how to write a business plan for interview

Free 30-60-90 Day Plan Template for Interviews

By Biron Clark

Published: November 8, 2023

Interview Preparation

Biron Clark

Writer & Career Coach

One of the best ways to stand out in your interview is to create a 90-day business plan (also called a 30-60-90-day plan) to show employers how you’ll help them in the first three months on the job.

Having a plan to learn the job and succeed quickly is going to set you apart from other candidates and make you more attractive to employers.

Let’s look at how to create a plan that will land you the job…

How to Create a 90-Day Business Plan for Job Interviews

I recommend splitting your 90-day business plan into three sections: 0-30 days, 30-60 days, and 60-90 days.

So we’ll actually be creating a 30-60-90 day plan.

We’ll divide it into three periods, and you’ll outline different goals and milestones for each of the first three months.

I’ll help you do this below.

If you prefer to lump everything together into a single 90-day period, that’s fine too.

What to Write About in Your 30-60-90 Day Business Plan

In your business plan, you want to show the interviewer the following:

• You understand what the job involves
• You’re capable of quickly learning and performing the job duties
• You’re motivated to learn and do the work
• How you plan on learning and succeeding. Which specific steps will you take to reach your goals?

So let’s look at each 30-day period now, and what should go into each…

The First 30 Days

In the first part of your business plan, you’ll want to focus on training/learning.

The company likely has a training program (if you’re not sure, this is a good question to ask in the interview ).

So what is your plan to make the most of their training, and get up to speed quickly?

This could include reviewing and studying at home each night for the first week, staying 30 minutes late to review what you learned each day, finding a teammate to have lunches with, or finding a fellow new hire to review with (if you’re in a training class with multiple people).

Other things to talk about in the first part of your plan:

• How will you learn about the company’s products/services ?
• If you’re new to this industry, how will you learn the industry/market overall?
• How will you learn this company’s systems and procedures? (They might have an employee booklet you can review, so include some time to review this in the first 30-day period of your business plan.

Your goal in this section is to show them you have a detailed plan and a lot of motivation to learn the basics of the job and understand how they operate quickly.

The Next 30 Days

The next 30 days should focus on how you’ll learn and improve by “doing”.

By now, you should be able to start using what you’ve learned to perform some of the job duties on your own.

You might be interacting with team members, customers, etc. (this will depend on your specific position)

And while learning is still a focus here, you want to show them that you plan on being ready to work hands-on and learn in a real-world environment.

Also, a big part of this section should be getting feedback from your manager to see how you’re progressing.

What is your plan for checking in, receiving and organizing feedback, and using it to improve?

Most new employees wait for their manager to set up a meeting to review their performance…

Show the interviewer that you’re different – that you’ll take initiative and be responsible for this yourself.

Employers love when a job candidate seems proactive and self-starting.

The Final 30 Days

In the final 30 days of your 90-day plan, you want to show the interviewer that you’ll be ready to use everything you’ve learned to work independently.

You’ll be up-to-speed, contributing to the team’s efforts, and not requiring any more supervision/help than anyone else on the team.

You may also want to talk about ways you’ll go above and beyond the basic job duties now.

This could include looking for processes that can be improved, finding new ways to help the company get more customers, etc.

Also, you can still include steps for getting feedback and continuing to improve.

But it should be less of a focus here. The main focus now should be on contributions, independent work, and “taking off” with what you’ve learned.

What will you be able to do for them? What will you be contributing after 90 days?

Using S.M.A.R.T. Goals

When talking about a specific goal or objective in your 90-day job interview plan, try to use SMART goals whenever possible.

SMART goals are:

Saying, “I plan on being very good at serving customers after 90 days,” doesn’t say much.

However, it sounds a lot more impressive if you say something like, “At the 90-day mark, I plan on achieving 120% of the monthly goal for customer service calls taken, and I will achieve a customer satisfaction rating of 98% or greater.”

Using “Learning Goals” and “Performance Goals”

One strategy I’ve seen used very effectively is to divide your main goals for each 30-day period into two different categories: Learning Goals and Performance Goals.

You’ll have more Learning Goals than Performance Goals in the first 30-day period.

Then, as you move through the plan, you’ll gradually shift to having more Performance Goals, and fewer Learning Goals (but still some!)

You can also add one or two personal goals, such as having lunch with one new team member per week, or visiting the gym after work two nights per week to stay healthy.

Don’t worry if this sounds complicated. Coming up soon I’m going to show you a full example of a 90-day plan for your interview, that you can copy. 

And in that sample business plan, you’ll see the three different categories laid out (Learning Goals, Performance Goals, and Personal Goals).

Creating and Formatting Your 90-Day Plan

If you’re comfortable making a good-looking document in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or some other word-processing software, feel free to use that to create your 30-60-90 day business plan.

Otherwise, I’d recommend using Canva.com .

The website has great templates for creating a PDF, and it’s free to use. I use it myself for creating images and PDF guides for this blog .

