Opportunity for possible promotion

[OutofDepth1000]

I’ve an opportunity to apply for a job that I’ve been doing for a couple of months as a fill in. Anyway, long story short, it’s come back as next level of pay on what I’m doing as HR say it’s very involved.
I can apply for it but I’m a bit scared, can I do it etc and there may be people with more experience than me on technical things but I have internal knowledge and expertise.
any tips on how I can sell myself well and make up for lack of technical experience to be in with best shot?

You're doing the job now, that's a great place to start. Why wouldn't you apply? Seems like right now they are getting the job done on the cheap, but going forward they will pay the proper rate for the job.

Have you had any feedback, positive or negative, on how well you've been doing it? If positive, that's great. If negative, can you show how you have responded to it?

Thanks, that is some good advice. I’ve had some good feedback but was told that I need to demonstrate how having less technical knowledge isn’t a set back s I can make up for it with the knowledge I have of the business etc. They said to read up on the technical stuff so that I can demonstrate and awareness etc.

Part of me is nervous of the next step up and what if I can’t handle it or it is too much stress etc. The other not so good feedback was that I should get less involved in the detail of things as it can come across as controlling. I think there is something in that, but I try to be supportive to teams and feel that if I can’t at least have some understanding of what they are doing, how can I advise and coach them. I need to reflect on it though, just trying to understand how to apply a change to that feedback.

I forgot to add, I have also taken all feedback and trying to take any offer of advice and coaching.

Saying that you should be less involved in the detail is perhaps a hint that you don't delegate enough? Do you have the opportunity to delegate though?

Sometimes if you are managing rather than doing, your subordinates can have the technical knowledge rather than you. But at the end of the day you still need to have enough technical knowledge to know what they are doing, perhaps cover for vacations etc. How can you acquire this technical knowledge? By reading, studying on your own, or training courses?

Don't be nervous or stressed, it isn't such a big step up because you are already doing it.

Thank you filka, really appreciate your responses.

I try to delegate but behind the scenes (ie not visible to senior managers) quite a few of the team members aren’t great and underperforming. There have been some mistakes in the past and I learned the hard way that they need support from me than I would normally like. The other thing I was told was to be a bit more ruthless in the past, after a couple of the incidents.

"quite a few" under-performers sounds a bit dire. I think you need to have a plan for how to improve the performance of the team, which you may or may not want to discuss at interview (as the management seem to have already noticed and are dropping hints.

I think you need to start with roles and responsibilities for each team member, then objectives (and the sum of the individual objectives needs to be the team deliverables). Then what you need to be able to achieve them - coaching, training, etc. And performance appraisals, much easier when the roles, responsibilities and objectives are clearly defined).

But if you set objectives that a team member should be able to achieve at their grade/position, but don't - then you need to bring in HR to resolve. That's the ruthless it. Also if you have this structure in place then your delegation will be more visible to your management, which will help you too.

Unfortunately it's all easier said than done. But in a team-leading role (as this sounds like), you need to lead. Only if you set out your expectations at the start are you then able to demonstrate and measure whether your team members are under-performing. If you get the opportunity to push out an under-performer then you also get the opportunity to replace them with someone better.

I've got two jobs at the moment, in neither of them did I have any technical knowledge at all when I started, but I picked it up as I went along. After 2 years I don't think anyone would question my technical knowledge.

But judicious replacement of people has enabled me to build better teams in both jobs. In one I replaced just one key person, in the other about 1/3 of the team have walked due to misplaced loyalties, but they have all been replaced with better and more motivated people without bumping up the total cost.