Starting a new job as an EA can be both exciting and overwhelming. In your first 90 days, you have the opportunity to make a positive impression on your new leader and the team, as well as set yourself up for success. In this blog post, I provide my thoughts for what to focus on in the first 90 days.

Responsibilities & Expectations

In a perfect world, someone is assigned to help you get situated in your new role, understand your responsibilities and expectations, how you fit into the EA team, who is your Lead EA, get your workstation set-up and hand over key information for the job. It may be the outgoing EA or an onboarding buddy.

If you’re fortunate enough to get a hand-off from the out-going EA, ask for guidance on how to prioritize the work, who are the key players, the leader’s proxies, where are the documents kept. Otherwise, check with your lead EA. Your onboarding buddy may know some answers to org-specific questions if they’ve served as back-up.

I’ve rarely had a transition as the incoming EA but I like to leave a place better than I found it. For each job, I create a playbook with key info, contacts, leader and team information.

Whatever the case, you’ll need a clear understanding of your job. Depending on the leader or time of year you join the team, you may be able to dedicate a lot of time in the first couple of weeks to learning the ropes. If you’re thrown into the deep end, block time on your calendar for regular review of new material while you hone the basics.

Set up your email and calendar mechanisms, get access to the tools and systems you need, get delegate access to your leader’s resources, review (or create) the org chart and take any mandatory training. Take time to explore the team website and whatever shared files are available as well as the company intranet. Start collecting resources you’ll use regularly like travel, expenses, and procurement. Get a corportate credit card if it’s available.

It’s going to take some time to understand the team’s language. I am a huge fan of joining all the meetings you can, asking questions and taking notes. Your exec needs you to learn the business and will probably allow, if not encourage you, to sit in on meetings.

As the newbie, you get a free pass for at lease 6 months to ask all the questions. Do it! You may be asking questions other people were afraid to ask because they’ve been there a while they feel they should know the answers. In the process, you gain trust because you’re brave enough to ask questions.

The first meeting with your leader

Even when you get a hand-off, it’s up to you and your leader to figure out how to work together. Just because the last EA ran things a certain way, doesn’t mean you need to keep those processes. Use these as a starting point, but it has to make sense to you and your leader.

Schedule a weekly sync with your new leaders at soon as possible. Depending on the leader and business, you may need more frequent touch points, such as 10 minute morning huddles. This is for you two to work out in the first meeting. You’ll probably touch base every day in some fashion.

The first meeting is where you re-introduce yourself and collect the basic information you need to work with them: delegate access to the resources you need, meeting and delegate questions, their preferences, key stakeholders, meeting rules and personal information.

Meet & Greets

During your first month on the job, get to know your new leader’s colleagues. Schedule one-on-one meetings with their directs and key stakeholders to introduce yourself and learn about their role and how they interact with your leader and the org.

Ask questions, take notes, learn their names and job titles. You’re going to work with these people moving forward so build a solid foundation to help you work effectively and efficiently.

Learn the company culture

Understanding the company culture is important for fitting in and working effectively. Observe how people communicate, dress, and interact with one another. You have to strike a balance between being yourself and fitting in. For example, I work in a very casual, warehouse environment but I’m a suit kinda gal.

At my interview for my current job, I wore what I thought was pretty casual: a Universal Standard ponte blazer and their Geneva dress (a tee shirt knit fabric). I hit it off with the leader and at the end of the interview, she told me: you’ll need to dress way down for this job or take a lot of guff from the guys. Jeans and a tee shirt are not the most flattering for me but I don’t like to stand out either so I split the difference by wearing a blazer with my jeans & tee or sweater with my slacks and blouse.

If you didn’t research this information before your interview, learn about the company’s values and mission, and how they are put into practice. If there is an employee handbook, read it to understand the company’s policies and procedures.

Identify opportunities

Take a critical look at your current skills and identify areas for improvement. Discuss your goals with your supervisor and lead EA and develop a plan to achieve them. Taking a proactive approach to your professional development will help you grow in your role and make a positive impact on the organization.

Start building your internal EA network, initially with the EAs you’re most closely connected to. Over time, you can expand your network further. You never know where your next job will be or when you’ll need help finding a new role. Your internal network will be your lifeline when shit goes sideways.

Establish your brand

Intentionally creating a reputation that showcases your skills and strengths. While EAs share the core responsibilities, each EA shapes their role to suit their skill set and leaders. What do you want to be know for?

For example, projects and data are my jam. My leaders think of me first when they need a quick turnaround on data analysis or a project. For the longest time, I dreaded event coordination. While I still lean toward opportunities that use my strengths, I’ve come to appreciate event planning because my team is dispersed across the US. The only time I see them in person is during our team summits. Still not getting super excited about event planning, but I have trackers and lists to jumpstart planning the next team summit.

What sets you apart from others and how you can contribute to the team? How do you want to be perceived? Take the initiative to offer your help and expertise, and look for opportunities to showcase your skills. You can’t directly support everyone on your executive’s team but you can be a teacher and coach. Or as my friend Candace says, “teach them to fish.”

The first 90 days on the job as an EA are critical for establishing yourself as a valuable member of the team. You were hired because you have a valuable skill set. Taking time to get to know your new leader and colleagues, understanding your responsibilities and expectations, asking questions, learning about the company culture, identifying areas for improvement, and establishing your personal brand, will set you up for success in your new role. Remember to stay positive, be flexible, and own your professional development