30-60-90 Day Plan: Advice From Career Experts
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Editor & Writer
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Editor & Writer
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- A 30-60-90 day plan describes what you'll do in the first three months of a new venture.
- These plans are a popular tool for job interviews and the beginning of a new role.
- Elements of a 30-60-90 day plan include focus, priorities, goals, and metrics.
- You can check out example plans for a first job and a new managerial role.
If you're ready to start a new job, there's an employee engagement statistic worth keeping in mind.
According to a 2021 Gallup report, After trending up in recent years, employee engagement in the U.S. saw its first annual decline in a decade.
In early 2022 the numbers weren't improving, with 32% of full- and part-time employees engaged
and 17% actively disengaged.
How does this affect you?
Well, being aware of low employee engagement levels is important for two reasons. First, you can prevent yourself from falling into this unhealthy trend. Second, you can make yourself stand out in interviews and onboarding as an engaged employee.
And one way to do this is with a 30-60-90 day plan.
What Is a 30-60-90 Day Plan?
A 30-60-90 day plan describes what a person intends to do within 30, 60, and 90 days of starting something new. Whether it's a promotion or a big new project, there are multiple ways to use this plan.
You can make your 90 day plan formal. You can make a polished presentation to give in a job interview or a document for your manager to review and approve once you've started your new job.
But your 90 day plan can also be as informal as a note you've created on your phone for personal reference. Either way, it should be a tool to help keep yourself engaged in your new work.
Benefits of a 30-60-90 Day Plan
Presenting your 30-60-90 day plan in a job interview is a concrete way to show a future employer the work ethic and knowledge you'd bring to a role. While the plan will likely change after a direct manager reviews it, creating the plan before you even have the job shows initiative.
Using a 30-60-90 day plan for a new job solidifies what you intend to accomplish in your first three months. It helps you prioritize your focus with smart goals during what's generally an uncertain time. When getting used to a new company, role, and colleagues, a 30-60-90 day plan provides you with guidance and measurable ways of assessing your first three months.
What Should You Include in a 30-60-90 Day Plan?
Jonathan Hill, chairman and CEO of The Energists, recommends introducing yourself to your entire team in the first 30 days of your new job — especially if it's a remote or hybrid role.
Make a point of personally reaching out to the people you'll be working most closely with during your first month,
Hill said. Make sure you're available and responsive to communications to establish an early rapport with your new colleagues.
The other key focus of your first 30 days at a new job is simply to learn.
Daniel Santos, CEO of Prepory, said, In your first 30 days, learn everything you can about your organization. What do people value? What's celebrated? What's working? What are the obstacles? How's failure treated? Your own context should inspire its own set of questions. Learn as much as you can, and recognize that much of your learning will come from observation, not questioning.
What about your first 60-90 days?
Hill recommends creating a consistent schedule to help you stay organized and effectively manage your work time and projects.
And Santos suggests identifying your strengths and weaknesses in a new context, seeking feedback, finding a mentor, and setting goals.
At a Glance: Elements of a 30-60-90 Day Plan
Determine your focus
Set learning priorities
Assign applicable goals
Measure goal completion
30-60-90 Day Plan Example for Your First Job
Below is an example 30-60-90 day plan for someone entering their first job in social media. While it's for a social media role specifically, the goals and metrics are the only elements specific to this job.
In fact, this example plan can work as a 30-60-90 day plan template for new jobs in a variety of industries.
Days 1-30
- Focus: Meet and build relationships with team members.
- Learning Priority: Learn the names, roles, and work styles of new colleagues.
- Goals: Talk with someone new informally at least once a day — this could happen in person or via chat. And formally meet with someone new at least once a week.
- Metric: Keep track of names, dates met, and helpful information learned about people's roles and work styles in a running document.
Days 31-60
- Focus: Establish a consistent schedule.
- Learning Priority: Learn how best to manage your time and projects in your new role.
- Goal: Determine the best time blocks for meetings, focused work, and social interaction with colleagues.
- Metrics: Add determined time blocks to your calendar and communicate boundaries with team members.
Days 61-90
- Focus: Identify a mentor.
- Learning Priority: Have a career advocate with institutional knowledge to help you grow on your new professional journey.
- Goal: Identify and request at least one mentor before completing your first 90 days.
- Metric: You made at least one request, and a meaningful conversation took place.
30-60-90 Day Plan Example for Managers
Below is an example 30-60-90 day plan for someone entering a new managerial role. Keep in mind that a manager will likely have more moving responsibilities and impromptu meetings.
Days 1-30
- Focus: Meet and build relationships with team members.
- Learning Priority: Learn the names, roles, and work styles of the employees you're now managing to lead them best.
- Goals: Hold an all-team meeting the first week to introduce yourself and begin building team unity under your new leadership. Formally meet with someone new every day until you've had a one-on-one with every team member, no matter their role or time with the company.
- Metrics: Make a running list of everyone on your team and check off names as you schedule and hold meetings. Keep track of names, dates met, and helpful information learned about each person's role and work style in a running document.
Days 31-60
- Focus: Develop a consistent schedule.
- Learning Priority: Learn how best to manage your time, projects, and employees in your new role and work environment.
- Goals: Determine time blocks best for meetings, focused work, and social interaction with your employees and other colleagues. Set standing time for weekly team meetings and one-on-ones with employees.
- Metrics: Add determined time blocks to your calendar. Communicate boundaries with team members (verbally and/or through away messages on chat). Respect standing meetings with employees to learn from them and show them you honor their time.
Days 61-90
- Focus: Choose a mentor.
- Learning Priority: Have a career advocate with institutional knowledge to help you grow on your new professional journey.
- Goal: Identify and request at least one mentorship before completing your first 90 days.
- Metric: You made at least one request, and a meaningful conversation took place.
Bottom Line
Following a 30-60-90 day plan is a smart career move. Whether you use a plan to stand out in an interview or make the most of your first 90 days in a new job, you'll be grateful for the direction it provides.
First-time professional straight out of college? Seasoned professional new to management?
Do yourself a favor and set yourself up for success with a 30-60-90 day plan.
