Hi everyone, and welcome to today’s episode about being interviewed for an internal role. First of all, congratulations! You’ve applied for a new job within your company and have been selected for an interview. This is great news and a great opportunity to showcase your skills and experience to your current employer. However, the fact that you already work within the company can make the interview process a bit different from a typical job interview. So, let me show you a simple, 5-step approach to help you prepare for it.
Step 1: Do your research
Applying for a job within your own company means that you have inside knowledge about the company culture and work environment. To maximize this advantage, research the specific role and team you are interviewing for by utilizing internal resources, such as the intranet and your network. Also, make sure to read the job description to understand what the hiring manager is looking for. It is crucial that you know the job responsibilities, the team’s goals and the company’s current initiatives.
Step 2: Explain your motivation for the new role
By clearly communicating your motivation for the new position and what you like about the company, you’ll show the interviewer that you’re serious about the role and that you’re a good fit for the team. When explaining why you love working for the company, consider factors such as its mission, values, culture, products, services or anything else that makes you proud to work there. For example, “As a long-time team member at this company, I have a deep connection to our mission of improving healthcare through innovative technology. And I really appreciate the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, which aligns with my own values and helps me feel motivated and engaged at work.” Then, ask yourself: “What makes me interested in this specific role?” This could be the responsibilities, the team, the opportunity for growth or the chance to take on new challenges. For example, “I am eager to take on new challenges and continue to grow, both personally and professionally, within this company. The increased levels of strategic thinking and responsibility in this role are really exciting and align with my career goals. I am confident that my strong problem-solving skills, ability to build strong relationships and extensive experience in operations will allow me to make a meaningful contribution in this new position.”
Step 3: Reflect on your accomplishments and challenges
Take some time to reflect on your current role, and think about your achievements and challenges. What have you accomplished that you’re proud of? What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them? This will help you prepare specific examples to share during the interview. For example, if you’re a customer service representative, proud of your high customer satisfaction rating, make sure to mention this during the interview. If you’ve faced a challenging customer situation and resolved it to the customer’s satisfaction, have that example ready to share, as well.”
Step 4: Prepare for behavioral interview questions
To effectively showcase your skills and experiences, it’s important to be prepared for behavioral interview questions. Identify a couple of situations from the last 1-3 years where you demonstrated the skills and experiences needed for the new role. When selecting your examples, consider complexity and business impact. Choosing a non-trivial situation is essential to show your problem-solving skills and ability to handle stressful situations. And the greater the business impact, the more effectively it highlights your capacity to drive results and provide value. A common pitfall for candidates, particularly when seeking a senior role, is selecting examples that prove their competence in their current job but don’t reflect their readiness for the new position; for instance, by presenting too many operational examples when applying for a more strategic role. So, be aware of the expectations of the new job when preparing for behavioral interview questions. And, during the interview, present your examples using the STAR method. Tune in to my previous episode, “How to answer behavioral interview questions,” for more guidance.
Step 5: Ask questions
The interview is not just an opportunity for the hiring manager to evaluate you, it’s also an opportunity for you to evaluate the role and team. So, prepare a list of questions to ask during the interview. This will show the interviewer that you’re interested in the role and have done your research. For example, you can ask questions about the team’s goals for the next quarter, the most important initiatives and the specific responsibilities of the role you’re interviewing for. Also, use your inside knowledge to ask questions highlighting your understanding of the company and its goals. For instance, “Given the company’s goal to expand into international markets, can you share what specific projects the department has planned to support this effort?”
These were the five steps to help you prepare for your interview for an internal role. Thanks for listening, and I hope this was helpful to you.