Ask HR: Must one wait for a role to be advertised formally to apply?
What you need to know:
- Advise her to do her homework through your contacts to understand what changes are happening in the organisation and how the role advertised is expected to support the transformation.
- How has her previous experience and disposition prepared her to work and deliver her objectives in a dynamic environment?
My sister found out from a friend about a position that's been made available in their organisation. According to the friend, the company has not found someone suitable internally, so they are planning to advertise online. Should my sister wait for the position to be advertised before she can apply?
When organisations put up job advertisements internally, the objective is to give their employees an opportunity to apply. However, some organisations include a clause indicating that they will also consider external applicants. Whether she sends an application based on the internal or online advert does not make a difference. What is critical is how well she prepares for the interview.
Request your sister’s friend to obtain the internal job advert so that your sister can familiarise herself with the skills required. The fact that there was no successful candidate internally means that the recruiter is looking for an individual with specific experience which was not available internally. Therefore, she should identify what skills, qualities and attributes are required then demonstrate during the interview that she possesses them.
Digital transformation has caused organisations globally to evolve to match the ever changing needs of consumers. Advise her to do her homework through your contacts to understand what changes are happening in the organisation and how the role advertised is expected to support the transformation. How has her previous experience and disposition prepared her to work and deliver her objectives in a dynamic environment?
Advise her to prepare a record of achievements from her previous role. This will give her competitive advantage over other candidates and also endear her to the recruitment panel. It is important to understand what happened to the previous job holder and the career growth prospects that the role provides. This is more important for comparison, especially if your sister is already working elsewhere. Most times, candidates make career changes without considering career growth. They just focus on monetary gain, which is wrong. Let her also scout online for other suitable positions to increase her chances of securing the best position with the best organisation.
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