A friend of mine, who was out of work for over a year, just landed a job.  Congratulations to him!  It was a long ordeal and the searching is finally over for him.  One of the interview questions he was asked was:  “what was his plan for tackling the job – head on – from day one?“.

Well, my friend had already created a 30 – 60 – 90 day plan of action and was prepared for this question.  The answers he gave from his thoughtful preparation probably assisted greatly in landing the job for him.

So what is a 30-60-90-day plan?

It is a written document outlining what you will do as an employee within the first 3 months of your employment. It’s broken up into sections: the first 30 days usually includes training, as well as getting to know the company and customers; the next 30 days are more focused on getting out on your own and into the swing of things; and the last 30 days are often more about branching out and being effective with the key elements of the position – what you were hired to do in the first place.

Here is what the 30-60-90-day plan can do for you.  Here is why is it so important and really makes a difference:

• Shows initiative. You are already doing something that’s not required, but that would be helpful. It gives hiring managers a clear idea of what they can look forward to if they hire you-an outstanding, take-charge, thoughtful, focused employee.
• Shows preparation. A 30-60-90-day plan can’t be done at the last minute. Creating one shows you are thinking and planning ahead, and know how to work. If you’ll do that for the interview, it’s a good bet for them that you’ll do that in the job.
• Shows your writing skills. That’s important. It shows your communication skills, your Word Document skills, and your ability to put something together. It shows that you know how to impress.
• Shows that you’ve done your homework. You took the time to get to know the company. When you can name specific things relating to the company in your document (types of clients, names of competitors, top products, business and CRM systems, what their initiatives are or what their mission statement) it presents you as a very desirable candidate who is interested in THIS position and not just a job .
• Shows that you know a lot about the position. You’re already writing down what you will do in the first 3 months. You know what’s going on, and what you’re getting into.
• When you present a 30-60-90-day plan correctly during the interview, it shows that you can control a client-customer interaction or a presentation, that you can effectively communicate the points you want to make, and that you can gather information because hopefully you’re asking questions as you present it.

Suggestion: Along with your thank you note after your interview you might include some items from your list; do not include all.

Rather, save most of your items for the second and third round of interviews.  This is how you will stand out – to show that your are focused, have a story – a presentation to tell, are excellent with communication skills – verbally and in writing.

Now go out and get that job – just like my friend did!