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Meet the people who'll shape your first 90 days
A simple exercise for your first weeks in a new job, to meet the people who matter before you need them
Why it’s worth your time
Being new is the one time it's completely normal to ask almost anyone for twenty minutes. A quick sort of everyone you've heard about tells you who to spend that window on: the people who'll shape your work most and whom you know least. Meeting them before you need anything means your first real request lands with someone who already knows you.
How to decide who to meet at a new job
You’ll come away with a short, ordered list of people to meet before you need anything from them.
We’ll send you a calendar invite.
- Collect everyone you've heard about.
People you've been introduced to, people in the meetings that seem to matter, and every name your manager mentions twice. Include people outside your team: the ones who approve, review or receive your work.
Tip: Low numbers are expected in week two. Nobody sees this sheet but you, and a 1 just means you haven't met yet.
- Score each one twice.
How much they'll shape your work: 1 = we'll rarely cross paths, 3 = they touch some of what I do, 5 = my first months run through them. Then how well you know them so far: 1 = just a name, 3 = we've talked once or twice, 5 = I know how they work and what they need.
- Write your meeting order.
Start with whoever scores highest on shaping your work and lowest on knowing them, then the next. Aim to get through the top five in your first month.
Stays in this browser only. Nobody else sees it.
- Ask for twenty minutes, about their work.
Say you're new and want to understand how your work connects to theirs. Ask what they're focused on, what good help from your role looks like, and who else you should meet.
To: someone you haven't met yetHi name, I've just joined team as role, and from what you've heard or seen of their work, it looks like a lot of my work will connect with yours.
Could I have 20 minutes in the next couple of weeks? I'd like to understand what you're focused on and how I can be useful from my side. Happy to fit around your calendar, or wait until things are quieter.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud.Tip: That last question is the valuable one. Add whoever they mention to the sheet.
- Redo it at day 90.
By then you'll know who really shapes your work, and some of it will surprise you. Score everyone again, add the names you didn't have, and pick the next few people to get to know.
Good moments for this: in your first two or three weeksagain at day 90when you move to a new team inside the same company
We’ll send you a calendar invite.
Keep going with Truest
Small actions add up. Truest helps you find the next thing worth doing, make the space to do it, and keep a record of your progress. It’s a private place to work on your career, and it’s yours, not your employer’s.
- It actually happensWe’ll put it on your calendar and remind you before it starts.
- You know what’s nextTruest suggests the next small thing to try, based on what you’re working on.
- It’s yours to keepEach thing you do is saved to your private record, there when your next review or job search comes around.
Anything else we can help you with this week?
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Ask who they'd want you to know by the end of your first month, and why each one matters. You'll get the names and a bit of the history behind them in one answer.
What might make this harder
Score your best guess and expect it to change. The point is a starting order, and day 90 is there to correct it.
Questions people ask
Who should I meet in my first 30 days at a new job?
Your manager, your manager's manager, the people who review or receive your work, and the partners your team depends on. Ask your manager who they'd add, and ask each person you meet who else you should know.
How do I introduce myself to coworkers at a new job?
A short note saying you've just joined, how your work connects to theirs, and a request for 20 minutes to understand what they're focused on. Mentioning who suggested you reach out helps.
What should I ask in a meet-and-greet at a new job?
Ask how their work and yours connect, what's on their plate this quarter, and who else they'd suggest you meet. Then mostly listen.
Is it okay to ask senior people for time when I'm new?
Usually, yes. Keep it to 20 minutes and one clear reason, like how your work connects to theirs. If you're unsure, ask your manager first, or ask them for an introduction.
Why this works, and where it comes from
The first months of a job come with a window that closes quietly. While you're new, asking anyone for twenty minutes is expected, and after a few months it starts to need a reason. Most people spend the window on their own team and their manager, which makes sense, and then discover in month four that a decision about their work sits with someone they've never spoken to.
A newcomer who asks how their work can help tends to be a pleasant surprise. Many of the people you'll depend on mostly hear from new hires when something is needed. Showing up first with curiosity changes your first real request, because it comes from someone they already know and, often, already like.
The two numbers keep you from simply booking the most senior people. Shaping your work is a different question from rank, and how well you know someone is a fact about the relationship, not about either of you. In week two most of the second numbers are 1s, which is the point. The gap between who matters and who you know is widest right at the start, which is exactly why it's the best time to close it.
There are times to hold off. If your manager has already planned your introductions, follow their plan first and use the sheet for whoever it leaves out. And if you joined in the middle of a crisis, your team may need your attention more than anyone on the list; let the meetings wait a couple of weeks rather than squeezing them into a bad moment.
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated October 23, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.