
So you are applying for an internal position, maybe even one that would count as a promotion. I will give you my best piece of advice here. The most important one is not to surprise your manager with the application. When applying internally, you need to consider the working relationship with your manager, and how to make sure that this relationship does not get hurt from applying. This is different when applying outside of your current company, so keep this in mind when reading this post. I will be back another time when it comes to searching for a position outside of your current employment.
So why am I saying that you should not surprise your manager? The first thing is that when you apply internally, your manager will most probably get to know that you did, even if you are not saying it. The conversation that will take place if you where not open about applying might be good, the risk is however that the trust that was there is damaged.
Any manager worth his or her salt will be interested in your development and try to invest as much energy as possible in making you ready for the promotion that you want. To do this, the openness has to be there, you have to be clear on what you want as your next step, when you see it and where. What you should expect in return is if this is the right one for you, and what kind of support you could get. So that is why you should not surprise your current manager with your application, as your manager, I wan’t to be a part of your development and surprises does not make it easier. More about development talks here.
What I also do, is to prepare your succession. I have a plan for each and every key leader, with alternatives as successors, actions on how to prepare them. This is work that needs priorities, and to do this I need to know where the exit risks are. If you surprise me with internal applications, the priorities needs to be changed.
The next part is that if you apply within the company for another role, and you did not do the work to talk to the hiring manager before writing your application, you are not playing your best game. You need to know what is important for the role, and what is not written in the posting. This is really hard to do if you never talked to your future leader. You want to stand out from the competition, you want to show that you are the one for the role – then make sure that you are prepared.
If you need help on getting prepared for the next step, coaching can be one of the most powerful tools available. I’m ready to support you!
If you feel better in an accountability group – check out my friend Mike.