Make it EASY to Skim and Read

I’d keep the whole document to 1-2 pages maximum.

It’s an outline/presentation, not an essay. 

Try to avoid long paragraphs and giant blocks of text with no spacing.

Make it skimmable and easy to read.

Use headers, bullets, etc.

Here’s a full example of how you might lay out your 90-day plan…

30-60-90 Day Plan Template/Example:

0-30 Days: (Write your main focus and objective here. The priority should be learning and getting up to speed on the basics as quickly as possible. What will you need to learn to perform well in the job, and how will you learn it?) Learning Goals: Learn the company’s entire product offering Study the top 3 competitors’ product offerings to understand strengths/weaknesses Review training manual, and bring any questions to direct supervisor before the end of month 1 Listen to at least 4 sales calls per week with senior team members Learn all industry terminology so I’ll be ready to communicate effectively with prospects and customers Meet with supervisor at the end of each week to discuss progress, questions, and results achieved Performance Goals: Score 100% on the training manual examination on week 3 Personal Goals: Get coffee with each team member before the end of the first month 30-60 Days: (Write your main focus for the next 30 day period here. You should still be learning, but the focus now shifts to taking what you’ve learned and using it in the real world. You want to start doing the work and learning through experience). Learning Goals: Continue listening to 4 sales calls per week with senior team members Find team members to listen to at least 10 of my sales calls per week and provide feedback Meet with supervisor twice per week to ensure I continue learning and progressing as quickly as possible. This will include reviewing my sales call results and the tactics I’m using and working on as I listen to team members Take one free LinkedIn Learning course to improve my sales skills outside of work hours Performance Goals: Conduct a minimum of 12 sales calls per day Convert one sales call per week into a customer Qualify leads and do thorough research of potential clients before calling, so that at least 80% of prospects I speak with are fully-qualified for our products Follow up with each potential prospect/lead within four business days of initial conversation Personal Goals: Have at least two lunches with Supervisors or Team Leaders from other departments to grow my network and better understand how other areas of the organization work. 60-90 Days: (Now you’ll want to show that you’re ready to produce at a high level and be a valuable member of the team. Your learning is never fully done, but this section should talk far less about learning, and really focus on demonstrating what you’ll DO for the employer after 90 days on the job.) Learning Goals: Meet with supervisor once per week to track progress and continue learning sales tactics Performance Goals: Conduct a minimum of 25 outbound sales calls per day Convert 4 sales calls per week into customers Qualify leads and do thorough research of potential clients before calling, so that at least 90% of prospects I speak with are fully-qualified for our products Ask for referrals after each completed sale, and/or after determining a sale is not going to occur. Goal: Obtain five qualified referrals per week and contact each referral within 24 hours. Personal Goals: Join the gym and go every Monday, Wednesday, Friday for one hour minimum.

You can alter this example however you want. This is just one way to set up your 30-60-90 day plan for a job interview.

If you invest the time into creating a plan like this, it will make you stand out and will boost your chances of receiving a job offer.

And once you’ve created a template for yourself, you can re-use it for multiple interviews by changing the basic details to match each job.

How and When to Show Interviewers Your 90-Day Plan

The best time to mention your 90-day plan is at the beginning of the interview.

As you sit down, mention that you brought it by saying something like this:

“By the way – I put together a 90-day plan demonstrating some of the ideas I had for what I could accomplish in the first 3 months in the role. Whenever you think it fits well into the conversation, I’d love to show you some of what I was thinking.”

Now they’re immediately impressed with your preparation and effort, and they can decide whether they want to look at it immediately or discuss your 90-day plan later in the interview.

Either way, you won’t have to constantly think about finding the right to mention it, and you’ll make a fantastic first impression to begin your interview. 

The “Hidden” Benefit of Creating a 30-60-90 Day Plan for Interviews

The steps and free template above involve some work, so you may be thinking, “Is it really worth creating my 30-60-90-day plan for my interview?”

In case you’re on the fence, here’s one of the biggest benefits that you may not have realized.

Creating your plan doesn’t just show hiring managers you’re motivated and ready to hit the ground running.

It also better prepares you for the interview, and for responding to all of the questions that they’re planning on asking you.

You can’t create a 90-day plan without researching the team and company, reviewing the job description, etc.

So you’re going to have a big advantage throughout the interview in terms of showing your new manager that you grasp the role and know what’s needed in the first 30 days, 60 days, and beyond.

You’ll be able to ask better and more unique questions in the interview , too. While other candidates are asking simple questions like, “What is the company’s mission?” or, “What are the typical working hours?” you can ask advanced questions like:

“As mentioned in my 90-day plan, I’d like to be able to contribute <key goal> within the first 60 days. To do that, I’ll need to absorb as much information as possible in my first month. Can you share a bit about what type of training is provided to new hires, and what type of feedback I’d get from my new manager and team as I learn the fundamentals in those first 30 days?”

The bottom line is:

By creating a 90-day plan for your job interview, you’ll not only impress the hiring manager with your effort, but you’ll also be much better prepared for the interview as a whole so that you can land a new job faster.

