Why can it be difficult to take the next step on the career ladder and get finally promoted? Well, for a variety of reasons, personal and non-personal. And of course, the right timing, or time frame, should be in your favor as well. This short article should give you a grasp of what you need to consider when you think about your next promotion.
No leadership experience? Here is what you cand do!
Applying to leadership without experience?
Apply for a management role without experience?
Yes, it's possible to get a management job without any previous management experience. You just need to play your cards right, as it's not a showstopper, but rather a competitive disadvantage, as most other candidates will most likely have management experience to show. So how do you start?
1. Other requirements of the job
Since you will not be able to show leadership experience, you should at least meet all the other requirements of the vacancy. Any mismatch will most likely result in you not being considered for the interview. I will be very direct and honest, so please make sure you meet all the other requirements.
2. The covering letter
Getting invited to an interview is the first hurdle. In order to pass this first hurdle, your covering letter has to be quite convincing, it has to stand out from the crowd. So how do you achieve this? In one word: Long-term planning and preparation. You need to present something that shows leadership skills and leadership potential. In other words, your skills and potential need to be so outstanding that your experience becomes irrelevant. In order to demonstrate leadership skills or potential, you will most likely need to engage in activities that develop these types of skills. Here are some examples:
- MBA, an MBA shows you know the drill in theory, if you can apply it is another story, but at least you have something which accounts for your knowledge.
- Outside of work activities e.g. social work, engagement in community work, espacially if you are the founder of clubs, NGOs, Startups etc.
- Project leader activities, show you had at least already some experience in leading a particular project, which means you were already carrying some responsibility
- Sports, leadership positions in sports are always a plus.
- References from previous managers, get some support from former managers you were working with and had some good connections to. Maybe they always thought you are managerial material.
3. The Interview
Congratulations, you have been invited for an interview! As far as specific questions are concerned, just remember to be authentic and show that you can express your opinions clearly and directly. Try to bring up the topic of leadership if the interviewers do not bring it up themselves. If they don't talk about leadership or team leadership, this is a red flag. It could mean that they are considering you for another position in the company without telling you in advance. If this is the case, ask directly why it doesn't seem relevant to them.
Otherwise, be prepared to talk about your leadership skills and attitude. Also try to think about your management style and check the culture of the company you are applying to. Is it a consulting firm? Then they tend to be conservative with a strict hierarchy. Is it a start-up? Then it's more of a flat hierarchy culture. Familiarise yourself with terms such as micro-management, management by objectives and charismatic management and try to get a sense of how you would like to lead a team. Make sure you understand the culture of the company and whether your leadership style would fit in. If you think it would, explain during the interview why you think so.
Something to grab the interviewer's attention: Talk about your team's achievements, give some approximate sales figures and throw in some financial terms like EBITDA, gross profit etc. Some of them may not even know what EBITDA stands for, you should be sitting there in front of them.
Ask questions about the team you would need to lead. Size, diversity, performance, current leadership style, goals, challenges, maybe even special issues. Anything that relates to the team and how you would lead them will show your commitment. Also: Vision. Ask what the company's mission and vision are and how the teams actually work together to achieve them. These types of questions show an interest in strategic issues, which are always management related.
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