How to Craft a 30/60/90 Day Career Transition Plan

Summary: A 30/60/90 day plan provides structure and accountability for career transitions. This plan outlines specific goals and actions for your first three months in a new role or pursuing a career change. Following a structured plan significantly improves your success rate and helps you feel prepared and confident.

Career transitions can feel overwhelming without a clear plan. A 30/60/90 day career transition plan provides structure, accountability, and clear milestones for your first three months. Here is how to craft a transition plan that works.

Understanding the 30/60/90 Day Framework

The 30/60/90 day framework breaks your transition into three distinct phases, each with specific goals and actions. This structure helps you focus on what matters most at each stage and creates accountability for progress.

Days 1-30: Assessment and Foundation Building

Your first 30 days focus on assessment, learning, and laying the foundation for your transition.

Assessment Goals: Understand your current situation thoroughly. Document your strengths, skills, and accomplishments. Identify skill gaps or areas needing development. Assess your financial situation and determine how long you can sustain yourself during a transition if needed.

Learning Goals: Research your target industry or role thoroughly. Understand market trends, key players, common career paths, and typical salary ranges. Research companies you are interested in. Understand the local job market and networking landscape.

Foundation-Building Actions: Take any immediately necessary certifications or courses relevant to your target role. Start building your professional network in your target field by connecting on LinkedIn and reaching out for informational interviews. Update your resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect your goals and position you for your target role. Identify 3-5 target companies or roles to focus on.

30-Day Checkpoint: At day 30, assess your progress. Have you completed your assessment? Do you understand your target field? Have you started building your network? Do your resume and LinkedIn reflect your transition goal? Adjust your plan based on what you have learned.

Days 31-60: Skill Building and Active Networking

Your second 30 days focus on developing necessary skills and building relationships in your target field.

Skill Development Goals: Complete any certifications or training you identified in month one. Develop specific skills needed for your target role. If you lack direct experience in your target field, build relevant experience through volunteer work, freelance projects, or classes.

Networking Goals: Conduct 2-3 informational interviews per week with professionals in your target field. Attend 2-4 industry events or network meetings. Build genuine relationships with people in your target industry. Start connecting with recruiters in your target field.

Job Search Goals: If actively job searching, apply to 5-10 positions that match your target criteria. Practice interviews. Get feedback on your resume and interview performance.

60-Day Checkpoint: Assess your progress at day 60. Have you built new skills? How many informational interviews have you completed? Have you built genuine relationships? If job searching, how many interviews have you secured? Are you seeing traction? If not, identify what needs adjustment.

Days 61-90: Active Pursuit and Acceleration

Your third 30 days focus on actively pursuing opportunities and accelerating your progress.

Job Search Goals (If Applicable): Increase your pace to 10-15 applications per week if job searching. Schedule interviews strategically. Follow up on promising opportunities. Prepare for salary negotiations if offers come.

Networking Goals: Conduct 3-4 informational interviews per week. Deepen relationships you have started building. Ask for introductions to people in roles or companies you are interested in. Start positioning yourself for opportunities mentioned by your network contacts.

Goal Realization Goals: Aim to have received several interviews and at least one job offer if you are actively job searching. Aim to have positioned yourself for opportunities and built meaningful relationships in your target field.

90-Day Checkpoint and Beyond: At day 90, assess your overall progress. Have you successfully transitioned into your target field or role? Have you moved significantly closer to your goal? What worked well in your transition? What would you do differently?

Use these insights to plan the next 90 days.

Creating Your Personal 30/60/90 Plan

Now that you understand the framework, create your specific plan.

Step 1: Define Your Transition Goal

Be specific about what you are transitioning to. Instead of "career change," define exactly what you are changing to. "Marketing Manager in technology," "Project Manager in non-profit," "Software Developer transitioning from retail," etc.

Step 2: Identify Current State

Document where you are starting from. What skills do you have? What gaps exist? What resources do you have access to? How long can you sustain yourself?

Step 3: Identify Resources Needed

What support, training, or resources do you need to make your transition? Identify certifications needed, people you should connect with, companies you should research, and other resources.

Step 4: Set Specific Month One Goals

Based on your situation, set specific, measurable goals for month one. Write down exact goals. Example: "Complete Google Project Management Certification," "Conduct 10 informational interviews," "Revise resume to position for project management roles."

Step 5: Set Specific Month Two Goals

Set goals building on month one. Example: "Volunteer on a project management basis," "Build LinkedIn network to 200+ connections in project management field," "Secure 3 job interviews."

Step 6: Set Specific Month Three Goals

Set goals pushing toward your transition completion. Example: "Receive and evaluate at least 2 job offers," "Secure position in target role," or "Position myself for opportunities in Q2."

Step 7: Identify Accountability

Who will hold you accountable to your plan? This might be a career coach, mentor, trusted friend, or family member. Share your plan with someone and check in monthly on your progress.

Career Katalyst can help you develop and execute your 30/60/90 day transition plan. A career coach can help you set realistic goals, hold you accountable, and adjust your plan based on what you learn.

Sample 30/60/90 Day Career Transition Plan

Here is a sample plan for someone transitioning from finance to project management:

Month One Goals: Complete Google Project Management Certification. Conduct 10 informational interviews with project managers in various industries. Update resume to emphasize project management skills. Build LinkedIn network to 100+ connections in project management field. Identify 5 target companies to pursue.

Month Two Goals: Join Project Management Institute. Attend 2 PM networking events. Conduct 15 additional informational interviews. Volunteer on 1 project in a project management capacity. Apply to 10 project manager positions. Secure 3 job interviews.

Month Three Goals: Continue networking and interviews. Target 15+ applications to project manager positions. Aim for 5-8 job interviews total. Pursue and evaluate job offers. Secure new position in project management.

Adjusting Your Plan

Your 30/60/90 plan is not set in stone. As you learn more about your target field and market, adjust your plan. If you discover certifications are not as important as you thought, shift time to other activities. If you discover you need different skills, adjust your learning goals.

The plan provides structure and direction, but flexibility allows you to respond to new information and opportunities.

Final Thoughts

A 30/60/90 day career transition plan provides structure, accountability, and clear milestones for your transition. With specific goals and actions for each month, you will feel more prepared and confident. You will make measurable progress. By day 90, you will be significantly closer to or have successfully achieved your career transition goals.