Employers will see that you’re focused on being a high performer when starting a new job and that you’re already well-informed about the role and their needs and ready to contribute at a high level as soon as you’re hired. This will impress any hiring manager.

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

4 thoughts on “Free 30-60-90 Day Plan Template for Interviews”

Thanks for the generous guidance. I have a job interview coming and they said they will send me the topic for creating a 30-60-90 plan the day before the interview, but never created one before, so this was very, very useful!

Is there a template please that you have

This is very timely information. I was asked to bring a 90 day plan to my face to face interview later this week. Thank you!!

Hello have you got an example of your presentation x

Comments are closed.

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Interviewing – how to write a business plan for a future employer

Simon Roderick February 18, 2020 Jobseeking and interview process , Resources for candidates

At some point in your career you will probably be asked to complete a business plan, as part of a recruitment process. Candidates are often surprised, or worried that their good ideas will be implemented without them being hired (this doesn’t happen in my experience). However, they can cause alarm, as some people are good at their job, which doesn’t involve writing plans, and if the task is expected to be delivered in person it can cause some people to get very stressed. So below we’ve tried to outline so practical steps you can take, as there’s no need to miss out on a dream job just because you don’t know where to start with a business plan.

• Ask the hirer what they expect Firms are happy to give guidelines and so ask them what format they prefer and the how long they expect the business plan to be. Will you be presenting the plan, will you be expected to leave it behind, or most likely is it just a discussion document? Feel free to ask what IT support will be provided if you’re expected to give a powerpoint presentation.
• Make the presentation visually attractive You need to engage the reader
• Spell check It’s so easy to forget to spell check your plan
• Ask someone you trust to review your business plan, or ask them if they would mind you running through your presentation
• Arrive early so you aren’t stressed Aim to arrive 30 minutes early and have a coffee nearby, but don’t go to the interviewer’s office until 10 minutes before. Arriving very early can sometimes be as irritating as someone who arrives late.

What should a business plan contain?

Everyone has their own thoughts on this, but some of the better business plans contain:

i. An executive summary – this summarises the applicant’s experience, career aims, and business aims if hired An example of this would be: “Simon has 20 years recruitment experience, much of it gained in management roles. His aim is to grow Fram over the next 3 years to xxx (you need to be realistic and specific with this aim)

ii. A description of the business you want to create, i.e. clients to be targeted and services offered with a target revenue

iii. A guide to how you plan to build this business, i.e. from your existing client base, from introductions from professional intermediaries, from the firm’s own sources of new business (this is often a client’s least favourite thing to see in the current climate).

iv. A guide to the activities required to achieve the above, i.e. not only what intermediaries you will target and how many relationships you have etc, but how many cold calls and appointments you will make. How often you will need to meet a client on average to get them to invest

v. Why the firm you are interviewing with could help you achieve this. What are the key selling points and differentiators.

vi. What support you will need. Will you need an assistant, additional training, or access to cold calling support?

vii. Financials – a breakdown of year 1, 2, and 3 revenues and the business mix, i.e. investments vs. lending if you are a private banker

viii. Referees – you list former colleagues etc, but only do this if you’re happy for them to be contacted. It demonstrates confidence and transparency

ix. Summary – reaffirming the skills of the candidate

We recommend sending a polite email after the meeting if the interviewer has given you their contacts details. It’s always nice to thank them for your time and it’s a chance to reaffirm your interest (if you are indeed interested in the role).

If you’re successful in the interview process, firms will expect you to implement the plan and so it needs to be realistic. It’s a nightmare for all parties concerned when someone over promises and under delivers. Whilst the firm will refine your plan once you have full knowledge of their aims and offering, it can often form the basis of your first 12 months.

Good luck and if we can assist, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01525 864 372.

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Successful 30-60-90 day plan

Learn what a 30-60-90 day plan is. Discover how to write your plan and stand out in an interview. Bonus: template with examples for managers.

Ivan Andreev

Demand Generation & Capture Strategist, Valamis

December 27, 2021 · updated July 10, 2024

17 minute read

A 30-60-90 day plan can help you prove to a new employer that you know your role within a new company. It demonstrates that you understand the position’s responsibilities and are prepared to tackle them, starting on day one.

A successful plan also helps you to better adapt to your new role and work environment.

What is a 30-60-90 day plan?

When to use a 30-60-90 day plan, benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan, 30-60-90 day plan template with example, 30-60-90 day plan example, tips for creating your own 30-60-90 day plan, 30-60-90 day plan tips for executives and managers.

A 30-60-90 day plan is a formalized document containing intents, goals, and actions that a new employee plans to execute to maximize his efficiency in a new role.

A 30-60-90 day plan can be used in any position or company.

For a regular employee, a 30-60-90 day plan is a way to show the interviewer that you know what to do and have a plan for this new role . It is a type of preparation that a prospective employee might opt to create before their interview, or it might be something an interviewer requests applicants to create.

