When You Know Everyone in the Room

What it’s like to interview with your own team

Recently, a position opened up within my team that I really wanted, and as the role was also open to the external applicants, I had to interview for it just like everyone else. Although it might sound like an easier process to interview with my own team, I had to quickly identify the challenges and dynamics of this experience. It’s one thing to interview with people you don’t know because you get to walk in and have a blank slate. But what happens when you walk into an interview for a role you really want, and you know everyone? How do you prove yourself? Here is my experience and things I learned along the way. ?

Get comfortable being uncomfortable.?

First off, it was awkward for both me and my teammates?doing the?interviewing?as they were not just colleagues, but friends too. So, acknowledging the uncomfortableness at the onset of the interview is good to do. It’s also vital to respect that the business and decision-making process was separate from our individual rapport. If things didn’t go my way, I knew I had to?make sure?my personal feelings?didn’t?affect?our?work relationship.

Preparation is everything

Although I have experience in working with the team, I still had to prepare for the interview all the same. In fact, I would say instead of feeling like I might be at an advantage since I was already on the team, I wanted to over prepare and use all the available resources at my disposal.

Tip: One way to prepare for an interview if you don’t have internal experience is by finding people within the company with similar roles. Use LinkedIn to see their past professional experience. See if they have produced or shared articles that resonate with you about what you could experience. Seek information that might shape a better picture of what could be asked of you.

Another way to prepare is to comb through your old jobs on your resume. Try to think back to when you were in each role. What were some major growth experiences you took away from the job? Can you craft stories about those experiences that might be relevant to the new job you’re applying for? ?There may come a time where you could be asked to give an example of what you did, and you may be caught off guard. But if you have a bank of stories from your experiences you can draw parallels to show what you know and how it could translate across future work. When those stories are top of mind before your interview, they will surface at the right time.

Root your answers in real examples from your experience

At a senior level, interviewers typically tend to ask more behavioural, thought-provoking questions like, “Can you give me an example of when you did…?” rather that the hypothetical “What would you do if…?” type questions.

When I originally joined Microsoft, the role I was in was a close match to the skills needed for the job I was interviewing for. This served me well,?as I had a full story bank to rely on during my initial interviews.?For this new?role, it was clear to me that I had some gaps in?the required?job?experience.?I?did have?the relevant competencies though, so?I started to map out my own experiences?to?demonstrate?my?capabilities. For e.g. I had never had a "difficult conversation" with a direct report?regarding?compensation.?However,?in my prior role,?I had several difficult conversations with junior colleagues over workplace culture. I also spent time thinking about how I could close these gaps?to?show how I can grow and map out pathways to get there. I wasn’t a 100% match,?which is ok. No one ever is, but I found potential ways to meet those expectations.

Confidence is key

Lastly, I always believe that I can do a job even if I don’t have every single qualification. What I don’t know, I will learn. I continually grow and expand my skills. And every time I go outside of my comfort zone to pursue my next dream job, it works out!

Have you ever interviewed internally? I’d like to hear your stories in the comments.