The Case for Entry Plans
Most candidates wait to be onboarded. Leaders arrive with a plan.
While a standard 30-60-90 day outline reflects employer expectations, a Strategic Entry Plan flips the script. Created by you before the offer, it positions you as a proactive thinker ready to deliver meaningful results from day one.
Sore Thumb crafts Strategic Entry Plans that do more than impress. They set the tone for how you lead.
What is a Strategic Entry Plan?
A Strategic Entry Plan is a candidate-led roadmap for approaching the first 90 days in a new role. Structured in 30-day phases, it reflects your understanding of the company, the role’s objectives, and your strategy for early contribution.
Unlike a reactive Q&A or a generic outline, this document signals initiative, foresight, and alignment.
Why It Matters at the Executive Level
Bringing a Strategic Entry Plan to an interview is not about overachieving. It is about communicating readiness.
✓ You demonstrate initiative, not only interest
✓ You frame the conversation around strategy, not speculation
✓ You elevate yourself from qualified candidate to future contributor
When done well, the plan creates a basis for meaningful dialogue with hiring leaders and decision-makers.
Key Elements of a High-Impact Strategic Entry Plan
Sore Thumb builds each plan from the ground up, tailored to your role and grounded in your leadership style. Core elements include:
✓ Opening Statement: Purpose and Alignment: A concise introduction that communicates understanding of the company’s mission and why you are positioned to contribute.
✓ 30-Day Objectives: Assimilate and Engage: Focused on relationships, processes, and culture. This phase shows how you will integrate with pace and purpose.
✓ 60-Day Objectives: Analyze and Initiate: Small wins, cross-functional collaboration, and early assessments of opportunities for impact.
✓ 90-Day Objectives: Lead and Deliver: Tangible outcomes. Initiatives launched, efficiencies identified, KPIs improved.
✓ Resources and Success Factors: Tools, inputs, and support required to execute effectively—demonstrating realism and foresight.
The Interview Advantage
Presenting a Strategic Entry Plan elevates the discussion.
✓ It gives hiring leaders something specific to respond to, enabling productive dialogue about goals and priorities
✓ It shifts focus from hypotheticals to strategy
✓ It shows you are already engaging as if you were inside the organization
Why Work with Sore Thumb
Sore Thumb does not produce generic checklists. We create positioning tools.
Our Strategic Entry Plans are:
✓ Bespoke: aligned to the role, not adapted from templates
✓ Insightful: rooted in strategic thinking, not surface tasks
✓ Polished: written with executive clarity and authority
Whether stepping into a CEO role, a board seat, or a fractional engagement, Sore Thumb helps you walk in with presence and with a plan.
A good first impression starts with preparation. A great one starts with strategy.
If you’re ready to position yourself as the candidate who leads before the offer is made, , contact us at clientcare@sorethumb.pro.
Elevate your career with a Strategic Entry Plan from Sore Thumb and Stand Out Where It Counts!
