During a job interview, hiring managers often ask questions intended to provide insight into how you would adjust to a new job if you were hired. One such question is "what will your first 30 days in this role look like?"
What will your first 30 days in this role look like?
Employers place the highest value on candidates who will be assertive about learning the job, integrate with the team, and become productive as quickly as possible.
Expect to answer interview questions about how you will adapt and what you will do during the first few weeks on the job.
Some other formulas
"What will your first 30 days in this role look like?" It has many other formulas that have an answer related to this article, including:
- What is the best way to present yourself in a new position in the first few months?
- What are the plans for the first 3 months?
- What are your 30, 60 and 90 day goals?
- What will your first 30 days?
- What do you see yourself doing in the first 30 days?
Why does the interviewer ask you this question?
Interviewers ask, "What will your first 30 days in this role look like?" For a number of reasons.
They want to see how you think about ramping up your new role, how quickly you will complete the onboarding process and the types of goals and standards you adhere to, especially in a new environment.
How to prepare for the answer?
By asking, “What will your first 30 days in this role look like?”, the interviewer is more likely to try to understand your thought process for work than anything else.
They want to know:
- Do you understand the role and what it will require of you?
- Can you hurry up quickly and start contributing early?
- Do your ideas show that you are the right candidate for this particular position?
Even if this interview question isn't explicitly asked, being prepared with a plan can help you impress a hiring manager and stand out from other applicants.
"Employers are looking for people who are flexible and proactive," says leadership consultant Michael D. Watkins, author of the first 90 days. You will need:
- Describe how you will best use your training.
- Focus on how you plan to build relationships with your co-workers.
- Identify the skills and experience you hope to put into practice.
- Get into the details of how you intend to interact with your new employees.
- Talk about the steps you will take to earn their trust and respect.
Examples of answering the question
Sample responses can help you understand how to carefully answer the question “What will your first 30 days in this role look like?” About how you describe your co-workers. Consider these sample answers to help inspire you to prepare your own answer:
In addition to getting to know the team and fully keeping up with this role, there is a lot I want to achieve during my first three months in the editor role. During the first 30 days, I want to learn about our blog's editorial goals and use them to create a new blog design. After 60 days, I want our blog redesign to be launched and to have at least 50 contributors writing for the site. After 90 days, I want to shift efforts from team building to growth tracking, and I hope to have 100,000 unique visitors through the use of our marketing channels and those of our contributors.
Within 30 days, I plan to get to know the people I will work with the most and be comfortable with them. Within 60 days, I plan to have a solid understanding of the industry, company, and competitive landscape so that I can have my own conversation in any conversation about the company. Within 90 days, I plan to achieve the goals that have been set for me.