The recruitment process for leadership roles can be a challenging experience for both the hiring business and the candidates hoping to land their dream job.

Companies are looking for something really special, a spark of innovation, creative thinking and passion to drive their business forward and help them achieve ambitious long-term objectives. The list of essential candidate criteria can be daunting. Anyone applying needs to have bags of leadership experience, the charisma and confidence to influence people and a clear idea of the change they can realistically implement within the business.

Proving all of these qualities in a high-pressure interview can be tough, but candidates for leadership roles may need to go the extra mile and do even more preparation. It is becomingly increasingly common for employers to ask for a 100-day action plan, which will be discussed at length during the interview. Employers want you to lay out exactly what you will do if you get the job, how you will take the reins and hit the ground running. As executive onboarding columnist George Bradt explains in his Forbes.com article:

“In a world in which 40% of new leaders fail in their first 18 months, hiring organisations are realizing that it’s no longer good enough to hire the right leader. They have to help with executive onboarding. This is all about helping new leaders prepare in advance, manage their message and build their teams. It all starts with a plan.”

Just how important is your plan? If you turn up to a late stage interview without one, you may not even be considered. If you’ve got a good idea you’re at the top of the list, the quality, vision and finer points of your plan could just be the difference between you and your second-closest rival.

Crafting your plan – essential points to include

If you’ve never had to create a plan for your first 100 days in office, as it were, it can be tough to know where to start. Here are the crucial points to remember:

• Base everything on the company’s objectives. Don’t make the mistake of making it all about you and your own objectives, as the company wants to know what you as a leader can do for them. Frame all of your thinking within the context of the key business goals, the objectives the company is hiring you to work towards and achieve.
• What needs to happen to achieve these objectives? Choose what appear to you to be the key areas to focus on, and suggest steps that need to happen to move the company towards its key objectives. At this stage, it’s important to be logical in your thinking and back up any assertions you make with figures and case studies.
• Break down your measures over the first 100 days. This is the key question you’re answering – what starting moves will you make to set the wheels in motion, to move the company towards its goals?

SOLOS Consultants can offer expert advice and services to candidates seeking leadership roles, as well as businesses searching for that talented innovator who can drive their business forward. Get in touch to discuss your needs.