So, you are looking to secure that new job position…
The company that you are working for is growing at an exponential rate. New positions within the firm are opening up, and you believe that you should be considered for one or more of those open spots. But what’s the best way to secure the position you would most like?
Let’s do a bit of role-playing. Put yourself in your boss’s shoes for a moment. Which of the following scenarios would leave you in a better position to secure that new promotion?
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Scenario 1
You decide that the workload has grown to a point where a new job position is necessary to help carry the burden. A new position within the company is announced. The position is an inside office position, away from the front lines. With little hesitation, a front line team member who is newer to the company jumps at the opportunity to throw his name in the ring for consideration.
After a quick discussion, you learn that the team member has a very limited understanding of the position opening up and has given no thought to who will take his place when he vacates his current position. He assumed that you would be taking care of that. You also learn that he is playing a valuable role in his current position and promoting him would leave a vacuum on the front lines.
Scenario 2
Opportunities for growth for your business’s products and services are multiplying. As the leader, you realize that it is time to consider expanding the business staff in order to take advantage of these increased opportunities. Job designs are developed. The position is advertised inside the company and a member of the team submits her resume and asks to be considered for the job.
Upon meeting and discussing the position, you become aware that the candidate has researched the open position and has an understanding of the requirements for the position. She has evaluated her knowledge, skills and abilities against the requirements of the position. And she has developed a plan to increase her skill set through training in order to be successful in the position.
Further discussions reveal that she has identified a candidate to take her position that she would be vacating. She has evaluated that person against the skills that she is aware of that are needed to be successful in her current role. A suggestion is made that she be allowed to train her replacement while she shifts to her new position.
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Which One Would You Choose?
As a business leader and manager, which scenario would you choose? Would you choose the first option, leaving you with the work of onboarding and training both positions? Or would you choose the second scenario where the team member is fully engaged not only in her new position, but also in making sure that her prior position is successfully filled?
Doubling the Work
The process of onboarding a new team member into a company or into a job position is tedious. Leaders and managers in growing companies are not typically looking for more things to do. They are already maxed out, leaving them little time to successfully onboard new personnel. In order to sustain growth, many have to look to their teams to help with the onboarding process.
When someone seeks a promotion, but assumes that the responsibility of filling their prior position falls on someone else, they are in fact doubling the work for their manager. If this individual is promoted, the manager must onboard that team member into their new role. They must also fill the role of the position that has been vacated which doubles the work for the manager.
Most managers, being overworked already, will choose the scenario that creates the least amount of work for them.
Suggestions for Securing that Promotion
• Research the new position – research the new position that you are interested in. Understand the demands of the position. Evaluate the good and the not-so-good aspects of the position. Speak with your manager about the role and ask some tough questions.
• Evaluate yourself against the demands of the position – be realistic and brutally honest about your abilities and how they match out against the requirements of the position. Take off the rose colored glasses. If you are unsure, ask your manager to help honestly evaluate your skills, knowledge and abilities against the needs of the position.
• Develop a plan to build your skills – very rarely will your skills be a perfect match for the demands of a position. Be prepared to explain how you will build your skills and knowledge through training and education. Show your manager how you will grow into the position.
• Identify your replacement – look around you and identify candidates who can fill your current role in the company. Help your manager evaluate potential candidates for your position. Participate in interviews if a candidate is not available in-house.
• Participate in the Onboarding Process – offer to remain involved to help onboard the new team member into their role in the company. This will help reduce the stress load for the manager. It will also help form a strong bond with the new team member creating a stronger team environment for the company.
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Closing
Securing a promotion or a new job position requires more than just showing a passing interest. The process of hiring new team members is tedious, typically requiring many hours of work in identifying prospects and eventually onboarding the successful candidate. By showing a vested interest in the process and by remaining engaged in filling the position be vacated, you can lift some of the burden from your manager’s shoulders making you a better candidate for that new position.
