Occasionally throughout your career, you may need to interview internally with your current employer. This could happen as the result of a promotion opportunity or your current job being eliminated or redefined due to a company reorganization or downsizing. Regardless of the reason, you should consider this interview an opportunity, and following are some tips to help you make it a success.
Skip the Casual Approach
Even though you are familiar with your current employer, do not approach the interview casually. Dress in business attire and conduct yourself in a professional manner. As with any interview, you will need to convince the interviewer that your experience, skills, and knowledge make you the right candidate for the job.
Check Your Attitude
Don’t be overly confident and assume you’re a “shoe-in” for the job even if you are an internal candidate with great relationships across the organization. Conversely, make sure your attitude isn’t one of frustration, particularly if you’re required to interview internally because of a company reorganization or downsizing.
Leverage Your Inside Knowledge
Use what you’ve learned while working with the company. For example, highlight your accomplishments on key projects, and demonstrate your understanding of the business and company goals. Communicate how your current responsibilities and expertise will transfer to the position you’re interviewing for.
Prepare
Prepare for the interview by getting up to speed on company initiatives, products, clients, competitors, etc. Research the open position and the department and how both fit into the organization and support company goals. Be prepared to share examples of your professional achievements, and be ready to answer general interview questions but also those directly related to being an internal candidate, such as, “What is your opinion of the company’s recent decision to move forward with project x?”
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