For executive positions, the purpose of the plan is the same, the only difference is the scale of the plan, or the department level that it would apply to. A prospective manager would prepare the plan to show what they will do to succeed in the role.

The plan should demonstrate that new employees are able to set goals that are in line with the company vision.

This plan is ideal for those who are seeking to make a strong positive impression during an interview.

It demonstrates what you will bring to the job, highlights your seriousness about the position, and shows that your goals dovetail with those of the company.

No matter the level of the role, a strong 30-60-90 day plan can be an asset during the interview process.

Regular level employees can show the value that they will bring to the team, and higher level employees can demonstrate how their leadership will create positive effects within their team or department.

Many hiring managers want to see that their new hires are serious about their jobs and career. This plan gives insight into how a new hire plans to fulfill the goals of their new role, their understanding of various processes and how they tackle challenges.

While it is most commonly used for those who are beginning new positions, it can also be used to work on a new project. The same template can be helpful to set actionable goals and achieve them in regards to a new project that you are working on.

Career development plan template

This template helps employees and leaders plan together for career growth: set goals, assess skills, and make a plan.

A 30-60-90 day plan is a helpful tool for both the candidate and the organization.

When a candidate writes a good plan, they demonstrate competency, while potentially impressing hiring managers.

The organization can then use the plan to judge the potential candidate for suitability within the role, department or team.

Here are a few of the benefits of creating one:

1. Increased chances of being hired

Because you will be doing your homework before the interview, it proves that you are a committed team player.

This often impresses your interviewer and can give you a larger chance of being hired.

2. Positive impression on the interviewer

If you are a new employee or a potential hire, a 30-60-90 day plan can show to your employer that you know what you are doing. It demonstrates that you have a plan in place.

Prepare it prior to your interview even if your interviewer doesn’t request one.

3. Smooth onboarding

Starting a new job can be rough sometimes. A 30-60-90 day plan helps you to better integrate yourself into a new team and makes a smoother transition for you.

In creating this plan, you will have to research the role, the tasks you will be assigned, and set out plans for completing them.

In doing so, you’ll be formulating solutions, considering the best plan of attack, and gaining a deeper understanding of the job. This will help set you up for success from day one.

4. Increased productivity

Because you will have a clear goal to work toward in your first 90 days, you have better focus and increased productivity.

Each day, you should know exactly how your tasks fit into the bigger picture of your 30-60-90 day plan.

There are four key areas that should be included in your 30-60-90 day plan:

• Personal goals
• Actions and metrics

In each phase of your plan, you should have something that you are focused on learning.

This might mean meeting with your team to understand their pain points. It might mean learning the ins and outs of your company’s product to make better sales pitches.

Particularly in the first 30 day phase, you should be doing a great deal of learning.

This is part of your plan that should start to take shape. In what areas can you improve performance (either your own or the company’s)?

This should help you to better align your personal responsibilities with the mission of the team you work with.

Start to narrow down what the priority is so that you can better set personal goals in the next section.

This is the best place to mark down exactly what you want to accomplish.

Make sure that you have some insight into your goals and why they are essential to achieve.

This helps to keep your focus clear and doesn’t allow you to lose sight of the company’s mission.

Action and metrics

This is the stage where you determine how you will measure your progress toward your goals.

How will you know when you have achieved a goal? It is important to have specific qualifying action steps behind each one of your goals so that you do not lose momentum.

• If you want to improve your sales pitch, then you might sit in on a sales call with a seasoned salesperson three times this week.
• If you want to reduce the budget, you might have a goal to spend 10 percent less on office supplies.

Whatever your goal is, you need to have an action step associated with it to help you measure your progress.

During the first thirty days in your new position, you spend as much time as possible learning about your company processes, your team, product or the services you sell. This might involve things like:

• Interviewing team members to assess their strengths
• Joining staff on sales calls to learn more about the product or service
• Interviewing customers to learn more about their needs
• Spending time with customer service to determine where your product or services fall short
• Pinpointing current goals and seeing if progress is being made
• Reviewing the budget

Once you have a firm grasp on who you are working with and how you are expected to perform, it is time to implement new aspects of your role.

For regular employees , the focus should be stepping more fully into your role. You have taken the time to learn what that role is, now you should be beginning to deliver results and reaching good working performance.

For higher level employees , like executives or managers, you will start setting new goals for your team. Create goals based on the information you learned during the first thirty days. This is the time for you to share your new goals with the team and start to hold them accountable for the changes.

Regardless of the level of your role, this is a time for you to set goals along with actionable steps you can take to achieve them.

All goals should be specific and measurable. You should also be able to achieve them within a specific timeframe.

TIP: Set a clear metric so you will know when you have achieved each goal.

For example, if your goal is to improve your sales pitch, you might have a metric of observing a more seasoned sales professional in a number of phone calls. You might also have them listen in on a few of your sales calls to offer constructive feedback .

As you move into the first ninety days of your position, you should be ensuring that your performance is in line with company goals and the goals for your specific role.

