How do you progress into a management role, when all mgmt job adverts ask for manager experience?

[Nidan2Sandan]

Just that really.

I want to progress, and my current employer is very vocal about not liking to promote from in house staff. So my only option would be too look outside my current employer.

There is a job available locally, I am interested, it is very much a step up, but states experience in management as a requirement. This is something I have repeatedly found.

Work wise I am one of the highest performing in my team, and I have a lot of varied experience in the sector as a whole.

Do I just apply anyway, ignoring their experience request?

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

"They say it creates too much friction with colleagues. To go from being their counterpart to their boss

I once got called upon to run a whole dept meeting on behalf of my line manager who was off sick I've also helped reviewing failing staff members cases to identify the issues, and currently acting as a staff mentor to a new starter.

It's so frustrating, my company as a whole are very good. But I'm stagnating now."

"It's not so much that I do "more", it's more that my caseload is better managed (by me) and I often deliver early on tasks.

No mgmt of people at all, just casework. Occasionally help my line manager with tasks, maybe some reviews of others cases or getting together evidence so she can respond to complaints. Or even just getting figures together for her for various projects. Nothing major."

"I own a karate club"

So here's how I would write this in an application and speak about it in an interview.

Current responsibilities and relevant experience - job

• mentor new starters
• conduct case reviews for underperforming staff members, develop action plans to support improvement and provide progress reports to management. Recognising strengths and weaknesses, building on strengths to improve overall performance.
• act as deputy for direct line manager: leading department meetings, investigating complaints, collating team metrics.

Current responsibilities and relevant experience - Karate Club

• managing club finances including :profit and loss, professional membership fees, special events fees etc
• maintaining membership numbers via targeted marketing: identifying relevant demographics, creating promotional material, developing a brand that's recognisable and trusted, addressing Customer service issues to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction.
• keeping up to date with local/regional/national competitions and events and identifying opportunities that meet the skill sets of my students and develop their strengths
• remaining current on legislative requirements such as safeguarding and health & safety

You do have relevant experience and if you look at the job spec and person spec you will be able to identify activities you have been doing that will meet the majority of the bullet points,

So just apply. Make sure if you get an interview you talk about what YOU did not what WE did. The interviewer wants to hear about your part in the role.

Thats really helpful, thank you xx

@Hyenaormeercat

I get what you are saying OP..I struggled for years to get recognised. Is there anyone in management you get on well with who could mentor you? This was my breakthrough I was too good and reliable in my own role that they wouldn't let me go upwards. It ended up with me looking elsewhere, when they realised they were losing me anyway they started looking at promotion and management training. I got it a year later after being noticed by one particular high flyer and she started to mentor me.

My line managers did offer to let me job shadow now and again, but obviously the people mgmt side of things is more confidential so I couldn't shadow those kinds of tasks.