To help make yourself stand out further in an interview process and move you closer to landing your next career step, you could implement what is known as the 30 / 60 / 90-day plan.
This plan is a documented process that will help you maximise efficiency in the new position, highlighting to the prospected employer what you will bring to the new role and also expresses your seriousness about them as a business.
Why should you create a plan?
A 30 / 60 / 90-day plan is not overly common but it is an extremely useful tool for both applicant and organisation, especially if you are hired.
A plan can help create a positive impression on the interviewer as you demonstrate you are someone who can think long term.
It will help with a smoother on-boarding as your goals will already be set out based on your research into the position and employer.
You will have clear personal goals set for the first 90 days, increasing your productivity in the new position.
It will increase your chances of being hired as it shows your seriousness to that particular company.
When is best to create a plan?
When you create a plan will depend on how active you are in your job search, however we recommend creating a 30 / 60 / 90-day plan for every final meeting you attend as a minimum. These plans are unique to the organisation you are speaking with as they rely specifically on the companies’ mission, values and job opening, therefore if you are applying to lots of companies it might be a bit too difficult to manage doing them at the beginning of your application.
Saying that, if you are highly interested in one particular company, say Tesla for example, then creating a plan much sooner to help stand out from the crowd would benefit you in this case.
When do you use this plan?
We mentioned it above already but to go into more detail here. A 30 / 60 / 90-day plan is generally used as an interviewing tool.
We will cover what makes up a plan in a moment, which will allow you to understand why we suggest creating them for your final interviews, but generally you could use a created plan as a conversation piece in any interview you participate in, there is no strict format just wherever feels comfortable to you.
What is covered in a plan?
Having an overview of the benefits, when to create a plan and the best time to use one is great but let’s look deeper in what is covered and the way to structure a plan that will aid you in your job application.
A 30 / 60 / 90-day play should be split into four sub-categories:
Learning
Each phase should involve several learning objectives, especially in the first thirty days.
Priorities
Based on your research about the company, where can you help improve performance? How can your own personal responsibilities align with the companies’ mission and values?
Personal Goals
Having identified previously where you can improve performance, what exactly will define success here, what will the end goal be during each phase?
Actions / Metrics
With a clear goal in mind, how will you track and measure your progress?
Putting it altogether
Let’s say you currently work as a Frontend Developer but you’re applying for a Full-Stack JavaScript position…
30 days
These first thirty days will require you to spend a lot of time learning about the companies’ processes; code base; ticketing systems as well as improving your Node.JS knowledge. Therefore, your plan could look a little like this:
Sit with senior members of the technical team to identify correct process and ticketing system.
Reaffirm my knowledge by presenting it back to the wider development team.
Work with Full-Stack developers to improve my own Node.JS knowledge with 3 pair programming sessions a week.
Meet everyone in the technical, design and product team and introduce myself.
60 days
After the first thirty days, you will now need to start moving your work in alignment to the expectations set out for this particular role. You have taken time to learn about the processes and improve your technical knowledge, it is now about delivering results and showing the improvements. A basic example could be:
Pick up and deliver 3 Node.JS tickets by myself that are reviewed and approved by Senior Node developers within the team.
90 days
You should well and truly be on your way to having your performance aligned fully with the organisation’s goals. You should have continued to build your knowledge during the first sixty days with your direct team, wider organisation and technology stack and now be in a position to really make an impact.
Goals set here should be longer term now but still SMART (specific, measurable, attainable realistic and time-bound), the goals during this phase will vary based on your own personal career ambitions aligned with the companies’ mission, get creative and think big.
Things to remember when creating a plan
Hopefully you feel comfortable putting together your own 30 / 60 / 90-day plan now, but before you do, take note of the below. You can also check back to this article whenever you need to create a plan as a helping hand.
Align your plan with the company
Creating a 30 / 60 / 90-day plan is all about alignment to the organisation. Showing them that you have thought about being in their company and what you can achieve. You therefore cannot articulate a great plan without researching the companies’ mission, values, products, market share and current processes.
Speak with team members new and old, research only, ask your recruiter for help, whatever you choose be detailed.
Understand the job on offer
Similar to the above, as the plan is based on a particular job offering, your plan should reflect this. We used the example Frontend to Full-Stack, but even Frontend to Senior Frontend will require you to truly understand the opening and what responsibilities come with it.
We suggest you speak with people within your network currently doing the job you are applying for to gauge a better understanding of what is expected of you in that type of role.
Be detailed in your explanation
With a bit of luck, you would have gone to great length in your research and would have produced a detailed plan. Don’t shy away from explaining it during the interview, present your plan with pride in whatever format you wish (paper, PowerPoint etc.)
Be ready to change course
A plan is a plan, it is not set in stone. Things change, even after you are hired. You might find yourself in a new team or on a new project, don’t let this throw you off your own personal career course. Correct your goals and continue once more with new information.
Creating and showcasing a 30 / 60 / 90-day plan is by no means a mandatory task (unless the company want to see it), and it is not all too common in tech industry. However, opting to make one and using it correctly during an interview could be the difference between getting a job and not. If you would like us to review your plan before your interview, feel free to reach out today.
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