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If you’re going for a promotion and the hiring team are people who have already supervised you or know your work very well, you should know that their decision about whether or not you could succeed in the role has very likely already been made.
I say this not to burst your bubble of hope, but to give you some relief about the hiring process. Since internal candidates have already demonstrated their skills through their work history with a company, the hiring team knows what they’re getting, regardless of how you perform in your interview. If you make a million promises and articulate great plans for the new role in your interview, but for the last 4 years you haven’t gotten much done in your current role, the hiring team will see through your words. Even if you deliver beautifully in your interview, it means little when your actual abilities are known.
Hiring teams may interview internal candidates for a variety of reasons. If you get an interview for a promotion, that doesn't necessarily mean they’re interested in promoting you. Often companies extend invitations for interviews to be polite, to help you practice your interview skills, or to see how you’ve thought through your career development with them. So don’t be surprised if you get an interview and you don’t get promoted. And know that your interview really wasn’t what impacted their hiring decision. You’re a known entity. As a manager, I know who on my team is ready for a promotion based on what they’ve already demonstrated in their current role, not based on what they promise me in an interview.
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.