I have an internal interview coming up to replace my current line manager who is moving into a new role. Having not done a formal internal interview for many years I thought it worth sounding out opinions on how to play it.
Essentially the new role would mark a bit of a change in direction for me, going from a more specialist/technical role into a management position. I think it is potentially a good career move for me, and I would bring good skills and experience in many areas. However there are some aspects of the role where I may lack experience compared to other candidates and indeed my 'soft skills' which will be important in the role may not be quite up to the same standard.
I already have a working relationship with the interview panel so they will implicitly have formed some opinions already about my potential suitability for the role and what areas they perceive me to be strong/weak in. So my conundrum is whether I should go in with the view that I should seek to allay any concerns they may have by directly addressing areas they may consider me lacking in by talking up transferable skills of relevance that they may not have directly witnessed, even if they do not directly question me in all these areas. Kind of like a subtle straw man whereby I proactively look to dismiss potential reasons not to hire me.
Obviously, I will not be focusing my attention solely on weaknesses or the negative angle, but rather talking up my strengths especially where I can reference examples in my current employment that support this given that they will know with certainty that they are valid and not interview BS. It is more a case of ensuring that I get an opportunity to defend my corner on areas of weakness (this is where it feels a bit different from an external interview where all they have to go on is a CV and what I say in the interview, not having observed me at work for a couple of years).
I have a very strong suspicion that I know who one of the other people being interviewed is and I think it is fair to say that I am probably more suited in some competencies, and them in others. I consider us both to be credible candidates, but offering slightly different choices. Emphasising my strengths and making that a compelling case to hire me potentially may not be enough, so it feels like it would be a shame to miss out based on perhaps misconceptions about the severity of my weaknesses.
Essentially the new role would mark a bit of a change in direction for me, going from a more specialist/technical role into a management position. I think it is potentially a good career move for me, and I would bring good skills and experience in many areas. However there are some aspects of the role where I may lack experience compared to other candidates and indeed my 'soft skills' which will be important in the role may not be quite up to the same standard.
I already have a working relationship with the interview panel so they will implicitly have formed some opinions already about my potential suitability for the role and what areas they perceive me to be strong/weak in. So my conundrum is whether I should go in with the view that I should seek to allay any concerns they may have by directly addressing areas they may consider me lacking in by talking up transferable skills of relevance that they may not have directly witnessed, even if they do not directly question me in all these areas. Kind of like a subtle straw man whereby I proactively look to dismiss potential reasons not to hire me.
Obviously, I will not be focusing my attention solely on weaknesses or the negative angle, but rather talking up my strengths especially where I can reference examples in my current employment that support this given that they will know with certainty that they are valid and not interview BS. It is more a case of ensuring that I get an opportunity to defend my corner on areas of weakness (this is where it feels a bit different from an external interview where all they have to go on is a CV and what I say in the interview, not having observed me at work for a couple of years).
I have a very strong suspicion that I know who one of the other people being interviewed is and I think it is fair to say that I am probably more suited in some competencies, and them in others. I consider us both to be credible candidates, but offering slightly different choices. Emphasising my strengths and making that a compelling case to hire me potentially may not be enough, so it feels like it would be a shame to miss out based on perhaps misconceptions about the severity of my weaknesses.
