Interview prep. Pre-meet with a colleague who has also applied

[TheCatCameBack112]

I'm shortlisted for interview just before Christmas for a director post. As part of my normal interview prep I am arranging meetings with key people from the senior team, including the department managers that would report to me if I was successful.

One of these managers has also applied for the job (assumed also shortlisted). I'm now in a conundrum as to whether I should contact this person to ask to meet to discuss their service priorities and pressures or leave well alone. For the sake of not drip feeding, the person has made it very clear they expect to be appointed. Their substantive role is a grade lower than mine yet they have been supported in a number of fixed term posts at a higher grade. If they are not successful at this interview at some point there will be a return to their lower grade post.

In terms of linear progress this is the obvious next move for me. I want to give myself the best chance of success at interview. On the one hand, this colleague could provide valuable insight to the area. There is also potential that this person could try to derail me entirely given we are in competition. Asking for the meeting could be perceived as a 'power play', not asking for the meeting could be perceived as weak and avoidant.

All opinions welcome

Ask for the meeting. You're doing it with all the others and can be clear about that. Take what they tell you with a pinch of salt. If they're arsey, that tells you everything you need about having a plan in place to manage them if you're appointed. Good luck!

Are you already at director grade or would this be a promo for you into that grade?

Am fascinated by the naked manoeuvring of someone making it so clear they expect to get a promo/position if it is de facto jumping two grades. In my world that's fairly eyebrow-raising.

Don't be put off by them. Ask for the meeting. Take everything they say with mental 'Hmmmm, really' and remember they could be back in their substantive grade quite soon. They obviously have talent but perhaps also a way of putting people's backs up?

Is the meeting with them at the role they are in now temporarily or the role they will be returning to (lower grade)?

If you are meeting everyone else I think you need to meet with them too bur it’s not a position I would like to be in.

I'd ask to meet them, but not 1:1.
I'd have another 1 or 2 people present at the same time

Thanks for your responses. The person's substantive role is a standard departmental manager equivalent. They were seconded into a post two grades above for a project that was never delivered (funding, mostly). I understand that post was never advertised and the person was cherry picked for it. A similar director post was advertised last year, the colleague interviewed and was not appointed and was very public in their disappointment. Since then the senior team have created another post for this person at the same grade as me. Again, not advertised or made available for others. I think the senior management felt bad about kicking them back down two grades. The secondments can't last forever.

Their current role is something like transformation lead. I am an operational deputy director. I have an excellent reputation of delivery in the organisation, and received a personal message from the boss advising the job was going out and inviting me to apply. Views of this colleague's ability and impact are mixed.

Unacceptable that you are aware of the application and shortlisting of others. Terrible practice.

Thanks for saying that all opinions are welcome. It means that a lack of experience in the area needn't hold anyone back from just thinking out loud!

If I were the other person applying, there's no way that I'd agree to help with your application. I'd be pretty astonished that you'd asked. And as I'm an extremely Machiavellian person (for the purposes of this Mumsnet message at least) I'd try to exploit the fact that you had asked when putting myself forward. Ie "I'd never dream of putting anyone I hope to manage into such an invidious position! Etc etc."

Skip that meeting - it's subsidiary to the one that really matters: your interview for the role you want. But use the situation as an opportunity to talk about things that should be important in that role: recognising a conflict of interest and dealing with it reasonably; and recognising/building someone's skills, even when you've just taken the job that they wanted!

It sounds like the organisation regards the other person pretty highly. If you want to really go for it, show your interviewers that you also recognise the other person's abilities, and even want to build them up further. That common belief could reinforce that you're just the sort of person who they want to work with.

Disclaimer: I've been reading too many postings on LinkedIn!

It seems like the other person is making all those facts public. Not that the organisation is running a poor hiring/appointment process.

Not sure why you wouldn’t communicate by email to say you are planning to meet with all managers at x level; everyone to individually receive the same wording. IMO it would look weird to omit one person, as if you were sidelining their opinions, or were avoiding them, neither of which is a good look.

Not really, in a well run organisation it is often pretty clear who the potential applicants to a senior role are (& while not public they should also be on a talent map for succession planning) so conversations might be fairly open ‘thrown your hat in the ring Sally?’ Yep, wish me luck!

following with interest, as it’s a good question. I agree with what someone said about going in to the interview with a plan to manage disappointed candidates, which for that person might include determining how valuable she really is, and how to backfill as well as some serious options to retain her interest.

it sounds like you’re doing all the right prep, my gut feel says don’t ask her, because it’s unfair to expect another person going for the same role to help you prep. And I’d openly say that in my chats to the others. But if I could find any useful docs or chat to anyone near her I would!!

Thanks, some definite food for thought here. In response to pp re transparency of process, the colleague has made it known they were applying. I can only assume they have been shortlisted as they are qualified and meet the person spec. There's nothing nefarious about that, and I'm not stalking them!

In the end I think I'll be too limited by time to meet with all the management team as I've just had an email the interview has been brought forward to this Friday.