Congratulations. You worked hard, you interviewed well, you asked for the vote and you got the offer. Most people take a deep breath at this point and stop thinking about their career for a few years. I understand the feeling. But after 40 years as an executive recruiter, I can tell you the first 90 days in a new role are some of the most important days of your whole career. What you do right now sets up your reputation inside the company and your options outside of it.

Here are six moves I coach executives to make the moment they land.

1. Be a class act and thank everyone who helped

In my book Work Your Network! I tell job seekers to send an announcement to EVERYONE they talked to during their entire search. Thank them for their help and tell them where you are going to work. Here’s the amazing part: 18 out of 20 people skip this step. That means a simple, sincere note puts you in the top 10 percent overnight.

Think about who belongs on that list. The friend who passed along your resume. The former boss who gave you a reference. The recruiter who coached you. The hiring manager at the company that said no but treated you well. Every one of them is now a little more invested in your success, and every one of them will remember you the next time an opportunity comes across their desk.

2. Update your resume in your first week

This one surprises people. I write in the book that in any new job, your first assignment is to update your resume. I’m not suggesting you bounce from job to job. I’m saying opportunity favors the prepared mind. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve called someone with a great opportunity and they didn’t have a current resume. By the time they got it together, the door had closed. Opportunities knock at funny times. Always be ready.

While you’re at it, update your LinkedIn profile with your new title and a short, upbeat note about the move. Then keep a running list of your wins as they happen. Six months from now you won’t remember the details, and those details are what make a resume sing.

3. Make other people feel important

Dale Carnegie taught a simple idea I call MOPFI: Make Other People Feel Important. In a new role, everyone is quietly sizing you up. Your boss, your peers, your team and the assistant who runs the front office all want to know one thing: is this person going to be good to work with?

Win them over by being curious. Ask people what they do, what’s working and what they’d change if they could. Listen more than you talk. Learn names and use them. Give credit freely. An executive who spends the first month listening earns the trust to make big changes in month three.

4. Get a few early wins, then go bigger

New leaders often want to prove themselves with a bold move in week one. Slow down. Your first job is to understand the business, the people and the history behind the way things are done. Then look for two or three problems you can solve quickly that matter to your boss. Early wins build credibility, and credibility is the currency you spend later on the harder changes.

Sit down with your boss early and ask, “What does a great first 90 days look like to you?” Write down the answer. Then check in along the way so there are no surprises.

5. Keep networking now that you don’t need to

Here’s the mistake I see most often. People network like crazy while they’re looking, then go silent the day they start. The best time to build your network is when you don’t need it. Stay in touch with the people who helped you. Have coffee or lunch with someone new inside the company every week. Join an industry association. Be the person who makes introductions for others.

Your network is like a garden. If you only water it during a drought, it won’t be there when you need it most.

6. Keep your eyes open, even when you’re happy

I’ve always believed it doesn’t hurt to take an interview every year or two just to see what’s out there. Just because you look doesn’t mean you have to leap. When I wrote Work Your Network! I shared the story of the CEO of W.R. Grace, who actually encouraged his employees to explore the market every few years. If they found something better, he could match it or wish them well. And more often than not, they looked around, realized what a good job they already had and came back as better employees.

Knowing your value keeps you sharp, confident and loyal for the right reasons. And when the right opportunity does come along, you’ll be ready instead of caught flat-footed.

The Bottom Line

Landing the job is not the finish line. It’s the starting line. Thank the people who got you there, keep your resume ready, make others feel important, earn some early wins and keep your network growing. Do those six things in your first 90 days and you’ll be the kind of leader people want to hire again and again.

If you’re an executive thinking about your next move, or a company looking to hire one, our network of 700 recruiters is here to help. Reach out anytime at info@josephmichaels.com.