…when you know that there are external candidates more qualified than you? I’ve always felt strange about using connections and networking.
I’ve applied and interviewed for a higher-level job at my workplace and the inside scoop from one of the members of the search committee (all of whom know me) was that I was the only one selected for the second round of interviews with the higher-ups. It is very likely that I will be hired, but I feel so guilty about it (and then again, I also have a slight case of imposter syndrome too). That member told me that I had the most qualified skillset (she has a strong bias to vote for me, even though she was supposed to remain unbiased), but I found out through the grapevine that some members thought that my qualifications were actually not up to the same level of some of the other external candidates and they were afraid that they may have been too easy on me since I am so likable.
Now my confidence in my ability is somewhat shot. I’ve done good work in my current position, but now I’m worried that I may really not be qualified for this new position and that I may have somehow tricked them into sending me as the lone suitable candidate to the higher ups. And then tricked them into hiring me, because they need to fill this position immediately within the next two weeks.
Then again, I always feel guilty abt things that I don’t suffer greatly to get. Has anyone also felt this?
Being likeable is certainly a qualification for a job; back when I took a job hunting course they indicated that the number one reason why people choose a particular candidate is because the person doing the hiring likes him or her.
Hiring is not just about qualifications; if it were, then there’d be no need for an interview. In any case, there’s nothing to be guilty about.
I was in a similar position: they did a job interview for a new position in my department, and did ask others to apply. When the time came for the interview, the committee was all people I worked with before, so it was the second most perfunctory interview I’ve ever had. We just spent the time talking about inessentials. I didn’t feel bad about others who applied; I’m sure that there were occasions in my job hunting experience when I lost out for the same reason
*The most perfunctory was when I went for a job in a state agency and they spent the whole time telling me why I really should take the job. I didn’t, since I had a better offer.
Hell, I’ve been the external candidate for some of those positions. I’d consider it an honor to be considered because of my connections and networking.
If you’re skillset isn’t close enough, you wouldn’t even be considered for the job. If it is close enough, having a history with your employer and being likeable are good things.
Let me respond from the other side of that table. As a manager, when I have loyal employees who have been with the company for a while and performed well, I look for opportunities to give them a better position in the company. I take pride in the secretary who ended up running the sales department and the telephone tech support rep who ended up as a lead programmer.
Don’t feel guilty at all. The bosses are making their decision based on your past performance. You’re a known quantity, and the external candidates are unknowns. They think you’re qualified and want to work with you in the new position. You should feel good about that.
Don’t feel guilty. You have paid your dues. If the position was beyond your capabilities, you wouldn’t have been considered in the first place, and just because some external person has something that looks better (on paper - who really knows what the heck they’d be like until you pull the trigger and hire them) doesn’t mean they’d be a better fit or do a better job.
And when you move up, you will most likely leave an opening that will be filled, and external job hunters may very well have a go at your old job, anyway.
You’re doing your part to help some unemployed or underemployed person find a better job!
No. Because I’m pretty sure there were other times when I was the more qualified external candidate and I didn’t get the job. In fact, there is one time I am sure of, and at least two other very likely possibilities.
There is plenty of other stuff in my life to feel guilty about. This, no.
There are qualifications an internal person has which an external can not have but which are never, ever listed - they simply can’t be. You know the company, its culture and its people; there are decisions you’ll be able to take without much thought because they’re ingrained in the culture and for which someone who’d been hired externally would have to think, read up, ask…
That’s one aspect in which an internal worker with a social IQ above room temperature will always win over an external candidate. An internal hire is also more likely to stay on, as (s)he will not suffer from cultural/organizational shock, will be highly unlikely to discover a sudden interest in greener pastures shortly after the promotion… Losing someone who’s just at the end of the trial period is a bitch both for morale (of HR, of the hiring managers, of the leaver’s subordinates) and for the bottom line, as you may end up needing to restart the hiring process from the beginning or almost. Plus, it wouldn’t be the first time someone’s claims regarding their own skill or experience are, ehrm, slightly exaggerated. They already know you and what your actual ability levels are.
As the rest of your qualifications pass muster, they’d be nuts not to give you the job.
I’ve gotten good jobs I wasn’t qualified for on paper, just because the hiring manager knew me and my work and knew that I would pick it up quickly. They get to shape and mold a candidate they already know and trust, plus further develop a professional relationship that will pay dividends down the road.
So, no, don’t feel guilty at all. The hiring manager is getting good value, or they would not be offering you the job.
I didn’t feel guilty, but several years ago I was the internal candidate (in fact, the job opening was written specifically for me) and one of the external candidates was a jaw-droppingly gorgeous babe. For a split-second I thought about dropping out of consideration for the job just so I could work near her.
But then I remembered that the boss was a raging sexist and wouldn’t hire her anyway.
I worked at this one big public institution for about a year, then left to pursue other things.
A few years later, I got a call from my director’s director, asking me if I was interested in coming back, for a much higher-paying job. I said “Sure!” and we set up an interview.
So, I knew, she knew, everybody involved knew that I was going to get the job. However, because of the rules that applied at this particular institution, they had to:
Post the job internally, and interview all the internal applicants
Post the job on the website for a certain period (I think two weeks)
Select at least two other external applicants, and interview all three of us
It took four months. I don’t know how many people they had to interview before they were allowed to decide to hire me. It was definitely some. I do know they had to post the job multiple times.
Yes, I felt sorry for the people who wasted their time putting on a suit, practicing stupid interview questions in the mirror (“What would you say is your greatest weakness?”), and possibly travelling from another city (this was an institution with three campuses) to interview for a job that I was going to get pretty much no matter what. And I wasn’t even really an internal applicant.
