After weeks or months of applications, networking, interviews and follow-ups, you finally hear the words you have been waiting for:
“We'd like to offer you the position.”
Getting the job is worth celebrating.
But for internationally educated professionals, another important stage is about to begin: learning how to succeed within a new organization while navigating workplace expectations that may be different from those in previous countries or companies.
The first 90 days do not require you to prove everything immediately.
They are about learning, building trust and creating momentum.
Here is a simple roadmap.
Days 1–30: Learn Before You Try to Change Everything
Experienced professionals often enter a new role already knowing how they would solve certain problems.
That expertise is valuable.
But your first month should involve a lot of observation.
Understand How Decisions Really Get Made
Every workplace has an organizational chart.
Then there is the way work actually happens.
Pay attention to:
- Who needs to be consulted before decisions
- Who holds important institutional knowledge
- How information is shared
- Which meetings matter most
- How managers prefer to communicate
- How quickly decisions are normally made
- What requires formal approval
- What can be handled informally
These details rarely appear in an employee handbook.
You learn them by watching, listening and asking good questions.
Clarify Expectations With Your Manager
Do not assume that success means the same thing to you and your manager.
Ask questions such as:
“What would a successful first three months look like to you?”
“What are the most important priorities I should focus on first?”
“Are there any immediate challenges you would like me to help address?”
“How do you prefer to receive updates?”
These conversations can prevent months of misunderstanding.
Learn the Language of the Organization
Every workplace has its own vocabulary.
There are acronyms, systems, project names, departments, processes and unwritten shorthand.
Keep notes.
Learning this language quickly makes it easier to participate confidently in conversations.
Days 31–60: Build Relationships Beyond Your Immediate Tasks
Once you understand the basics of the job, start deliberately building your internal network.
Your success rarely depends only on your manager.
Meet the People Around Your Work
Identify colleagues whose roles connect to yours.
You might simply say:
“I'm still getting familiar with how everything works here. Would you have 20 minutes sometime over the next couple of weeks? I'd love to learn more about your role and how our teams work together.”
That is internal networking.
And it matters.
Strong internal relationships make it easier to ask questions, solve problems, understand organizational context and collaborate across teams.
Learn Different Communication Preferences
One colleague may prefer a quick Teams message.
Another wants an email.
Your manager may want a weekly summary.
Someone else might prefer a five-minute conversation.
Strong professionals learn not only what to communicate, but how different people prefer to receive information.
Find Ways to Contribute Early
You do not need to launch a massive transformation.
Look for small opportunities to make life easier for your team.
Perhaps you can:
- Organize information
- Improve a template
- Solve a recurring problem
- Share useful industry knowledge
- Help a colleague
- Clarify a process
- Identify a small efficiency
Early wins build credibility.
Days 61–90: Start Showing Your Full Value
By this point, you should understand much more about the organization's culture, people and priorities.
Now you can begin moving from learning to contributing at a deeper level.
Connect Your Previous Experience to Current Challenges
This is where your international experience can become a major advantage.
Perhaps you have seen a similar problem before.
Maybe you have worked with another type of customer.
You may know a process used in another market.
You might bring experience from a larger organization, a different industry or another regulatory environment.
Instead of saying:
“This is how we did it in my country.”
try:
“I dealt with a similar challenge in my previous role. One approach that worked there was ____. Do you think something like that could be useful here?”
The difference is subtle but important.
You are contributing experience while remaining curious about the local context.
Ask for Feedback Before You Need It
Do not wait for a formal performance review.
Ask:
“What is working well so far?”
“Is there anything you'd like me to approach differently?”
“Where do you think I could add more value over the next few months?”
Feedback is easier to act on when you receive it early.
Keep Track of Your Achievements
Start documenting your accomplishments from the beginning.
Record:
- Projects completed
- Positive feedback
- Improvements you made
- Problems you solved
- New responsibilities
- Measurable results
- Skills you developed
This will help during performance reviews, future promotion discussions and eventually your next career move.
You Don't Have to Become Someone Else
Entering a new workplace does not mean abandoning your professional identity.
Adaptation and authenticity can exist together.
You can learn new communication styles without losing your own.
You can understand Canadian workplace norms while bringing perspectives developed elsewhere.
You can ask questions and still be experienced.
And you can be new to an organization without being new to your profession.
That distinction matters.
From Getting Hired to Building a Career
Finding employment is often treated as the finish line of the newcomer employment journey.
It isn't.
The bigger goal is meaningful, sustainable career growth.
Your first 90 days are an opportunity to create the foundation for that growth by combining curiosity with experience, building trusted relationships and gradually demonstrating what you can contribute.
ERIEC's work does not simply connect internationally educated professionals with opportunities. Through mentorship and networking, we help build the professional relationships and local knowledge that can support long-term career success in the Edmonton region.
Getting the job opens the door. What you build after you walk through it can shape the next chapter of your career.