Dear Ammar,

I work in the marketing department of XYZ, a large manufacturing establishment, and the company is currently recruiting internally for a higher level marketing position that was just recently created.  I applied for the job as it is a good career move for me and fits my profile really well.  My question to you is: what can I do to improve my chances of getting this job? I have an interview in the coming couple of weeks based on which a committee will decide whether I get the job or not, given that there are other candidates applying for the position.  I really want this job.  What should I do?

Regards,

K.M

Dear K,

Since you really want this job, I will talk about going beyond the traditional stuff that people do to get the job.  We are going to go all out here, short of anything illegal or unethical of course.

We need to put together our plan of attack that addresses all the factors that will influence the decision, and there are quite a few.  The elements are: you, the position, the committee, the organization, your boss, and the other candidates.

First of all we start with an all out investigation.  So, become a sleuth and find everything you can find about all the elements I mentioned above.  Sources of information can be official documents, media, the company grapevine, colleagues, and your boss.  Find out the background on how the position became available, who will this position report to, who are the committee members, what are they looking for, the requirements for the position – those officially announced and unannounced.  Do not stop at superficial information, dig deep and probe looking for answers. 

Get all the information and put them on peaces of post it notes.  Categorize everything you know about the job into categories based on your notes.  Put a title on each category.  This will help you organize your thoughts and ideas about the position and how to get it. Just by doing this you will find that you are starting to get some ideas about how to improve your chances to get the job.  However, we are not going to stop here.  We are going to put on our suspenders and belts on this one to ensure that you get it and only you.  Let us hope your competitors are not reading this.  

Think about the key people with influence over the decision and how they exert that influence.  Determine whose decision carries the most weight in the committee.  Then, analyze these people and find out how they make their decisions.  Also, find out what do they value in an employee, what are their principles, backgrounds, hiring patterns, and other useful stuff.  To find out this information, you might have to get it form the horses’ mouth; go talk to them directly and ask them the questions directly.  At least, this will show your true interest in the position and that you are willing to go the extra mile to get it.  Be prepared with the right questions.  Do not assume you know what they will say to a question.  Ask and you might be surprised at what people will be willing to share with you. 

Next step is to try to influence the factors of making the decision.  Start by understanding the position itself.  What does it require as far as skills, knowledge, and abilities.  Compare those to the knowledge, skills, and abilities that you have.  From the comparison, identify your strengths and weaknesses in relation to the position.  Try to be objective in this comparison.  Then, decide how and if you can fill the gaps in a way that will allow you to do well in your new job.  These might include training, self reading, and coaching. 

Start reading and getting yourself familiar with the new position.  There are many sources of information including the internet, company documents, and books.  Try to draw a vision of what you can do in the new position.  Think about how that will help the organization and fulfill the needs of the position as perceived by those making the decision.  You might find out about it more than what they know.  Build a vision of what you want to do in the new position and a road map of how you would do it, in preparation for your interview.

It is of the utmost important that you talk to your current boss about this.  In many cases, even if you fit the job, your boss can throw a wrench into your plans.  This can happen because of him hating you or, believe it or not, liking you.  If he hates you he might say bad things that will negatively influence the committee’s decision and rest assured they are going to ask your boss about you.  If he likes you too much and cannot let go of you, he will refuse to let you leave and the committee will be forced to go somewhere else.  This is why you must talk to your boss.  Tell him about your interest in the position and ask him how he feels about it.  Ask him if he thinks the position is a good fit for you and what he can do to help you get the position and what you can do to get the job. Being at a higher level in the organization, he might have information you do not have.

Now, it is time for some propaganda and marketing.  These are essential for you to reach your goal.  Some people think that marketing one’s self will reflect negatively on a person and that there performance should be enough to demonstrate their abilities.  In this specific situation I would have to disagree.  Do not be shy to show off your strengths as related to this position and talk about your interest in the position to the right people. 

Before your interview, meet with people who have gone through similar interviews before, preferably with the same committee.  Ask them about things the type of questions they ask in the interview. 

Finally, so not to leave any stone unturned, dress and act the new position, even before you go to the interview.  This will help the decision makers and colleagues imagine you in that position.  Be careful not to over do it, or turn people off by talking them to death about the position.

Actually, there is one last trick: study the other candidates going for the job and their strengths and weaknesses.  Then, think about what you can do in the interview to talk about strengths that you possess and are needed for the job  but they do not have.  Be very careful here.  There is a thin line between highlighting your skills and back stabbing your fellow employees.  Do not bad mouth them or point to their weaknesses neither directly or indirectly.  Focus instead on what you bring to the job.

Remember to do what is right and ethical in your quest for this job.  Getting the job and losing your self respect is not a good trade.

Let me know how it goes.

Good luck.
Ammar