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If you're applying for a new job at your current company, being an internal candidate (i.e., a current employee) is your greatest advantage and your greatest disadvantage. On the one hand, everybody already knows you and you have a track record with which everyone is familiar. On the other hand, everybody already knows you and you have a track record. The trick is to reset perceptions and prejudices of you as if you were an unknown external candidate.
Advantages of being an internal candidate:
1. You know the company and culture. When you walk into your interview, you may know more about the inner workings of the company than the people interviewing you. You speak the language. You know the buzzwords they want to hear and even the company’s long-term plans. You know or can inquire about, facts about the job that only an internal candidate has access to. This gives you a sharp edge over external candidates.
2. Many companies favor internal candidates. Managing expectations is part of the recruitment process, thus many companies that favor hiring internally may not broadcast that fact. However, many have mechanisms in place to favor internal candidates. Think of it as being graded on a curve. You get points for already being on the payroll. What the rest of your employee file says is up to you.
3. You have allies inside the company. In more situations than not, whoever is on your side can step up to the plate and bat for you. This behind-the-scenes influence may be more potent than anything else. The stronger and more influential your sponsor, the stronger and more influential the recommendation.
4. You can market yourself directly to the stakeholders. You have unprecedented access to everyone involved in the hiring process and can press your case. Don’t be overbearing and bring the receipts. You may remember your impressive achievements but others may not. Be your biggest fan but be respectful of boundaries.
5. Hiring internally is an easier transition for all. Recruiting and onboarding is time consuming and expensive. If you misfire, you’re back at square one and the liability increases. You can know a lot of things at the end of a recruitment campaign but you’ll never know 100% that it will be the right fit. Some aren’t. The fact that you’re already an employee means less upfront costs and risk. Internal candidates can hit the ground running on the first second of their first day. New employees don’t know where the bathroom is and can’t remember the password to unlock their computer.
Disadvantages of being an internal candidate:
1. If you don’t get the job, you have to go back to your old job. For many, this is the most anxiety-producing feature of being an internal candidate. In a typical get-a-new-job scenario, you go through a series of interviews, receive an offer, negotiate, agree on terms, and show up on day one. If you don’t get the job, you most likely receive a conciliatory email at best and get ghosted at worst. End of story. If you’re an internal candidate, however, and you don’t get the job (and you don’t quit your current job) then you have to report for work the next day with a smile on your face. Everybody knows you put yourself up for a job and everybody knows you didn’t get it. It’s a challenging and awkward situation.
2. Haters gonna hate. Even Mother Teresa had detractors. Just like your allies will bat for you, internal opposition may be less than helpful. Hopefully, that’s not the case, but if it is, the forces that rally against you are beyond your control. Don’t get distracted, but know this is a potential part of going after an internal job.
3. Everyone already has a strong opinion of you. People have opinions and it takes a lot to change them, including opinions of you. Keep in mind that your role is not to change people’s opinion of you (that would be futile), it is to convince them you are the perfect person for the job. Focus on that.
4. Don’t have the attitude that the job is yours. Nothing’s a given. That kind of attitude reeks and won’t help you with this cause or your next one. You need to impress people who know you, have a professional history with you, and already have strong opinions of you. There is no reason to believe they don’t take their recruiting responsibilities seriously and that a smug candidate isn’t going far. Exercise some humility.
5. Your promotion or may not include the big pay increase you are ready to prove you deserve. Compensation may not be as aggressive for internal candidates as external in-demand talent or professionals you are trying to woo away from another company. You may get low-balled and they have the leverage. Good luck.
Other factors to consider:
1. Don't assume you are the only (or even most qualified) internal candidate. When there are internal candidates for a plum job, many companies will try and keep the process as close to the vest as possible. Even if you have not heard anything definitive, chances are some of your co-workers are going after the job as well. Competing against other internal candidates levels out the advantages you may have over external candidates.
2. Get your manager onboard with your candidacy. At your employer, your boss may actually be required to sign off on your application as part of the process. Regardless, approach your manager and tell them you want to pursue an internal job opening. If they are on board, that is a great starting point. If they agree to champion you for the position, that’s an even better outcome. If they discourage it, you may want to reconsider after hearing their reasons. There are already disadvantages to being an internal candidate, but if your immediate boss doesn’t recommend you, that’s a very steep uphill climb.
3. Update your resume & LinkedIn profile. Don't expect HR to have a copy of your resume on file (especially if you've been in your current position for a while) and, even if they do, it is bad form to ask them to use if for your application or to send you a copy. And make sure it’s bleeding-edge current.
4. Update your resume & LinkedIn profile as if you are an external candidate. Yes, your co-workers and bosses know everything about you, but you should resist the temptation to approach your application like it is just a formality. It's not. It's a critical tool that will officially be used to advance or end your candidacy. When you add your current position, the section should be written as if you are applying to a different company. Use it as an opportunity to focus the reader on your best accomplishments.
5. Have a plan for the day after. There are only two possible outcomes. You get the job, or you don't get it. If you got it, you're locked in. Get ready to live up to the promises you made. If you didn't, then it’s back to work with all the trimmings. Regardless of whether or not the new hire is an internal or external candidate, you have to work with them every day in peace and harmony.
Philip Roufail contributed to this article.
Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.
