5 Mistakes Internal Candidates Should Avoid In Job Interviews
You're the internal candidate. They say they want to promote from within and that's you.
Time to relax and just coast through the formalities of the interview process as you await the congratulatory call.
That's Mistake 1: Assuming you'll get the job because you're the internal candidate.
Insight and familiarity can work in your favor. But don't underestimate the interest that a slate of other highly qualified candidates will generate. Make sure you pull out all the stops to make a solid impression.
Mistake 2: Coming in unprepared.
You may think because you work there already, you don't need to prepare. That's only true if you don't care about getting the job. Instead, write down the kinds of questions you would expect to be asked, and brainstorm (and practice!) your responses.
Bonus: You'll be ready when they say the standard, "What haven't we asked you yet?"
Mistake 3: Acting too familiar.
You may know someone on the interview panel, but it's not the time to joke around. Share your background as if you've never met. Remember that other candidates are impressing them with a rundown of their careers and experience. Don't assume the interview panel knows yours. Seize the chance to reintroduce yourself in this context.
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Mistake 4: Not dressing the part.
Sure, they may already know you and know that you don't dress this fancy every day. But if you're not willing to dress the part, how serious are you about wanting the job?
Mistake 5: Not having a closing question.
At the end of most interviews, you're given a chance to ask the interviewer something. You might think you know all you need to know already and pass on that chance. Big mistake. Ask what kind of candidate will succeed in this role. Ask what they enjoy about their roles or the organization. Ask something.
There's always more to learn. You'll walk away with valuable Insight no matter the outcome.
*****
Keep complacency in check and walk into the interview hungry for that new job.
Internal or external, every candidate should be ready to earn it.
Senior Talent Acquisition Partner, Northern California
2 年This is great! Thank you for sharing!!!
Executive Director at Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership
2 年Great advice Megan!
Business Development Officer at City of San José
2 年This was great; I got a lot out of it.
Great article Megan. If someone was to ask me advice on interviewing within I would definitely include, "Seize the chance to reintroduce yourself in this context.". When I interviewed for an internal promotion for the first time one piece of feedback I received after learning I was not selected was that I could have been more specific with examples and not lightly referencing projects as if the panel knew what I was referring to because they too worked for the department. As awkward as it sounds you must pretend the panel is meeting you for the first time. I would also recommend emphasizing examples from your work with the current employer and accentuate with examples from previous employment and not the other way around. Also, having been on a panel once I would recommend to not assume that any one person, co-worker, will apply and receive the job automatically. In the same vain, don't assume the outside candidates applying meet all the criteria. I would recommend to prepare and be ready to speak on examples of experience. While applying can be time consuming and a bit of a roller coaster experience I do believe there will always be take-aways from the experience regardless of being offered the job or no.