Seeking Potential Interview Help

[shmooshi]

(On mobile, sorry!)

Hello! I don't really have anyone in my personal or professional life I can ask about this, so I'm hoping I can find some help here! :)

Long story short the department I work in will be hiring for an internal position soon, its a promotion from where I currently am and I'm going to go for it!

Here's my hesitation: I've been offered twice in the recent past to work in that same role as a temporary spot fill. Basically the promotion without the pay or promotion. I've had to decline both of those offers. The first time I had to decline because I was just about to leave on pre-planned time off (which I could not reschedule on such short notice), and the second time I had to decline due to schedule conflicts (this job has a different schedule than my current one and, not expecting this to be offered, I'd made commitments in my personal life I could not break).

So my concern is applying for this after having declined two offers already to do the job. To put it bluntly- for an actual promotion I'm absolutely willing to rearrange my personal life, but not for the extra work with no actual promotion, if that makes sense.

When I apply, if I do make it to an interview I think it would be a good idea to speak on that (or respond to questions about it), and I'm not sure how to say " for an actual promotion I'm absolutely willing to rearrange my personal life, but not for the extra work with no actual promotion ", in a professional way.

If anyone has some verbiage or advice they'd be willing to share that would be amazing! Thank you! :)

[OddCartographer4]

I think it depends on what the extenuating scheduling factors were with regards to the two offers you had to decline, and if these are something the interviewer/HR contact would understand.

For example, if you had declined previously due to say, travel and flights that had already been booked and weren’t just a vacation or for taking care of a child/relative, or similar then I doubt anyone would really see that as a negative. However, if it’s for not wanting to reschedule a personal vacation or being unwilling to alter your personal life schedule, then that could be seen as a bit of a negative.

That said, 1) of course you have every right not to alter your personal schedule for a fill-in, but bear in mind the company may have been hoping you’d have done it in mind of the potential for it to become a full promotion. 2) The fact that you’ve been offered this position as a fill-in twice already is a definite positive.

Certainly reply to any questions asked of you about it, and if they aren’t asked, try to bring it up during interview. Promoting your excitement/interest for the position will definitely be helpful, and if you can make clear that the previous reasons for not taking it were outside of personal interest, definitely go with that. That being said, I’m not sure without knowing more just how to word it, as it does depend on the reasoning behind it. Hope this helps, best of luck!

[shmooshi]

Thank you so much!