During an interview, you can encounter a great variety of different questions.
One that you should absolutely be prepared for is any questions regarding your 30-60-90-day plan.
And if you are asking yourself what is that – it is exactly what it sounds like – it is all about your intentions for the first 30, 60, and 90 days on your new job.
But answering such a question can be quite tricky, you need to both show a plan, but also add in some enthusiasm about the job opportunity itself.
We’ve got you covered, in this article, we are going to explore the following questions:
- Why do recruiters ask about your 30-60-90-day plan?
- What is the best approach to answer a question about your 30-60-90-day plan?
And we are going to leave you off with some great example answers to get you started on your own.
If it all sounds good, let’s dive in.
Why do recruiters ask about your 30-60-90-day plan
AI-Generated Interview Questions from Your Resume
Drop your resume here or choose a file. PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.
Before we go any further, we need to figure out why recruiters are interested in your 30-60-90-day plan.
Your first 30, 60, and 90 day on a new job represent your first 3 months on your new position.
That time is crucial for you to show how well you are adjusting to the job, your team, and the overall company culture.
And that’s exactly what recruiters are interested in.
Furthermore, the recruiter would also want to find out how well you understand the duties and expectations for the position.
If you do your research, and provide a well-crafted answer, it can absolutely put you one step ahead of your competition.
Best approach to answer a question about your 30-60-90-day plan
Now that you understand why recruiters ask about your 30-60-90-day plan, it is time to figure out the best way to answer a question about it.
As we said, a good answer here can easily put you one step ahead of other candidates.
Here are a few simple steps for you to follow to make the best out of your answer.
Research the position
The first step you need to take to prepare yourself for 30-60-90-day plan questions, is to research the company you are and interviewing for, and the position itself.
Take the time and search through the company website, and read any articles you can find about them, so that you can understand what do they value, and what is their culture all about.
After that, make sure you carefully read the job description, in order for you to understand what your responsibilities would be.
You can even go one step further – if you know someone working in a similar position, don’t miss out on asking them whatever you are interested in about the work, as it can only help you prepare for the interview.
Determine your goals
After you are done with your research, it is time to get the basis of your answer ready – the goals you would like to achieve within your 30-60-90-day plan.
Think about any projects you would like to complete, or any tasks you plan to handle.
Setting goals can be hard at first, so if you would like to make the process a little easier, you can break your goals down into categories, like:
- Learning goals
- Performance goals
- Personal goals
Highlight your qualification
Once you have your goals ready, it is time to show that you have what it takes to accomplish them.
Think about your previous work experience, all skills you have acquired over the years, as well as your education, and use all that to show that you are qualified enough to get the job done.
Show some examples
But simply listing skills is not enough to impress recruiters, you need to think about specific examples you can use to back up your qualification.
Think about any goals you have accomplished, and briefly share the experience with the recruiter, so that they would know you have the qualifications you claim to have.
However, if you lack the experience, and can’t think of such examples, you can always discuss specific times when you took initiative to learn new skills.
Don't be afraid to ask questions
Interviews are two-way conversations – they are not just about you answering questions, but about asking some as well.
It is important to ask some questions yourself, and after answering a question about your 30-60-90-day plan, it is the perfect time to ask if your plan aligns with the one the company has in mind.
You can also build things up with some additional questions like:
- How can I be successful in my first three months in that position?
- What training should I expect to receive in the first the months in that position?
- What are the short- and long-term goals for that position?
Example answers to a question about your 30-60-90-day plan
And now, as promised, we are going to provide you with some example answers about a 30-60-90-day plan.
We are going to take a look at three different examples depending on the position’s level.
Example for entry-level position
In my first 30 days in the company, I would like to work closely with my whole team, so that I can get a better understanding of the projects we are working on. During my next month, my goal is to start taking some tasks, and get in the practical part of the work with my colleagues’ assistance. After 90 days, I plan to be ready to start working on company projects without supervision from colleagues.
Example for mid-level position
With my experience, I believe I can adapt quickly and effectively in the new position in your company. During my first 30 days, I plan to meet with each member of the team and learn about the processes you have established. After my first month in the company, I plan to use what I have learned about your processes, and along with my experience to start delivering quality results. In my previous position, I managed to achieve my goals withing my first three months, and I am confident I can do the same in that position.
Example for management position
I have several goals I plan to achieve within the first 90 days in the company. In my first month, I plan to schedule one-on-one meetings with each member of my team, so that I can learn more about them, their position, and their responsibilities, as well as gather some feedback about the established processes in the company. In my second month on the job, I will use all I have learned from the on-on-one meetings, and along with observing the workload, I will work on optimizing the processes, and deliver better results from the team. In my third month on the position, I want to re-check the processes, see the progress we have made as a team, and re-evaluate if the process can be optimized even more. I believe I can accomplish that in the first 90 days in the job. In my last 3 positions, I increased the results delivered by the team by 15-20% within the first 3 months on the job.
Takeaways
We are all done, now you know how to handle 30-60-90-day plan questions just right.
Let’s do a quick recap to make sure you are ready to nail your answer, you need to:
- Research the position – read carefully the job description, and learn whatever you can about the company culture and values
- Determine your goals – think about the goals you would want to achieve withing the 1st, 2nd and 3rd month on the job. To make the processes a little easier, you can separate your goals in categories, like learning, performance and personal goals
- Highlight your qualifications – think about your previous experience, education, and your whole skill set, and show the recruiter that you have the qualifications needed to achieve your goals
- Show some examples – back up your qualifications with some real-life examples, so that the recruiter would feel confident about your skills
- Ask questions – it is important to ask follow-up questions, and check if your 30-60-90-day plan matches the company’s expectations
Check out our examples one last time, and prepare your own answer for your next job interview.
Make one that's truly you.
