Your first 90 days in a new technical job

A new technical job rarely starts with technology. It starts with an installation you don't know, colleagues sizing you up, and habits documented nowhere. Handle the first 90 days well and you build a reputation that lasts for years.

Focus the first weeks on learning, not scoring. Shadow the experienced colleagues, ask plenty of questions and dig into the installation, the drawings and the history. The newcomer who listens first gets far more done later than the one who knows everything better on day three.

Meanwhile, do write down everything that strikes you: illogical procedures, recurring breakdowns, missing documentation. That fresh view is gold and fades by itself after a few months. Keep the list; it becomes your improvement proposals once you've built up credit.

After a month, actively ask your manager and closest colleagues for feedback. Don't wait for the six-month review: small corrections early in the journey prevent big misunderstandings later.

And give yourself time. In most technical roles it takes six months to a year to really know an installation. Your employer knows that too; nobody expects you to solve everything independently in week four.