Employment Spot

How to Get One of the Open Positions within a Company

Many people assume that the job they have currently will not be the job they have when they retire. Many employees assume that they will be promoted within a company or take a more lucrative or challenging position outside of it.

One of the easiest ways to find a better job is to look around you at one of the open positions within your current company. Employers often like to fill open positions with current employees for several reasons. First, open positions can be expensive to fill. Advertising the position or paying for a headhunter may be an expense employers do not want to pay. Second, employees within a company have a known history. It is easier to ask an employee’s supervisor about his or her employment history than to conduct a background check upon a potential candidate whom no one knows. Finally, training new people to fill open positions may also be expensive and time consuming. It is much easier to adapt someone who already knows company policy and standards into an open position than it is to train an outsider from scratch.

It is therefore to your advantage that you already work for the company with open positions to be filled. Now you just have to master the basics of how to fill one of these open positions.

• Tell Your Boss 
  Depending on the competition for open positions within your company, it might be easiest to simply tell your boss that you would like to take on more duties and responsibilities within the company. This request is a subtle hint that you would like to be nominated for any open positions that may exist. The best time to make this suggestions to a supervisor is after you have completed a recent project and done well, or during a quarterly or annual performance evaluation. Be honest with your supervisor and ask what steps you can take to secure an open position.
  
• Get a Mentor 
  Many new employees are given official mentors to help guide them through company policy and procedure. If you do not have a mentor, get one now. Mentors can introduce you to upper management or the heads of other departments who you might not otherwise come into contact with. A good mentor will be someone you do not work with, but who has been at the company for quite some time. Indicate to your mentor that you would like to find an open position within the company that might challenge you more or provide more opportunity for growth.
  
• Talk to Human Resources 
  If your company does not alert all members of open positions, you can often find new opportunities by contacting human resources. Ask for a list of open positions and ask how you can apply for them as someone who already works for the company. If everyone gets the same lists of open positions within the company, you can apply when it is convenient for you. Remember to avoid applying for an open position while at work or while on the clock. You do not want to give the impression that you do not take work seriously or that you goof off during the workday.
  
• Network with Company Leadership 
  When the opportunity arises, always take advantage of the chance to network or mingle with company leadership. Do not make an annoyance of yourself, but express an interest in how the company operates and what individual leaders do. Be candid if asked and express interest in open positions that would offer you more chances to succeed and contribute to company goals.
  
• Do a Great Job 
  Open positions may be offered to you if you are very successful at what you do. Promotions are always a boost to the ego, but if your supervisor recommends you for an open position in another department where your skills could contribute to the company’s success, this is also complementary. Make yourself stand out and you may not have to work at getting an open position; one may be handed to you.

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