You may have recently secured your first professional job or are on the path to one. Congratulations! Getting that job is not where it stops, though. It simply marks the beginning of your career journey, and your first 100 days in a new role are important. To help ensure your success, let me introduce you to career management. You must play an active role in the planning and management of your professional career development.

Your first 100 days are crucial, but I am not proposing you have a limited term to get things done like a political role. My hope is to encourage you to have a success mindset and plan, and that starts in the first 100 days.

Strategies for realizing your professional career goals right from the start

1. Clarity: Get clear on why you work in the first place and what that means for how you engage with your career. Include both personal and professional reasons. Regardless of your definition of professionalism, you always bring your whole self everywhere—work included.
2. Focus: Take stock of your abilities and identify any gaps. Some people may focus on the opportunities to improve, but my recommendation is always to focus on your strengths and create a stand-out impression and sustainable momentum. Focusing on strengths also provides a confidence boost for navigating and making progress while learning more about your role, the people you work with (and for), and the organization.
3. Identity: Design your brand and discover how it aligns with the organization’s brand. Trust is a key ingredient to success, and your brand lets people know what to consistently expect from you.
4. Action: Listen and ask questions. Track your accomplishments and celebrate, recalibrate, and refine accordingly. Take advantage of corporate training and professional development opportunities. We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, and a couple of good ways to be relevant today and in the future are to keep abreast of best practices in the profession and environment and demonstrate practical, innovative solutions to problems.
5. Connections: Build and foster connections strategically. Nurture them intentionally. Your connection capital is an investment you cannot afford not to build.

In summary, your first 100 days are an excellent opportunity to establish yourself for success in the workplace. By being intentional, having a clear purpose of why and how you add value in the workplace, focusing on your unique strengths and identity, and fostering trusting connections through positive actions and learning opportunities, you are already ahead of the game as a new professional.

Tools from CPA Alberta to support your career development

• CPA Alberta Job Board: Explore entry- to senior-level job opportunities for CPAs and finance professionals; upload your resume and set up email alerts for relevant job postings
• CPA Build and Career Centre: Work on your mindset and be the best
• Career assessment tools: Build your self-awareness and enhance your emotional intelligence and intercultural competency by taking advantage of the coaching sessions offered once you take these assessments
• Training: Access curated and niche professional development opportunities and webinars for insights on current and future practices

About the Author

Ifeoma Ngwudike CPA, CMA is the author of The successful immigrant woman: 8 transformational strategies to build confidence, be empowered, and achieve success as an immigrant woman. She currently works with CPA Alberta as the Director, Member Products and Services. In her pastime, Ifeoma works with professionals and immigrant women seeking to discover themselves, with a focus on developing and motivating leaders. Ifeoma serves on non-profit boards and has transitioned into different roles including finance expert, educator, success coach, consultant, and student affairs professional. Ifeoma is a wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend who is fiercely caring. Her mission is to inspire joy and enlighten others.