for establishing yourself as the right person for the role and a valuable member in your organisation.
Whether you’re fresh out of university, progressing through your Marketing career or transitioning from a different field, here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate your first three months in a Marketing role, when joining a new organisation.
Before day one: Prepare for success
Before stepping into your new role, take proactive steps to set yourself up for success.
1. Get to know the company
Building on from your preparation work for the recruitment process, continue to research the company’s goals, priorities and key challenges so you can start your role with a broad perspective.
2. Set personal goals
Define your objectives for the first 90 days: Identify what success looks like, what you need to learn and how you are going to achieve this.
3. Be self-aware
Identify your strengths and development areas for your new role so you know where you can make an immediate impact. Bear in mind that each role has a natural learning curve so start thinking about your Personal Development Plan.
Week 1: Listen, observe, ask questions
The first week is all about focusing on your company induction program and building relationships.
1. Understand your organisation
A typical induction program will include a company overview including its history and priorities going forward as well as cross functional teams presenting their department. This is a great opportunity to ask questions to senior leaders and understand the business agenda of your new organisation.
2. Get to know your role and your line manager
Spend time with your new boss to understand your key responsibilities and how your role fits in the overall team.
Align on the projects to deliver during your first 90 days and what success looks like, for you and for your line manager.
Seek to understand your manager’s ways of working, leadership style and their overall priorities for the team.
3. Build relationships
Get to know your team members and introduce yourself to colleagues across departments.
Schedule meetings with key stakeholders to understand their business challenges and priorities.
Assess stakeholders’ understanding of your role and discuss how you can support them to deliver their business priorities.
Weeks 2-6: Learn and contribute
As you settle into your role, focus on continuous learning and making meaningful contributions.
1. Take ownership of tasks
Demonstrate initiative, willingness to learn and your ability to contribute on individual and team projects.
2. Learn company processes
Get trained and up to speed with internal processes and tools that a) relate to your role, b) help you gain a deeper understanding of the organisation’s operating rhythm.3.
3. Build your profile internally and externally
Look for opportunities to contribute in company wide meetings and share early achievements and learnings in your new role on your Linked-in profile.
Weeks 7-12: Make an impact
By this stage, aim to showcase your capabilities and ability to drive results.
1. Execute projects independently
Take the lead on campaigns / projects from start to finish.
Demonstrate your ability to manage timelines, budgets and key deliverables.
2. Collaborate effectively
Work closely with other team members and departments to achieve common goals.
Effective collaboration is key to success in Marketing as this function interacts with all company departments.
3. Showcase the impact of your work
Track the results of your projects and gather key learnings.
Present to your line manager and senior stakeholders to demonstrate the impact of your work against personal, team and organisational goals.
Conclusion
The first 90 days in a new Marketing role set the foundation for your future success.
Be curious, focused and adaptable throughout this period.
Proactively seek and embrace feedback as an opportunity to grow, and don’t hesitate to ask for mentorship from experienced colleagues and / or get external support.
Remember, continuous learning and growth are essential in the dynamic field of Marketing so seek internal and external training opportunities to build capabilities in your new role and towards your next career move.
For further reading on this topic, check out this valuable resource.