You should have a solid foundation of knowledge regarding your job, the ability to complete your tasks properly, and an understanding of how your performance helps the organization.

For employees, this is a prime moment to look towards leadership opportunities. Ask yourself ‘what path do I want to take with this organization?’ and begin to set yourself up for that journey. Take initiative and reach out to stakeholders who may be able to help you.

For management level employees, this is when you can start to make bigger changes. Look at the overall picture of your company or department and determine where changes can be made. Ensure that each team member is where they are supposed to be, review the budget, and replace ineffective processes with new ones.

Much like your goals set for the first sixty days, all goals here should still be measurable, time-bound, and specific. While this is bigger picture thinking, each goal should still be realistic and attainable.

While some hiring professionals will come directly out and ask you for a 30-60-90 day plan, many will not.

It is still an excellent idea to create one to show just how you will stand out in the workplace.

As you begin to write this plan, you should ask yourself: What changes would you make and how would you go about your new role in the first ninety days? This will help you create a solid plan that will impress hiring managers.

1. Identify the company’s mission

You can’t create a plan until you have a clear idea of what the company is looking for.

You should spend a great deal of time researching its mission, core values, and any information you can find on its current processes or products.

Each plan should be catered specifically to the culture of the company you are applying to work for.

2. Thoroughly understand the job description

You should tailor your plan to the position that you are applying for instead of overreaching your bounds.

You might have many ideas for the company as a whole, but pay careful attention to the job description.

• What is the role?
• What would your responsibilities be?
• What expectations does the company have?
• Is there a probation period?

3. Explain your plan thoroughly

When you head into an interview, you must prepare a copy of your 30-60-90 day plan.

It can be in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, slides, or paper.

However, you should do more than just slide it across the desk and hope that they understand it. Present it to the interviewer in detail.

4. Don’t be ashamed to brag

Present your plan in great detail.

When you discuss the goals you want to set, it is important to relate these goals to accomplishments you have had in the past.

What have you done that was similar at another company? Focus on your future at this new company but don’t forget about all of the amazing things you have done in the past!

5. Identify your priorities

Setting goals can be challenging if you aren’t aware of your priorities.

Why were you hired for this exact position? Maybe your goal is to solve a specific problem within the team, or perhaps you just need to be the best you can be with your current responsibilities.

Take a few moments to think about the bigger picture of what your job should look like, and then move forward from there.

6. Set measurable goals

All goals that make it onto your list should have a means for you to measure the outcome.

Make sure that you identify how you will measure success on each of the goals that you set.

Try to list quantitative data to support your goals, such as revenue increases, increased website views, and positive customer reviews.

7. Remember to course-correct

Sometimes, starting a new position or project can be overwhelming.

You might set up your plan with the best intentions, but things can change.

If a piece of your plan no longer seems relevant or helpful, it’s okay to have the flexibility to course-correct. Change up your goals if you need to.

8. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

You’ll never get to know your team members or your products unless you are willing to ask good questions.

Spend time with your interviewer or the company representative if they are eager to communicate with you.

Ask any questions you may have about your role and what is expected of you so that you can form clear goals for your plan.

If you are an executive or a manager who has direct reports, your version of a 30-60-90 day plan might look a bit different than a junior employee’s plan.

Here are a few tips to help you get started with your own plan.

1. Take time to learn about direct reports

During your first thirty days, you should be setting aside a large portion of your time to interview your direct reports.

Find out information about them as a person, such as their dreams and goals for their position.

• What are the pain points of their job?
• What barriers are there that stop them from achieving their goals?
• How would they solve those problems?

You should know what their strengths and weaknesses are so that you can see areas where they can improve.

In meeting with each person individually and attentively listening to them, you create a good impression, gain a deep, functional knowledge of your new department, and often will get insight on how to solve these problems.

All of this information can help you to see the current reality of the work environment.

As a new manager or executive, you might be able to help influence change in a way that would boost team morale and productivity.

2. Inform yourself

Consider this step as an extension of the previous one.

Not only should you gather all of the information possible from your recruits, you should spend a lot of time in your first 30 days reading reports, reviewing documentation, talking to other managers, and meeting with higher level executives.

This is the time to ask as many questions as you can, making notes on where you see issues or potential solutions.

3. Create an atmosphere of trust and alignment

During the first 30 days, work to gain the trust of those who will be working under you.

In many organizations, a new manager can represent a threat to how things work, and employees might be resistant to big changes.

You can build this atmosphere by making an effort to get to know them and listening to their thoughts, issues and solutions.

Never diminish the thoughts or opinions of your reports. If you think that they may be wrong, simply ask more questions to better understand their unique point of view. It could be that they are seeing a problem that you don’t.

By working hard at this, you can set yourself up to have a team that trusts that you will be working with their best interests in mind, as well as the organization’s.

4. Identify your strongest employees

By the end of the first 30 days, you should be able to pinpoint who your strongest employees are.

These people will form your A-team, and will be of great service to you.

