The Main Problem with Internal Interviews

There are plenty of potential problems with internal job processes. You can encounter everything from bias in the job specification or mandatory qualifications, unbalanced interview panels to an obstructive or shortsighted manager who will refuse to support your application for promotion or lateral move.

However, from a coaching standpoint, the main difficulty I encounter is how hard/artificial/cringe inducing it is to have to tell a panel about yourself and your work. Some of the most capable and accomplished people I have worked with had problems speaking about their capabilities and accomplishments and this seems to be worse with internal panels. The main problem seems to be that some or all of the panel will have direct knowledge about you or will have been involved or have been told about the situations you will be speaking about at the interview.

How, clients reasonably ask, can I tell these people things they already know?

What happens if their recollection is contrary to my story?

What if I come across as bragging or exaggerating my role or achievement?

There is no easy answer to these. But I offer three thoughts:

You should get comfortable telling your story anyway

Even if you're not preparing for an interview, being clear about the challenges and tasks you have taken on, what you did and what you achieved (and learnt from it) is good discipline. Knowing your own story can help you defend your role and defend your team, if you are a team leader. It can help gain support from stakeholders, both for you and your team. It is also a necessary step in positioning yourself to be considered for promotions and other opportunities in the first place.

Recollections may differ

Just because the panel were there doesn't mean they remember. More to the point, they won’t remember all the good work you did. Likely they were concentrating on their own work and role and may never have been fully aware of all that you were responsible for and achieved. In an interview, you are the only person who can accurately and comprehensively give an account of what you did and everything that was achieved as a result.

They want to know what (and how) you think

The panel is interested in what you will do if they appoint you. They are tasked with appointing the most suitable candidate and often this is the lowest risk candidate. In competency based interviews, the panel is interested in what you did as an indicator of what you will do or are capable of doing. Much of what they want to see is your approach. What you think, how you assess a situation, how you see your role, how you will make an impact and how you see yourself contributing if they appoint you to the new role. Much of this is future focused and you are the only person who can inform the panel how you would approach a specific task or challenge or problem. No matter how much the panel knows about you, you are the only one who can tell them what you will do.

So, to recap:

· Owning what you have done and achieved isn’t boasting. It’s what the process requires.

· Demonstrating your expertise and knowledge is what you do in your job anyway so why shouldn’t you do it in an interview?

· If you don't tell the panel your full version, they either won't know anything or will have some incomplete version from their own faulty knowledge or recollection.

It's your story and you need to tell it to them.