Hire me! Or, you know, convince someone else to do it for you.

April 21, 2009 8:47 PM

I'm applying for post-grad school jobs. One of them, a bit of a long shot, is within my close-knit current office. Others are elsewhere in and outside of the organization. Difficulty: my two best references are not only in this office but running the first job search. How in the world do I manage this?

I work for a university and have worked my way up within the office. I've been in my current position (graduate assistantship) for several years, doing a lot of work with our department head. It's the best place I've ever worked, and if I had my druthers I'd stay right here. But I'm finishing school, and as they've been very supportive of me through school we're all reluctantly planning for my departure into some unnamed Job Of Excitement And Loads Of Money. As you might imagine, the economy is not being great, but we're working on it.

Then an internal job came up. It's under a colleague who has always been very complementary of my work and attitude, even more than I've been of myself. He's been a great reference for me in the past. My other top reference is the aforementioned department head. This job is not exactly in my area of expertise, but I am known for being very ready and willing to do anything, and I have the everyday experience and institutional knowledge that few others have -- something that's crucial in this position.

Basically, I have two questions here.

1) How do I manage this internal job thing when everybody involved knows exactly what I have been up to -- good and bad? I am known for my great attitude, doing things immediately and my great commitment to the office and our work, but I also have a well-deserved reputation for losing focus on non-immediate things (ADD issues). I'm very honest and I've worked really hard to overcome it and get better at knowing myself and what I need; I know my colleagues have seen me work and learn, and I think that the extra structure of the position would be really helpful. But I've also made some self-deprecating side comments (before I knew this position would be open) when I was expressing some of my personal worries "among friends" that might lead them to doubt me and my ability.

I also don't have the three years of subject-specific experience they might want. (For reference, this is in a discipline where it could be overcome, but there are definitely people -- including my own fellow grads -- who are very into it.)

Mostly, I worry that my department head, who is a great friend, will nevertheless ace me out before I even have a chance to interview. (She's caught me playing FreeCell one too many times...)

2) How do I handle this when the people I most want to impress internally are also probably my best chance for getting other jobs outside the office? Everybody knows I'm applying for other jobs, and in fact they're worried that I haven't applied enough. But I just feel like my loyalties are really back and forth here, especially depending on what happens in the first search. (I know I'm probably not as qualified as they'd like, so I'd be okay, but personal perceptions have gotten in the way before, and I reeeeally hope they don't again.)

Anonymous (but probably still recognizable anyway) because this is a job search; throwaway e-mail: [e-mail].

Thank you!

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (3 answers total)

If the department head is a great friend, why not talk to her? You can share your concerns professionally and let her advise you. I know my own department wouldn't really consider hiring someone from the inside, and if that's the case with your department, the chair can clear that up for you and encourage you to follow these other leads. If that's not the case, she'll probably tell you to submit your materials just like everyone else would.

I think if you remove some of the emotion for the process, that will help you see this as a professional transaction. Even though the chair is involved in the search, she's also a professional adviser for you, so there shouldn't be any problem talking to her.
posted by BlooPen at 6:54 AM on April 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Does the colleague that admires your work know you are interested in the job? Tell him, perferrably over lunch. He will figure out how to get you the job or politely (but respectfully, because he likes you!) tell you to try other places.

You have a connection. The best connection in this case! Use it.
posted by Pants! at 6:56 AM on April 22, 2009

Most smart managers would rather keep the person whose foibles they know (and know they can work with) than take their chances with a new employee. So you have an advantage in the internal job.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:59 AM on April 25, 2009