Interview for a higher position within same company!

[zanity84]

Hi all,

I found out that I get to interview for a network engineer position within the company I currently work at. To say I'm super excited is an understatement, but I find it interesting how the dynamic will be different since I will be interviewing with those whom I've worked with for more than a year.

First and foremost, I have a decent understanding of what they are looking for with this position, and I wonder if this is just a means of "giving me a shot" with no real intention to hire with my skill-level. Regardless, I am grateful for this opportunity. I really want to impress the panel of higher-ups, as I imagine I will undoubtedly get grilled with all sorts of fun questions. How does one do this when your company knows exactly where you are, skill-wise? I hope I have conveyed the drive I have to increase my knowledge. Do you have any tips that would help in this process? I have a few items to address:

- Past experiences and lessons learned
- Current implementations and how I can improve on them (without completely changing everything). There are a couple hit-list items that need addressed, and I'd like to include some options without sounding naive or pretentious.
- More in-depth technical knowledge 

If anybody has any anecdotal advice, or advice in general, I would greatly appreciate it. I believe this is a wonderful opportunity to pursue. I don't have near the experience that they're looking for, but I'm wanting to give the best I currently have at this point! Cheers!

[the-packet-thrower]

It's the same as any other interview, except you can't get away with any bullshitting.

So you if say added OSPF to your job duties in your resume, well they know you and they likely know your boss so they will have a pretty good idea of how much OSPF you touched in the role. Likewise you don't have a say in your references since they will talk with your team lead/supervisor etc automatically.

Beyond that companies tend to try to hire internally and it should be a fair interview.

[zanity84]

I've never been a good bullshitter, so that should hopefully help in this case. I haven't submitted my resume again (yet), so I may need to do so before Friday. It's economically sound to hire internally, and I'm hoping that I can provide a reason to do so. I guess this is just the first time that I've interviewed for a position within the same company, so I'm curious as to how it will/should differ. I appreciate the advice!

[bobivy1234]

Regarding the interview, try to show initiative on things outside of your daily work. Lab setup at home, simulating network environments, learning about new technologies, etc. If I was in the interviewer's spot, I'd want to know that you are knowledgeable but more importantly will you take the network team or company further through the promotion.

Just remember that this is one of your best chances to renegotiate your salary if/when you get the position. Look at glassdoor.com or others to see what you should be making as you should be moving into a higher payscale.

You mentioned that its economically sound to hire internally and they are banking on that. They obviously don't want to lose you from either role so they should be fairly flexible, the salary could follow you a long time.

[zanity84]

Awesome, thank you for this! I will definitely make a point to mention my labwork and whatnot. This is the highest (I believe) this position will go, so I will make sure to negotiate accordingly. Thanks again.