These are the employees that you will want to include in important projects, as you can depend on them to drive other employees towards reaching their goals.

By having at least a few good employees who you can depend on, you can concentrate more easily on higher level issues, comfortable in the knowledge that your team will be fine without micromanagement.

Through this process, you should also be able to see where skills gaps are in your team, and begin identifying ways to close those gaps.

Plan out ways to invest in your team and grow their strengths.

5. Set SMART goals

Once you enter the second thirty days, it’s time to get some goals down on paper.

You have spent 30 days learning the lay of the land – now you should be in a position to identify issues and solutions.

Upon hiring, you will have been given a solid idea of what the organization expects of you.

After 30 days, you will be able to create actionable goals, begin implementing changes, and really stepping into your role.

6. Review processes

During the second thirty days, you should also be paying close attention to how the processes within your department work.

Often, a fresh set of eyes can see problems – and solutions – to processes that didn’t scale well, are no longer optimized, or otherwise simply don’t work as well as they could.

It is easy to get bogged down with ‘we’ve always done it this way’ and not see how change can be a positive.

As you learn how things are done, and why, you will likely be able to identify better ways of getting things done.

7. Implement changes to meet company goals

You should take everything you learned in the first 60 days, and implement changes in the final 30 days.

• Reduce bottlenecks,
• Implement new processes,
• Introduce new staff or training methods,
• Bring new ideas to achieve better performance.

From the executive level to the day-to-day management of your team or department, you should be leaning in, contributing what you can, asking questions, and generally participating to the best of your ability.

8. Identify your staffing needs

As you enter into your final 30 days, you should have a solid handle on how things are run in your department, and how capable your staff is.

Now is the time to take a close look at your staffing needs and see if they are being met.

• Are there bottlenecks in one department, holding things up for everyone else?
• Are there certain employees that need to take time for training before they can perform up to expectations?
• Could things be made smoother with new hires to help ease the workload?

Look at the short, middle, and long-term goals you have set. Create a hiring plan with those in mind.

9. Conduct regular meetings

Throughout this process, you should be checking in with your team on a regular basis.

You should have weekly meetings with your team to track progress and see how things are progressing on the goals set for the sixty- and ninety-day portions of your plan.

Depending on your work environment, these may be one-on-one meetings or a weekly team gathering.

Figure out what works best for your business, and then make these meetings a mandatory part of the company culture.

Try a 30-60-90 day plan template from Altassian in Trello.

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90-Day Business Plan for Your Job Interview

30-60-90-Day Plan , 30/60/90-Day Action Plans for Non-Sales , 30/60/90-Day Sales Plans , Business Plans For Interviews , Finding a Job , Getting Hired , Interviewing Skills and Tips , Job Interview Advice , Job Interview Preparation , Job Interview Skills , Job Search , Job Search Success , Job Search Tips , Jobseekers

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A 90-Day Business Plan for your job interview is an outstanding tool to show the interviewer why you’re the one they should hire–whether you’re very experienced or just starting out in your field. If you really want the job and you’re facing some stiff competition, a 90-day business plan is what you need to get the offer .

Your next step is to find out what this is, what it does for you, and how to create one for your next job interview.

What is a 90-Day Business Plan?

A 90-Day Business Plan for interviews is simply a written document outlining what you will do as a new employee within the first 3 months on the job.  Conceptually,  this business plan is a lot like the business plans that small business owners and corporate CEOs use to attract investors. It identifies goals and the methods that will be used to reach them.  No business owner could get an investor to take a risk on their business without this kind of plan.  In job interviews, this plan performs the same function.  It shows the hiring manager what your plans and goals are.  It helps them see where you’re going and how you’ll get there, and makes it much easier for them to take a risk on you by hiring you.  You are much more likely to get the job with a plan than without one.

What does a 90-Day Business Plan do for you?

It dramatically sets you apart from the other candidates in a very strong, positive way.  It shows the hiring manager that you have:

• Initiative .  You are already doing something that’s not required, but is tremendously helpful.  They clearly see what they can look forward to if they hire you—an outstanding, take-charge, thoughtful, focused employee.
• Great planning skills.  You are thinking and planning ahead, and know how to work.  If you’ll do that for the interview, it’s a good bet that you’ll do that in the job.
• Great verbal and written communication skills .  You can put together a clear, concise document and talk about it with the hiring manager.
• 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, types or even names of competitors, top products, customer-relationship management systems, what their initiatives are or what their credo is) it presents you as a very desirable candidate who is interested in THIS job, not A job.
• A high chance for success.  You’re already planning what you will do in the first 3 months (writing down goals means you’re more likely to hit them).  You know what’s going on, and what you’re getting into.  You are taking the risk factor out of hiring you.

What should be included in your 90-Day Business Plan?

Your plan should be broken up into sections:

• The first 30 days should include getting to know the job and the company…whatever training you need, introducing yourself to co-workers, employees, customers, other departments, etc.
• The next 30 days (the 60-day section) are more focused on getting out on your own and into the swing of things and getting feedback on how you’re doing so far.
• The last 30-days (the 90-day section) should be more focused on branching out into independent projects, contributing to team goals, or bringing in new business.

