When Is the Best Time to Present the 30/60/90-day Plan?

The best time to present your 30/60/90-day plan is in your first face-to-face interview. In this difficult economy, many well-qualified people are applying for jobs, creating some stiff competition for you, so you’re going to want to come out of the gate strong. Don’t bother trying to bring it up during your phone interview—I don’t think you can present it well over the phone. I do think that you can email it to the hiring manager if you are trying to get the hiring manager’s attention and you’ve exhausted your other methods. So, the optimum time to present your 30/60/90 is during your interview, when the hiring manager asks you something like:

“What will you do during X amount of time?” “How do you think you will tackle this problem?” “How do you think you will be strategic in this job?” “Why do you think you’re a good fit for this job?” “How can you overcome this challenge?” “What will you do to educate yourself on this particular problem?” “How will you attack this particular problem?” “How will you decide which accounts to go see first?” (if you’re in sales) “How will you decide which problems to prioritize?” (if you’re in a management or operations role) “How will you work to make sure you provide the creative pieces that will make you successful in this role?” (if you’re in a creative position)

Basically, you’re presenting the plan when the hiring manager gives you an opportunity to talk about how you’ll go about this job—because the 30/60/90-day plan is a forward-looking document that outlines what you will do in the first 90 days after you’re hired. Why is this so great? Because it allows you to highlight your experience and understanding of the job in a much greater way than you will be able to by just answering interview questions. It helps the hiring manager to “see” you in the job by giving him a clear picture of what life will look like after you’re hired. It works for experienced candidates, it works for rookies, and it will work for you.