One of my buddies managed to get me an interview at his firm for a better position than I am in currently. In fact, it would be for the very same title and position he is currently in but managing a different team. However, he told me I have to have a 30, 60, and 90 day plan ready for my interview.



Apparently, according to him, these make or break candidates there. When I asked him for a copy of his to see what he did, he was honest and told me his was absolute shit and he was even told that by the two senior managers who interviewed him, but since the powers that be still liked him enough for him being him (he is the guy that other dude's totally have man crushes on and always seem to have the best luck in life - no homo), he still got promoted.



Well, he always seemed like a pretty sharp guy, so I am surprised to hear his 30/60/90 day action plan sucked that bad and it has me a tad bit worried.



Has anyone here ever submitted one of these? If so, mind helping a brother out? Also, I know we have some HR types here that have seen these before, so I would really like some input from you, as well.



I know there are examples out there, but most of them seem like the corporate fluff articles you see posted on LinkedIn all of the time. So, needless to say, I don't want to go that route. Also, I don't want to try going 'guerrilla', either, and have the hiring committee think I am out of my mind and/or too cocky.

It's a test to see if you have any brain cells, management and leadership potential, etc etc etc

...or he's just F'in with ya.

I know why they do it, and I appreciate their rationale. However, I am sure there are other candidates out there applying for this interview, and I want to leave nothing to chance.



$20+k extra per year would be nice right about now.



 

Whatever you do, don't mention making ANY changes in the first 30 days.

needs more details, what size of team? What field are you in? What are they struggling with in comparison to their competition? What are your goals going to be if your selected to lead the team? What unique items do you bring to the table that others would not?

Yeah, that is definitely a common trap set for retards with no management experience. Your first 30 days is you learning how things are done there, the corporate culture/mission, expectations of you, etc.



 

Tell them that during your second 100 days you will design and build a library dedicated to your first 100 days.

A 2 day plan sounds rather brief? Was that what they wanted?



 

It would be nice right about anytime

Phase 1  head down and learn the system
Phase 2  head up and learning how to game that system for your benefit
Phase 3  hopefully if all does according to plan you have very little personal responsibility and are past the probationary period

Just that simple. Potential employers appreciate that raw,unadulterated honesty. They find it refreshing.

You better watch it, making an extra 20K a year and being "management" will put you on one of Arfcom's lists and magically your IQ will drop 40 points and you will "obviously" be making too much money....

Seriously though, your plan should follow the basic pattern: Learn, Implement, Measure results (correct issues).  You can tailor that to the mission and the company, but the message should be clear.  If you are IT, then it's a 3 day plan, like the guy above me, if you are a union shop, it's a 3 year plan [depending on when the contract expires], but always follow the pattern.  Be sure that unless you know for a fact management wants you to be the new broom that you don't propose any radical changes unless they really are genius...

Anyone kind enough to paste a sample of theirs? You can redact all of the classified, secret squirrel stuff.

Some of you have already posted some pretty good tidbits. Keep 'em coming.

First 30 days: games in celebration of your predecessor.  Exotic wildlife battling lightly armed warriors in the arena would be ideal.  The games will serve as cover for the ruthless purge that you will be undertaking behind the scenes of your less successful rivals and their partisans.





Days 30-60: consolidation of power.  Now that you've created a bit of a power vacuum at the top, you need some cronies to fill the slots.  You don't want yes-men; you want a couple of adherents who have the right stuff themselves who can be your right hand when you are absent.  Hopefully they will be loyal, but you should probably plan on cementing their loyalties by incorporating a couple of them into your burgeoning dynasty by marrying off your daughters, if any, to them.  Shower the less fortunate with titles and largess seized from the coffers of the proscribed you purged in the first month.  Keep a close eye on all of these guys in the future, as they have the capacity to overthrow you later.  Fill the lower echelon positions with capable fellows who lack vision and/or ambition but can get stuff done.  If PR is a concern, consider including at least one rival as long as his position is too weak to be any more than a token resistance figure.





Days 60-90: beautification and legitimization of your reign.  Time for a couple of monuments.  Don't make the cardinal mistakes of either a) putting up monuments that are actually of yourself too early, or b) just chiseling your predecessors' names off their monuments.  You're looking for something that has some history that will imply to the watcher that you are in your natural place in the social strata.  Monuments of prestigious relatives or the gods from whom your family claims descent would be ideal.  Public works like an amphitheater or bathhouses would also remind the public of your beneficence during their leisure pursuits.

 

That is fucking awesome. I wish I could submit something along those lines.



 

Your avatar makes this even better.  

This guy's going places.  A straight shooter on a fast track to management.  

Let history record that I am clearly and unequivocally one of his greatest acolytes.

So much win

They tend to be pretty basic

Typically, they fall out  as:

30 day:  identify and prioritize the problems and opportunities for changes
60 day: implement and refine
90 day: apply lessons learned from the first two phases and make adjustments, begin planning for he next cycle.

Not rocket science, but the devil is in the details.