Internal promotion interview advice sought

Thread Necromancer

Thread Necromancer

Sooooooooo, it's been awhile since I posted I know. Let's get up to speed.

I think last time I posted (life and work stuff) I was looking for advice on trying to find a home as I relocated across the country for a new position at work. Well good news, I found a place and it's been an eventful year at work. Ups and downs and some good times and bad. And now they have given me the opportunity to interview for the next step up. Which you be a big step and something I really want (and need). It's for a department/area manager position. And I basically do a lot of the job already. I've been going through some pretty rigorous interview prep. But what I have not yet been able to come up with are some questions for my interviewers at the end. You know how you are supposed to have some questions for the interviewers. Well what do you ask when you are going for an internal promotion and you basically already know the job?

Any advice or ideas are appreciated

Tldr:

What kind of questions do you ask during an interview for an internal promotion?
 
strawman

strawman

Thread Necromancer said:
What kind of questions do you ask during an interview for an internal promotion?
Click to expand...
Huh, that's an interesting thought!

I don't think there's anything you need to be asking. You know where in the hierarchy you'd be working, who you'd be working with, what you position involves, the company culture, the benefits (vacation, PTO, etc).

In this case I think it'd be more than fine, if they ask, to say, "I don't have any questions, I feel very comfortable stepping into that role and understand what it will be."
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
I feel like you missed an opportunity by posting in the same thread you did the last time.

As to the question at hand, document, document, document. Write down what you do for the company and then contrast that with the position you want. If they are that close it should be a no brainer for your company. Of course, they won't just give it to you, you have to point it out to them. And what do you do if they say no? That's a pretty important question as well.
 
Squidleybits

Squidleybits

It's always best to have a few questions. It shows them that you're keen and interested. I've applied for internal jobs and even though I know my office well, there things about head office that I didn't know.
 
Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

Ask what their vision of the role is. It will clarify expectations, or give you an opportunity to say, "I agree, that's why I..." and explain something you already in your current job.

Ask what new things (beyond what you do now, including the things you do that are already part of this larger role) will be expected of you.

Ask who you talk to when you need support on a decision, or just to bounce some ideas off of when you're solving a problem in this role.
 
Thread Necromancer

Thread Necromancer

Well, I had my interviews yesterday. Four of them. With five different people. I feel that went well but now I wait and see.

It's hard to ask questions about the role. In our building we expect you to know it before we'll let you interview to do it. I know that sounds strange comma but it's what I've known and what I was told before I ever came to the building. When I met with the general manager the very first time he said basically: if you are going to apply for the next role I expect you to already be doing the next role. And it's true.
They were hard interviews. These were people who are already very familiar with my work. But the hard work had already happened. The hard work was getting to the point where they would let me interview. So I think it went well.
But as for questions that I asked comma I really didn't have good questions prepared but I think I asked a couple of good ones.
I asked, and I could get away with this because they know me and know my worth, what is it that I do not know? I prefaced that with you know that I'm a big fan of saying I don't know what I don't know. So I'd like to ask you what is it that I do not know? I see the role every day. I act in the role I assume the responsibilities of the role and most people assume that I already have the roll. But what do you think is going to be my biggest surprise stepping into the role?

Forgive the long text. Typing from my phone with voice to text cuz there's just so much to say and I'm cutting it short. But thank you everybody. As always, Halforums is a community I always feel good about being connected to.

Tldr;
Necro maybe might get promoted as long as he didn't put his foot in his mouth.
 
Thread Necromancer

Thread Necromancer

Yes. It's good. I'm stoked. The dust hasn't really settled in my head yet about it but yeah, it's good. I ended up having to go through 5 different interviews with 6 people. And it was just as hard and grueling as I had expected it to be. But thankfully I had been preparing for it and a lot of my managers/now peers had been working to prep me for it.
And their offer came in higher than I expected and even higher than my best hopes.
So, yea, stoked
 
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