After weeks of applying for jobs, you start to wonder, “Is anyone reading these cover letters?” Application fatigue is real, and trying to come up with something that makes you stand out starts to wane. And if you think you are tired of writing traditional cover letters, imagine being the recruiting manager reading them. Or, more accurately, glossing over them.
If you’re tired of waiting for a reply that’s never coming, switch up your strategy by really selling yourself. Similar to the 15-second elevator pitch, the “90-day win pitch” shows hiring managers how you will benefit the company from day one.
The Psychology of Hiring
One of the main reasons it takes so long for hiring managers to find the “right” applicant to fill a vacant position is because of risk. Onboarding may just be training to you, but to the business, it’s an expense, and one it doesn’t want to pay more than once.
An employer pays new hires from the moment they start. However, that new employee may not be productive for weeks to months after their first day. And, in fact, that same new worker may cost the company more than their salary while they are:
- Completing paperwork, like contracts and tax forms.
- Setting up workstations, email accounts, and software access.
- Training and integrating with the existing team.
Many employers utilize current staff members in the training process, so their productivity can decrease as they help the newest teammate find their footing. So, the acquisition leaders need to hire someone who can hit the ground running.
The Anatomy of a 90-Day Win Pitch
A 90-day win pitch describes how you can be that productive hire starting on day one. You’re not just making empty promises, you’re laying out a strategy.
When you break this strategy down into three parts, one for each month, you are showing that you understand business momentum and not just an arrogant attitude.
The First 30 Days
Your prospective supervisor does not want someone who tries to solve problems they don’t yet understand. The first month of your pitch should express intellectual humility.
- Map Out Stakeholders – Identify the role’s customers and find out what their pain points are.
- Audit the Process – Review the role’s existing workflow to discover where friction points may lie.
Then, summarize your findings for your prospective manager to ensure your perceived priorities align with theirs.
The Second Month
After your audit and analysis, the company wants a return on its investment. And a good start is tackling those annoying existing projects that haven’t been a priority for the existing team.
- Fiction Fix – Not all wins need to be big. Sometimes the best first fixes are ones that have been “meaning to get done” but aren’t as important as the key performance indicators.
- Visibility – Choose a project that has a clear, measurable outcome. Vague plans like “improve communication” don’t really mean anything, but “reduce internal email volume by moving updates to Slack” shows something tangible.
While these microprojects might not seem like a big ROI, they can make other projects run more smoothly.
Days 61-90
By the third month, you’re hardly the new employee, and there will be expectations. At this point, you want to present as a high-value worker.
- Propose a Program – Take what you have learned in your first 60 days and put it into action with KPIs.
- Repeat Wins – Remember that quick fix from last month, make it repeatable in a way that benefits the whole team, the business as a whole, or streamlines the process.
This is where you want to show vision for the next six months based on your first three.
How to Research Your “Win”
A 90-day win pitch is more effort than a traditional cover letter, and that’s why it will help you stand out from other applicants. It involves researching the company’s current problems, which usually aren’t advertised.
You want to ensure that you’re proposing to fix a problem they have, not one you think they have. Public companies must be, well, public, which means that you can find annual reports and earning calls. Read these and look for what the CEO and other higher-ups are struggling with.
Check out their other job openings and recent hires, even if they’re not in your field. If the business just hired a dozen people for the marketing department, they might have high growth or a product launch, or they may be in need of a strategic pivot.
Get a feel for what their customers say. If their latest product has poor reviews or a pattern of problems, focus on how to improve their experience. Likewise, act as a consumer and use their service or product and give your opinion on where there is room for improvement. Even if the company does product testing, an informed outlook could help them see what’s missing.
Formatting the Pitch (The “One-Pager” Rule)
Like a traditional cover letter, you want to sell your expertise concisely. Hiring supervisors don’t want to read a business plan even if it’s guaranteed gold.
- Make It Scannable – Use bold headers and bullet points.
- Use a Table – Show a simple comparison of where the department is now and where you can take it in 90 days.
Again, no one wants to hire someone who thinks they know it all from an outside perspective. Acknowledge that this is a draft based on your external research, and convey that you are willing to adapt and learn. This pitch is to show that you don’t simply follow orders and stick to your role’s responsibility, but that you are willing to take leadership to make impactful change.
When and How to Send Your Pitch
Unlike cover letters, your win pitch isn’t something you push from the first introduction. It also isn’t something you want to waste your time putting together to never be seen. It should go directly to the hiring manager after an initial screening or following a first interview.
Put it in an email like, “I’ve been thinking about our conversation regarding [Pain Point X]. I put together a rough 90-day roadmap of how I’d tackle that. Would you be open to a quick feedback loop on it?”
Employers love effort, and even if you’re wrong about the pain point or the strategy, showing a willingness to go beyond (and learn to be better) will show you are a valuable addition.
By Admin –