30-60-90 Day Plan
An individual's plan of action in the first 90 days of his employment
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What is the 30-60-90 Day Plan?
The 30-60-90 day plan lays out the actions that an individual intends to take during their first three months on the job. Setting clear objectives and a vision for their skills in each phase of the plan, they make their transition to the new role smooth and easy.
Putting a 30-60-90 plan together requires a bit of research. However, investing one’s time and effort into it pays off big time for the individual.
When to Write a 30-60-90 Day Plan
There are two situations that would call for a 30-60-90 day plan:
1. During a Job Interview
If there’s one thing that can help a candidate stand out from other job seekers, it’s creating a 30-60-90 day plan. The plan doesn’t need to be perfect. The simple gesture that the interviewee took time to learn more about the company and create the strategy speaks volumes!
The good thing is that job seekers are free to present their plan as they see fit. They can write down their course of action on paper or give a PowerPoint presentation.
During the job interview, an HR manager looks for responses to questions such as:
- Does the candidate understand what the new role entails?
- Can they perform well on the job?
- Will they exceed the company’s expectations?
When the job seeker prepares a realistic 30-60-90 day plan for the recruiter, they answer all three questions at once. They demonstrate to the hiring managers that they are self-driven, possess a strong work ethic, and are devoted to success on the job.
2. During the First Week of a New Job
Another situation that warrants writing a 30-60-90 day plan is when an individual gets hired.
With such a plan, the hiring manager will get to learn how you conduct yourself and address any problems he sees. Ultimately, the plan helps the employee transition better into his new role.
How to Write a 30-60-90 Day Plan
Ideally, the individual should aim to write a page for every 30-day section. It should contain the specific actions that he or she plans to take while in their new position.
First 30 Days
For the first month or so, the employee should focus on training and learning the basics of the company. This includes the company’s systems, procedures that should be adhered to, products and services, software, vendors, and/or clients.
This then means that the majority of the things-to-do should fall along the lines of attending training sessions, gaining and mastering product knowledge, learning major corporate systems, meeting the members of his team, and reviewing company accounts. Essentially, it entails doing all the things one needs to do to get his bearings on the job.
Not every company is able to provide orientation to new employees. So, if the new worker demonstrates his ability to get up to speed all on his own, all the better.
Second 30 Days
With a good grasp of his/her working environment, the employee can now move onto more advanced tasks. They can start studying the best practices in the industry, create goals, meet up with their supervisor and get feedback on their performance, and build meaningful relationships with their co-workers.
The 60-day plan should also include items such as identifying potential mentors, evaluating the efficiency of the company’s processes and procedures, and continuing training. Generally, the second 30 days are about putting what the worker learned (during the first 30 days) into action.
Last 30 Days
At this point, the plan should demonstrate the employee’s firm grasp of the company and confidence in his abilities. Thus, he/she should be preparing to make breakthrough contributions to his team or department. The contributions may include finding new ways to improve customer retention rates or coming up with ideas to save the company money.
Instead of only identifying problems in the company, the worker should be at the forefront of brainstorming possible solutions. By now, the employee should be able to spearhead new initiatives and collaborate with other teams for the good of the company.
When they start to take on new projects, it won’t be long before they catch the attention of the company’s top executives.
Details are Key
The more details an individual can incorporate in his 30-60-90 day plan, the better. Specifics are important, especially if it’s a job seeker trying to impress a hiring manager.
So, whenever possible, the person writing the plan should find out the name of the software the company uses. Or, if they know the kind of orientation that new workers are put through, then that information should be included in the 30-60-90 day plan.
Final Word
If a candidate wants to excel in an interview, he should be prepared to do both the expected and unexpected. One way to do the unexpected is to formulate their 30-60-90 day plan. The plan shows that they are ambitious and ready to start on their new role.
New employees should also consider preparing a similar plan during their first week on the job. It helps them to transition smoothly and learn the basics of the company.
More Resources
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