10 Interview Tips for External Candidates Competing Against Internal Favorites

Last week I gave tips for internal candidates who are interviewing with people they know very well. This week I focus on how external candidates can stand out when competing against an internal candidate who appears to be the favored frontrunner.

1.   Do your homework. You must know a lot about the community, the organization, and the people you’re interviewing with. Google literally every news article you can. Talk to insiders who know the politics. Find people who know each of the panelists. Read Twitter accounts. Talk to former employees or leaders in the organization. You don’t need to state in the interview everything you know. But understanding the situation going in will allow you to tailor your answers in such a way that you can highlight the skills you have that match this organization’s unique needs. It will also help you avoid making statements that are inaccurate, or that won't resonate well with the panel. For more tips on how to prepare your answers to match what the organization needs, check out my book Ready for Take-Off: Preparing for Interview Questions on Your Job Search Journey.

2.   Similar to doing your homework about the organization, review data that would give you an idea of the financial status, the revenue streams, the budget, or any other pertinent fiscal information. This is true for 100% of all leadership jobs, regardless of the department. Understanding some baseline knowledge about the business shows that you’re interested in contributing to the entire organization, not just your area.

3.   Leverage people who have political capital. If you’re interviewing for a high-profile position with a company or organization, there are probably power players who are not involved in the selection, but who will influence it either publicly or behind the scenes. Be courageous and call those people. Ask to meet them for coffee in order to gain their perspective. You will gain important information to prepare for the interview. You also could mitigate those individuals’ expressed preference for the frontrunner. Don’t go in with the purpose to change their mind. Just go in to learn, and when it comes down to the end, you may lessen the power-player’s passion around choosing the frontrunner.

4.   If the job is in a different city from where you live, be sure you know the city you’re interviewing in. Whenever there is an internal frontrunner, there is an assumption that person values the city more than an external outsider. Go out of your way to compliment the city. Be sure the panel understands why you want to be a member of that specific community. Emphasize that you’re not just moving for a job. You’re moving for a lifestyle and you plan to make yourself an integral member of the community.

5.   Don’t make factual mistakes. External candidates alienate the panel immediately if they make statements that show an obvious lack of knowledge about the situation. I’ve had people interview who made (and stated) wrong assumptions about organizational charts, revenue sources, customer or student data, historical problems, and even who their boss would be!

6.   Demonstrate you know the differences between this job and your current one. It is important for you to show you understand that you will need to adapt your style or learn new skills because of the differences. If you don’t address them head-on, the panel will assume you aren’t thinking of them. For example, there is a current selection in my community I’m watching from the sidelines. One external candidate comes from a much smaller organization. One has never held the specific level of job. And one comes from a community with a higher level of funding. If these individuals fail to show that they recognize these differences, it will seem as if they’ve disregarded them. Whatever differences there are between your current role and the one you’re applying for, be sure to mention you’re aware of them.

7.   Don’t make definitive statements. It’s important to have a strong vision and a plan for what you’ll do in the job. But don’t state exactly the steps you’ll take to do so. Why? Because until you work there, you don’t know what quick wins you can get or what will take longer. You might find some actions to be impossible or inadvisable once you understand the organization better. Anytime you feel a need to say, “I will do ______,” rephrase the statement. Instead say, “Based on what I know now, I would lean toward ______ strategy. But I would want to find out more information about ______ before I landed on what exactly I would do.”

8.   Show respect for the frontrunner candidate. This has two benefits. First, it shows the panel that you recognize their admiration for the frontrunner. It validates their feelings and opinions. Second, it shows you’re a humble collaborator not threatened by the frontrunner’s political clout. And it shows you’re smart enough to learn from the frontrunner if you’re selected as the leader.

9. Be likable. If you come across as too formal, people won’t see you as a potential member of the team. Panels don’t just want someone to do the job. They also want someone they can enjoy, laugh with, and have fun with. Yes it’s a job, but it’s where you’re going to spend the majority of your time. Everyone wants a kind and friendly colleague.

10. Finally, don’t assume the frontrunner is really the favorite. You do have to walk a fine line. You want to speak positively about the frontrunner. But you don’t want to gush. As I shared in last week’s article, sometimes the public frontrunner isn’t really the favorite of the panel. Maybe the panel really loves the assumed frontrunner and wanted to be sure he/she received an interview. Maybe they also believe it’s time for a change. You probably won’t be able to find out for sure until you get the job.

Follow all of the advice in this article to help your chances. But most importantly, have the confidence to know that you just might be the frontrunner yourself!

Dr. Staci McIntosh is a human resources executive, career coach, and author of the One Hour Handbook Series, providing job search and career advice to busy professionals. Her new book will be available this summer and is titled: The Anti-Entrepreneur: How to Choose the Right Job So You Can Retire Wealthy Without Starting Your Own Business.