 How can you create the best plan that will get you the job?

You can create a plan on your own ….analyze the position, research the company, and decide what you must do to be successful.  Be as specific as possible (for that company and that position) and write it down.

Or, if you would rather have a proven plan that’s practically done for you?  My plans have  templates, samples, and coaching to guarantee you have a plan that will impress your potential new boss.  This is the plan that’s worked for thousands of people in a huge variety of jobs.  (I even give you my top secrets for presenting your plan in the interview.)

Get proven 30-60-90-day plan templates here:

• 30-60-90-Day Action Plan
• 30-60-90-Day Sales Plan
• 30-60-90-Day Plan for Managers
• 30-60-90-Day Plan for Executives

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How to write a business plan for recruitment in 2024 (template included)

• Published on June 3, 2020
• Updated on October 6, 2024

Writing a business plan in recruitment has always played a crucial part in the interview process for a number of recruitment agencies around the world.

A comprehensive business plan can demonstrate a recruiter’s commitment, knowledge and commercial acumen. During economic uncertainties in 2023, these qualities are more important than ever.

Arriving at an interview armed with a comprehensive business plan before you’re even asked will no doubt set yourself apart from other recruiters.

During economic uncertainties, managers will need to present a business case to leadership for budget approval in order to make a hire. Your business plan will be an important element of this business case. An impressive business plan could be the difference between landing an offer today, or falling into a pipeline of other candidates.

In this article, we share a step-by-step guide outlining how to create a comprehensive business plan. We walk through the key components and include examples.

At the end of the article, you can download a free recruitment business plan template which is tailored towards the key components mentioned in this article.

A business plan should be packed full of relevant information but should be compressed and to the point. Avoid verbiage, stay specific and keep to 4 – 6 pages.

Introduction

Start with a title. Include your name and the company you’re writing the business plan for. A little personalisation will go a long way.

Underneath your title, outline the objective of your business plan and again personalise it towards the agency you’re interviewing with. While you have the hiring manager’s attention, this paragraph is an opportunity for you to demonstrate how comprehensive your business plan is. The aim is to capture the hiring manager’s interest so they continue to read each component:

“The objective of this business plan is to outline the value I can add to employer’s name.

In this business plan, I have highlighted my specialism, hiring activity in my market, my candidate and client strategies, my methodology, how I plan to recruit through economic uncertainties in 2023, my competition and my personal revenue projections over 12 months.”

You can use this paragraph as a way to introduce your business plan verbally if you’ve called up a hiring manager. You can also use this extract in a cold email.

Your specialisation

This is a crucial positioning statement for your value-add. It sets out precisely where your network and experience lies and what you intend to bring to the table in your new role.

Your specialisation can be described clearly by outlining what roles you will specialise in, what industries you will target, what level of seniority you will focus on and what geographies you will cover.

For ease of reading, you can use each component as a title and use bullet points to expand upon your answers.

Taking a Technology recruiter as an example:

What roles I will specialise in:

• Product Management permanent roles
• UX/UI Design permanent roles

What industries I will target:

• Series A – C funded technology startups (high investment, high growth and high volume of roles)

What level of seniority I will focus on:

• Mid to senior (120 – 180k salary range for Product Managers, 140 – 200k salary range for Designers)

What geographies I will cover:

• Based in Singapore, the local market will be my core market
• Secondary markets include Jakarta, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur due to less competition from recruiters and high volume of roles

Hiring activity trends

The hiring activity trends section provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate and portray your knowledge of the market.

The 3 important components of this section are: hiring activity over the past 3 years, hiring activity for next year and how you predict hiring activity to shift beyond that.

Utilise your own knowledge of the market but back it up with research gained from reputable sources related to your market e.g. Tech in Asia, Tech Crunch, Channel News Asia, The Straits Times or The Financial Times.

You’ll want to cover how hiring activity has increased or decreased, what the drivers of growth are in your industry and what the threats and challenges are within your sector.

Candidate strategies

Moving on from market trends, this section indicates how you will acquire candidates for your desk. It offers an opportunity for you to demonstrate the experience you’ve learnt in candidate management from your previous firm, but also an opportunity for the employer to ensure that your approach aligns with theirs.

3 key components of this section include: how you will generate candidate leads, what challenges you expect to face and how you will overcome these challenges.

Taking a Front Office Banking & Financial Services recruiter as an example:

How do I plan to generate candidate leads:

• Direct headhunting using a LinkedIn Recruiter account, this costs approximately $X amount, the key benefits being access to a high volume of InMails and enhanced search capability. This has been the sourcing tool for 60% of my previous placements

Challenges I expect to face:

• In light of economic uncertainties in 2023, highly sought-after candidates may be risk-averse and may not see this as a good time to move jobs

How I will overcome these challenges:

• I will develop relationships with these candidates for the future but I will adjust my sourcing strategy accordingly by increasing volume of direct approaches

Client strategies

A similar section to candidate strategies but geared towards clients. Arguably more important than candidate strategies during a recession as the market could be job-short – even in the good times, strong business development capabilities in recruiters are harder to find.

