How to Ace an Internal Interview
You’ve put your hat in the ring for a new position at your company and you just got word that you’ve been selected for an interview. What could be easier than chatting with managers you already know? Piece of cake, right? Wrong. Internal interviews require the same rigor as interviews with an external company. They also pose a unique set of challenges.
What the Experts Say
Too many candidates, and hiring managers, shortchange the internal interview process; they view it as a formality and think that all of the evidence is already there. This is a mistake, says Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior adviser at global executive search firm Egon Zehnder and author of the forthcoming, It’s Not the How or the What But the Who. “It’s in your best interest, and that of the hiring manager, to go through a deep assessment to be sure you have the right competencies and fit,” he says. John Lees, a UK-based career strategist and author of Just the Job!: Smart and Fast Strategies to Get the Perfect Job, agrees. He says that too many internal candidates treat these meetings as development conversations, not as interviews. “People typically neglect to offer good evidence of achievement because they believe it’s already known to interviewers,” he says. Next time you’re up for an internal role, keep the following principles in mind.
To tell or not to tell?
The first question you face is whether to tell your current manager that you’re applying for the position. “Honesty is the best policy not only because your boss is likely to find out soon enough but also because he will be a key reference in the process,” says Fernández-Aráoz. Lees suggests you ask for your manager’s advice on how to best pitch yourself for the position. This request will help you assess where he stands. “If your boss doesn’t want you to move on or will actively block your promotion, you have to rethink your strategy,” he says. If you’re worried that your boss will be vindictive or hurt your chances, talk to the hiring manager and see whether he can keep your application secret until the time is right.
Don’t assume you have an edge
You might think that because you’re a known candidate, you have a leg up. In some cases, this may be true. Fernández-Aráoz says that smart companies know that hiring a current employee is faster and cheaper. But that doesn’t guarantee an advantage. The hiring manager might be looking to bring in a fresh perspective or skills that she assumes no one in the organization has. And, as Lees points out, she’s likely to be influenced by what’s happened in the past: “If the last appointment was an internal candidate, and it went horribly, she may be looking for an external one this time around.” Remember this is a competitive process and you shouldn’t rest on your laurels assuming the job is yours.
Research, research, research
Fernández-Aráoz says one of the biggest mistakes that internal candidates make is “not asking enough questions about the new job, its challenges, and the performance expectations.” Without that information, you won’t be able to perform well in the interview or assess whether you’re a good fit for the role. Don’t rely on the job description, which may not give an accurate picture. If possible, set up a meeting with the hiring manager in advance of the interview. “Do your homework,” says Fernández-Aráoz, “and speak with people in similar roles and people who previously filled the role you’re applying for.”
Know your reputation going into the room
“The external candidate has the advantage of being a total stranger and starting with a clean sheet,” says Lees. You aren’t so lucky. Regardless of your performance record, people in your company may have preconceived ideas about you. “Even a good reputation can act against you,” Lees says. If people think of you as an excellent operations guy, they may have a hard time imagining you as a strategic thinker. Before you start the interview process, make sure you know what others think of you. Ask someone you can trust to be candid — a mentor, an external coach, or someone in a learning-and-development or HR role.
Then be prepared to challenge or reshape others’ opinions. You can say, “In the past people have assumed I didn’t have strategic thinking skills, but let me tell you what I’ve been working on lately.” Of course, you need to do this carefully so you don’t come off as confrontational or defensive. “Don’t insinuate that people don’t understand you or that you haven’t gotten the right opportunities,” says Lees.
Set the ground rules for the conversation
Interviewing with someone you know can be awkward. If you know the interviewer well, you can check in before the meeting and ask how he wants to handle it. If your relationship is more removed, try to strike a balance in your tone. “You can and should be friendly and informal with someone you know well, but you also need to be fully professional,” says Fernández-Aráoz.
You may also wonder how to talk about a work history the interviewer is already familiar with. Again, ask directly, saying something like, “I’m going to provide the same level of detail as I would in an external interview so I might be telling you some things you already know. Is that OK?” Lees advises erring on the side of offering as much evidence as you can. Fernández-Aráoz agrees: “Any solid candidate would understand that it is in the best interest of everyone to be thorough.”
Address career blemishes
It’s likely that you’ll have to speak to a few missteps in your past. “This is the hardest territory,” says Lees. “It’s easy to become defensive or make your boss sound like an idiot.” Some mistakes really can’t be explained away in an interview room; if you’re coming off a less than stellar project, you might consider getting a few more positive experiences under your belt before applying for a new role. But if you honestly believe you’re ready for the new job, speak candidly about what went wrong and what you learned from it. Hopefully, the hiring manager will understand. Fernández-Aráoz says: “Nobody is perfect, but as long as you are qualified, and are willing to learn from your mistakes, I would never hesitate to hire you.”
Principles to Remember
Do:
Case study #1: Make your case
Mary Beth Perdue had stiff competition when she applied for the newly created position of vice president of external reporting and analysis at Freddie Mac in 2009. “I was up against some other great candidates and while I was closest to the work, these other folks were also very qualified,” she says.
Mary Beth went through ten interviews over two months, first with HR, then with various people she’d be working with, and finally with the CFO. She put a lot into preparing: she worked with a coach, brushed up on the technical aspects of SEC reporting, and talked with her boss about what challenges she might face in the process. She then took each interview seriously, dressing formally and carefully conveying what made her most qualified, even when the interviewer was familiar with her work history. “You have a relationship but you still need to get your points across,” she says. While the process was intense, Mary Beth said she was glad she went through it: “It proved I was the best candidate. If it had been an inline promotion there might have been a perception of favoritism but I gained respect by going through all those interviews.”
Case study#2: Address concerns directly
At the financial services company where Sean Reed* works, it’s common to switch roles often. In fact, he’s been through nearly 20 internal interviews in his six years with the company. His last application — which secured him his most recent position as the director of a rewards program — was one of the easiest but still presented challenges. Namely, one of the interviewers, Carl*, was someone who had recently interviewed him for another position that he didn’t get. “I was very nervous because here’s somebody who knew why I wasn’t hired for the last job. He had information I didn’t have,” Sean says.
Still, Sean proceeded with his normal pre-interview routine. He set up a meeting with the hiring manager (who he already knew from a previous role) and asked his current and past boss to send supportive emails. He also sat down with the outgoing director and another person on the team to find out what the role entailed and how he could be most successful. “When I went in for the first interview with the hiring manager, I thought I hit it out the park. I had so much information going in. I knew what the mandate for the role was, which was very different than the job description,” he says.
His interview with Carl was next and Sean wasn’t surprised by the first question: What makes you qualified for this role if you weren’t for the last? Sean explained why he was interested in both roles but that his skills and experience were better suited for this one. He was able to convince Carl and the rest of the interview went smoothly. A few days later, he found out that the job was his.
*Not their real names
Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review and the author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict at Work. She writes and speaks about workplace dynamics. Follow her on Twitter at @amyegallo.
How to Ace an Internal Interview
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