Starting a new job is exciting, but it’s also one of the highest-risk windows of your career. You’re learning new systems, decoding a new culture, and trying to prove you belong—all at once. And according to recruitment data from Robert Walters, 46% of new hires fail within their first 18 months. That’s not because they lack talent. It’s usually because they don’t build the right relationships fast enough. If you want to get promoted faster, your first 90 days shouldn’t just be about doing the work. It should be about building a strategic network that makes your work easier to execute and easier to notice.
Why Relationships Matter More Than Skills in a New Job
Most new hires assume performance alone will carry them, but workplaces don’t run on job descriptions. They run on trust, influence, and informal systems. The fastest way to struggle is to operate like you’re on an island. The fastest way to win is to connect yourself to the people who understand how things really work. When you build relationships early, you get clearer information, faster approvals, and fewer avoidable mistakes. You also reduce the awkward friction that slows down collaboration. In short, relationships aren’t “extra.” They’re your promotion engine.
1) The Veteran Admin or Executive Assistant (Your Workplace GPS)
If there’s one person who can help you thrive immediately, it’s the veteran admin or executive assistant. This might be an EA to a senior leader, an office manager, or a long-time team administrator. They’re often the unofficial chief of operations, and they know the unwritten rules better than anyone. Your manager can tell you what needs to happen, but this person can tell you how it actually gets done. They know who approves budgets, how to get a meeting with a busy executive, and what process shortcuts are real versus imaginary. Befriending them isn’t politics—it’s professionalism.
How to Approach the Veteran Admin Without Looking Clueless
The best way to build this relationship is to lead with humility and respect. Introduce yourself as the new hire, and be clear that you’re trying to get up to speed on how things work in the organization. Mention you’ve heard they’re the best person to learn from because they understand the real workflow. Ask for 10 minutes to clarify basic processes like scheduling, approvals, and team norms. Keep it light, simple, and appreciative. Then follow up with genuine gratitude, because gratitude is relationship glue. When you earn their trust, you gain speed.
2) The Cross-Functional Peer (Your Secret Promotion Ally)
The second person you need is your cross-functional peer—someone at your level in a department your team depends on. If you’re in marketing, think sales. If you’re in product, think engineering. If you’re in operations, think finance or customer success. This person becomes your shortcut through organizational silos. When you build the relationship early, you gain insight into what their team needs, what pressures they’re under, and how to collaborate without friction. Later, when a high-stakes project shows up, you won’t be negotiating trust from scratch. You’ll already have a partner.
How Cross-Functional Relationships Help You Get Promoted Faster
Cross-functional trust makes you look more capable than your job title. It signals maturity, influence, and leadership potential—because you can move work across teams without drama. Start by positioning yourself as a collaborative equal, not someone asking for favors. Introduce yourself and say you’re excited to work closely together on shared goals. Ask what success looks like for their team this quarter, and listen carefully. When you understand their priorities, you can align your work to support them. That’s how you become known as “easy to work with” in the best way.
3) Your Boss’s Boss (The Visibility Shortcut Most People Ignore)
The third person is your boss’s boss, often through a skip-level meeting. This leader holds the department’s bigger strategy and sees how teams connect across the organization. Meeting them does two powerful things: it puts you on their radar, and it helps you connect your daily work to the larger mission. When promotion time comes, you won’t just be a name on a spreadsheet. You’ll be a person they’ve met who understands the business. Visibility doesn’t replace performance, but it amplifies it. And in most companies, promotions follow visibility plus results.
How to Get a Skip-Level Meeting Without Undermining Your Manager
The key is doing it the right way—always with your manager’s blessing. You never want to make your manager feel like you’re going around them or playing politics. Instead, tell your manager you’re trying to understand the department’s big-picture goals and would love to introduce yourself to their manager. Ask if they’re comfortable with that, and let them guide the timing. Once approved, send a short email introducing yourself as the new [title] on your manager’s team. Share that you’re excited to contribute and would value 15 minutes to learn their vision for the year. Keep it respectful, brief, and focused on learning.
The Bottom Line: Promotions Follow Relationships, Not Just Output
Your success in a new job isn’t only about what you produce—it’s also about how quickly you become trusted and connected. By building relationships with the veteran admin, the cross-functional peer, and your boss’s boss, you create speed, clarity, and visibility. You’ll make fewer mistakes, execute faster, and understand the real rules of the workplace. That foundation makes your performance easier to sustain—and easier to recognize. In your first 90 days, don’t just try to be impressive. Be strategically connected. That’s how careers accelerate.
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