This section includes 6 key components including how you plan to onboard new clients, how you plan to sustain relationships with clients for repeat business, what industries your clients are in, the challenges you expect to face and how you will overcome these challenges.

Take these bullet points as a basic example:

How I plan to onboard new clients:

• During a recession, I plan to cultivate relationships by helping and consulting clients on non-recruitment related issues, such as advising clients on the current state of the market
• I plan to generate leads by making 25 cold calls per day during the ramp-up period, to again offer support and advice where needed, and to leverage any open roles
• A soft approach of connecting with hiring managers, HR contact and C-Level candidates on LinkedIn, to establish working relationships and eventually convert into clients

How I plan to sustain relationships with current clients and win repeat roles:

• The most important way to sustain relationships is by offering a service that is superior to competitors. That is by being transparent, sticking to deadlines and delivering results
• Regularly catch up with clients on a monthly basis to see how they’re doing and see if you can generate new roles
• Keep yourself updated on company news and congratulate clients on milestones e.g. if they generate a Series C round of funding

What industries I will target clients in:

• Series A – B funded technology startups
• During a recession there is less of an appetite to use agencies due to an unprecedented volume of great candidates available in the market
• Offer free support to companies currently not using agencies, provide an impressive service and convert into paying client post-recovery

The 6th component is “examples of target clients” and this is where you can really demonstrate tangible market knowledge. Use company names, find the potential contact in each company and add your comments, such as the volume of roles you expect from that client. 5 examples should be enough to peak your hiring manager’s interest.

You can use a table to display this information with ease:

It goes without saying that you should never be tempted to use information that is proprietary to your previous employer. This information can be openly found with some basic LinkedIn research.

My methodology

Are you a recruiter that is focussed on crunching numbers? Are you a recruiter who is focussed on cultivating long-term relationships? In this section, you can include a few quick bullet points to explain how you approach recruitment. This information gives your hiring manager an indication about whether you hold similar values and whether you have similar working styles.

How you can adapt to recruiting during a possible economic downturn

This section is a new one in response to market conditions in 2023 but can demonstrate how you are prepared to deal with current and upcoming challenges.

You can use this section as the title and include bullet points to outline how you will adapt to these market conditions.

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My key competitors

Which recruiters and agencies offer the greatest competition? Demonstrating your knowledge in this area highlights that you are commercially aware outside of your core market.

Include about 5 different competitors who are directly competing in your patch. You can use the table below to display this information:

Personal revenue and target projections

In many business plans, financial projections are of utmost importance and can demonstrate your commercial acumen. If you’ve ever watched Dragon’s Den, you’ll know what happens when you don’t know your numbers!

Project your personal revenue for 4 quarters. You can start your calculations by predicting the average annual salary of a candidate in your patch. You can project your average percentage fee agreed with clients and from there you can calculate your average fee. Once you have this, you can predict the amount of placements you’ll be making per month.

Make sure your revenue projections are realistic and achievable. Avoid the temptation to predict vastly optimistic revenues, especially during a possible recession. You must allow time to ramp-up and there must be a logical relationship between your historical and predicted revenues.

The plan only includes project revenue. Your historical revenue should be on your CV.

Take the below as an example:

My predicted average annual salary of candidates:

My predicted average percentage fee agreed with the client:, my predicted average fee:, my predicted average placements per month, my projected revenue over 12 months.

Underneath, you can also include the KPIs you will set yourself to guide you in achieving these numbers. For example, you can set yourself a guideline for how many CVs you need to send, how many candidate meetings you need to arrange, how many client meetings you need to arrange and so on.

The template

We’ve constructed a free template built around the components mentioned above, so you can create your own for when you reach out to hiring managers.

To download this template, please add your email below and you’ll be redirected to the template.

By downloading our busines plan, you agree to our  Privacy Policy and Notification Settings .

This step-by-step guide should give your hiring manager a clear idea of your plan. If executed successfully, you’ve already demonstrated your commitment, knowledge and commercial acumen before even attending an interview.

The way you’ve structured your plan will give your hiring manager a very clear indication of your methodology and whether you’d fit their structure. Keep in mind that if your methodology is focused on high volume recruitment, it’s not going to work well with an executive recruitment agency.

As a next step, learn this plan inside and out. Be prepared to pitch your plan to your hiring manager and answer detailed questions surrounding each component.

Leave your interviewer with no room for concern and secure that role! Lastly, if you enjoyed the article, please consider subscribing or following us on LinkedIn to have new articles for recruiters like this delivered directly to your inbox.

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As Founder of Charterhouse Partnership, I led the opening of 5 international offices, hiring & training hundreds of recruiters. Please subscribe to our weekly newsletter where I share my insights on the recruitment industry.

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