To perform exceptionally well in the interview process, job seekers have to do both the expected and unexpected. One way to do the unexpected in the final stages of the interview process, especially for a job seeker at the manager level and above, is to craft a 30-60-90 Day Plan. The first 90 days on a new job often determines whether or not the employee gets the opportunity to remain with the organization. If you have taken the time to create a 30-60-90 Day Plan, when hired, you hit the ground running because you are prepared to do the job.
So what’s a 30-60-90 Day Plan? A 30-60-90 Day Plan is a written outline of your strategy, and the plans you have for the first three months on the job. It’s one of the most powerful tools you can bring to the final stages of the employment interview process. It can be a PowerPoint presentation or paper-based. During an employment interview, a hiring manager is looking for responses to the following basic questions:
Do you understand what the job entails?
Can you perform the job?
Will you perform the job?
When you prepare an effective 30-60-90 Day Plan for your employment interview, you answer all of the questions above. It demonstrates to the hiring manager that you are driven, have a strong work ethic, are committed to success on the job; and you also demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to effectively perform in the role. Your plan also reassures the hiring manager that you are a safe hire.
Tips for Creating an Effective 30-60-90 Day Plan
The Plan has to be customized and targeted to a specific employer – a generic plan defeats the purpose of the exercise.
Conduct thorough research to identify the top three strategic initiatives of the organization. Look for clues to alert you as to what issues are keeping managers up at night. Places to conduct your research for your 30-60-90 Day Plan include: The corporate website, Google, Twitter, the company’s page on LinkedIn, and the profiles of people who work for the organization, LinkedIn groups where they hangout, and industry groups.
It should be one to four pages in length, with as little or as much detail as you are comfortable sharing about what you will do during the first 90 days on the job for which you are applying. The examples below are possible activities during each time period. Use the information you uncovered during your company research to customize your Plan for the company, and make sure that you address the three most important strategic initiatives you identified.
Introduction: An overview of what you would like to accomplish the first three months on the job.
30-Day Plan/First 30 days on the job: During the first 30 days on the job, time is spent attending training, meeting team members, learning the organization’s systems and its products and services, reviewing procedures and client accounts.
60-Day Plan/First 60 days on the job: Studying best practices in the industry, setting goals for the next 30 days, meeting with supervisor to gather feedback, building relationships with your colleagues, identifying potential mentors, reviewing the efficiency of company processes and procedures, visiting other department, and continuing to attend training.
90-Day Plan/First 90 days on the job: Obtaining feedback on new processes and procedures, implementing new strategies and procedures, and addressing the three strategic initiatives.
It will take a while to create your 30-60-90 Day Plan so don’t start preparing it the night before your interview. Make your plan as visually attractive as possible and use it to close in your interview.
Your plan is a conversation tool, so when the hiring manager asks the first question that your plan addresses, that’s the perfect opportunity to discuss your 30-60-90 Day Plan with the hiring manager. By going through the process of creating a 30-60-90 Day Plan, you unearth detailed information about the company, which enables you to appear knowledgeable and confident in the interview.