Knowing How to Sell Yourself Internally
24 October 2008
Read by 1638 persons
An interesting position opens up in your company, but once again, you are not the first person they think of. What's wrong? Here are four questions to ask yourself to find out.
An interesting position opens up in your company, but once again, you are not the first person they think of. Yet, you are convinced that you have the necessary skills to fill it. If your skills are not in question, how can you detect what is "wrong"? Here are four questions to ask yourself to find out.
"Deep down, what do I really want?"
This may seem simplistic at first glance, but for people to think of you on the day, the idea of occupying such and such a position must already have crossed your mind. Because what is not clear to you may not be clear to those around you, especially your superiors. The first step is to reject self-censorship: "After all, this position is taken", "Colleague X or Y is doing very well", "What if, in the end, I wasn't up to it?"
Be relaxed and confident that to convince others, you must first convince yourself. In addition, thinking about it regularly (while shaving in the morning, to borrow the words of a well-known politician?) is already a form of warm-up. On the day of the appointment, it will seem obvious to you.
"What are my transferable skills?"
"The golden rule for moving forward is to have taken stock of your career and skills," advises Gilda Jantzen, consultant at IFG Cnof and associate director of the Agissens consulting firm. In addition to the technical knowledge specific to your profession, identify the "transferable" skills useful for the new position: managerial or management skills developed during ancillary, associative or other activities, etc.". Once the idea that this position interests you is accepted and once your skills are listed, it is a matter of verifying the match between the two.
"What is my profile worth on the market?"
In a third step, step outside the strict framework of your company...to return to it better afterwards. Indeed, in order to verify the viability of your project, nothing beats a confrontation with the outside. The objective is to answer the following questions: "What am I worth on the market?", "What are the conditions of access for the type of position I am targeting?", "Do I have the necessary education level?" "In some cases, you will have to go back to the "training" stage, using, for example, the validation of acquired experience (VAE)" specifies Gilda Jantzen. In others, sending a few applications outside will provide reassurance.
"It is not uncommon to see an internal proposal fall through when you have one from outside," notes Agnès Masson, Employment-Career Manager at Groupe ESC Dijon, "Being reassured about your worth outside the company will allow you to feel credible internally and gain serenity".
"How to develop my network?"
Once you are clear about your motivations and skills, start your internal "self-promotion" campaign. It is not a question of invading the space, but of developing your network. The goal: to make your work known and forge alliances, even beyond your department. "Interesting proposals don't necessarily come from where you expect them," notes Agnès Masson. Many promotions are done transversally".
How to proceed? By giving of your time, by getting involved in cross-functional projects and by prioritizing exchanges with colleagues, whether they are from your department or not. "For your exchanges, opt preferably for informal spaces such as the coffee machine or the restaurant located outside the company". A neutral environment, more liberating in terms of speech. Then it is up to you to seize the right information on the fly.
Posted on October 24, 2008
L’expansion.com
An interesting position opens up in your company, but once again, you are not the first person they think of. Yet, you are convinced that you have the necessary skills to fill it. If your skills are not in question, how can you detect what is "wrong"? Here are four questions to ask yourself to find out.
"Deep down, what do I really want?"
This may seem simplistic at first glance, but for people to think of you on the day, the idea of occupying such and such a position must already have crossed your mind. Because what is not clear to you may not be clear to those around you, especially your superiors. The first step is to reject self-censorship: "After all, this position is taken", "Colleague X or Y is doing very well", "What if, in the end, I wasn't up to it?"
Be relaxed and confident that to convince others, you must first convince yourself. In addition, thinking about it regularly (while shaving in the morning, to borrow the words of a well-known politician?) is already a form of warm-up. On the day of the appointment, it will seem obvious to you.
"What are my transferable skills?"
"The golden rule for moving forward is to have taken stock of your career and skills," advises Gilda Jantzen, consultant at IFG Cnof and associate director of the Agissens consulting firm. In addition to the technical knowledge specific to your profession, identify the "transferable" skills useful for the new position: managerial or management skills developed during ancillary, associative or other activities, etc.". Once the idea that this position interests you is accepted and once your skills are listed, it is a matter of verifying the match between the two.
"What is my profile worth on the market?"
In a third step, step outside the strict framework of your company...to return to it better afterwards. Indeed, in order to verify the viability of your project, nothing beats a confrontation with the outside. The objective is to answer the following questions: "What am I worth on the market?", "What are the conditions of access for the type of position I am targeting?", "Do I have the necessary education level?" "In some cases, you will have to go back to the "training" stage, using, for example, the validation of acquired experience (VAE)" specifies Gilda Jantzen. In others, sending a few applications outside will provide reassurance.
"It is not uncommon to see an internal proposal fall through when you have one from outside," notes Agnès Masson, Employment-Career Manager at Groupe ESC Dijon, "Being reassured about your worth outside the company will allow you to feel credible internally and gain serenity".
"How to develop my network?"
Once you are clear about your motivations and skills, start your internal "self-promotion" campaign. It is not a question of invading the space, but of developing your network. The goal: to make your work known and forge alliances, even beyond your department. "Interesting proposals don't necessarily come from where you expect them," notes Agnès Masson. Many promotions are done transversally".
How to proceed? By giving of your time, by getting involved in cross-functional projects and by prioritizing exchanges with colleagues, whether they are from your department or not. "For your exchanges, opt preferably for informal spaces such as the coffee machine or the restaurant located outside the company". A neutral environment, more liberating in terms of speech. Then it is up to you to seize the right information on the fly.
Posted on October 24, 2008
L’expansion.com
