The Boy Scout motto of 'be prepared' is never truer than when we are considering advancing our career. People often advise me that there are no career opportunities in their current place of work, there is no place for them to move. I find this astounding as we can never know what opportunities are just around the corner. People leave jobs when it was not expected, their spouse can get a new job in a different city, they can take time off to care for a loved one, and they can simply make a decision that was unexpected and out of character for them. When someone leaves a job, an opportunity is created, and it might just be the one that you were looking for.
It is important that if we are looking for other opportunities within the organisation, we are coming to work putting our best foot forward every day as there may be opportunities for us just around the corner. A common challenge when applying internally is that we may not be given much notice of an interview. In this situation, do not be afraid to ask for more time to ensure that you are more prepared. When I was working on a mine site, one of the supervisors was going for a promotion and he asked for an extra couple of days before the interview. He used the time to practise his interview techniques. He practised them so well I was astonished at his performance in the interview, and he got the job. Because of his skill in the role, he was likely to get the job anyway, but he wanted to be sure that he would get it and knew that the interview skills would be his downfall so he worked on them with a colleague and had the best possible answers for the behavioural questions in the interview. It made me feel immensely proud and honoured to work with this guy and I respected him more for his efforts.
Our colleagues are watching our behaviour every day. When we are modelling the behaviour of somebody who is promotable, we are enthusiastic about the company, engaged in our work, and supporting others. Often, the art of “acting as if” will put us in the right mindset, “acting as if” we were the leader, “acting as if” we are supportive of our colleagues. There is an adage that encourages us to dress for the role you want, not the role that you are in, this is part of acting as if. If you want to be taken seriously in gaining a promotion or other internal opportunity, it is important that you are behaving as someone worthy of the opportunity. Look for ways to show your value to supervisors and colleagues alike.
Regardless of if an opportunity arises in your current company, this behaviour impacts your mindset and you will be ready for an opportunity externally. It is also highly likely you will have developed a strong reputation as someone worthy of praise and will be able to find referees to attest to your contribution easily.
If you would like to learn more about career coaching with me which includes how to develop a mindset for attracting opportunities, please reach out.
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