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Interviewing where you work

Internal interview questions, and how to answer them

You'll get the usual questions plus a few only an insider hears: why you want this move now, what you've done here, how you'd lead people who are your peers today, and what you'd change. Answer as if the interviewers have never seen your work, with results and numbers. Prepare as hard as you would for a job at another company.

A woman in a mustard cardigan in a glass-walled meeting room at work, her badge on the table, practicing an internal interview answer out loud to her laptop

What changes when you already work there

An internal interview is for a job at the company where you already work. It can be a promotion or a move to another team.

  1. They may not know your work

    Ask a Manager's Alison Green says the biggest mistake internal candidates make is assuming the interviewers know what they've done. Some companies bar interviewers from weighing anything you don't say in the interview.

  2. The bar can be higher

    Indeed says employers often expect more from internal applicants, because promoting you leaves your current job to fill.

  3. Your record comes with you

    Indeed's guide for employers suggests looking at your past performance reviews and talking to your current supervisor.

  4. The questions are just as hard

    Green says to expect questions as rigorous as if you were a stranger, plus questions about things you know firsthand, like your department's current challenges.

Internal and promotion interview questions, and what to say

Indeed's list of interview questions for internal candidates starts with the usual ones, like “Tell me about yourself.” These are the ones where being an insider changes the answer. An HR manager quoted by The Muse says promotion interviews weigh your past performance, your potential and your fit with the company's goals.

  1. “Why do you want this promotion?”

    Say“I've spent [time] on [current work], and the part I do best is [skill this job needs]. This role is more of that, with [bigger scope from the posting].”

    Don't say“I'm bored in my current job.” Say what you're moving toward, and don't knock your team.

  2. “Why should we promote you?”

    SayTwo results from your time here that match the posting, and what you already know about the team that an outside hire would have to learn.

    Don't say“I've been here six years. I've earned it.” Talk about the new job instead. In a CareerBuilder survey, 59% of hiring managers called seeming arrogant or entitled an instant deal breaker.

  3. “What have you accomplished here?”

    Say“Last year I [result, with a number], which [what it changed for the team].” Explain it the way you would to a stranger.

    Don't say“You've seen my work.” They may have forgotten it, or never known the details.

  4. “How would you lead people who are your peers today?”

    Say“I'd meet with each person one on one in the first week to talk about the change. Then I'd hold everyone to the same standard, friends included.”

    Don't say“Nothing would change. We're all friends.” Something will change, and they want to hear that you know it.

  5. “What would you change?”

    SayOne change, tied to what you've seen: “I'd start by asking the team what slows them down. From what I've seen, [process] costs us [time], so I'd try [fix] first.”

    Don't sayA list of complaints about how things run now, or about the person who had the job.

  6. “What's your biggest weakness?”

    SayThe one they've already seen, and what you changed: “My last review flagged [issue]. Since then I've [what you did], and [result].”

    Don't sayActing as if it never happened. Indeed notes that past problems at the company usually come up.

Asking your own manager for a promotion? How to ask for a promotion →

Two more come up only for insiders. One is “If you aren't selected for this position, will it affect your current role?” Indeed's guide for employers says it checks your commitment to the company, so if you'd stay either way, say so. The other is whether you've told your manager. The answer should be yes.

How to prepare for an internal interview

  1. 1

    Read the posting like an outsider

    Match each duty to something you've done. Indeed notes that management may have changed the job's duties, so prepare from the posting itself. If the person in the role now is moving on, ask them what it takes.

  2. 2

    Tell your manager first

    Let your manager hear about it from you before the hiring team calls them. Ask what they'd say about your readiness, so nothing in that call surprises you.

  3. 3

    List your results, then say them out loud

    Write down three to five things you did here, with numbers. The University of Kentucky's HR office also tells internal candidates to practice the usual questions, like “Tell me about yourself.”

Be sure you'd take it. Green notes that when you apply internally, people often assume you want the job and will take it if it's offered. Before the interview, learn enough about the role to know you'd say yes.

Questions to ask in an internal interview

You know the team, so you can ask deeper questions than an outside candidate could. Ask a Manager's Alison Green says that also shows you may be more ready for the job than someone brand new.

  1. “What are the most important things for this role to get done in the first six months?”

    What you learn: What you'd be judged on first.

  2. “What's the difference between doing okay in this job and doing it really well?”

    What you learn: The bar, in their own words.

  3. “What have people in this role found hardest?”

    What you learn: Where the job gets hard, from people who've watched it up close.

  4. “How is [project you know about] likely to change this role?”

    What you learn: How the job is changing. Asking also shows you follow the team's plans.

  5. “When do you expect to make a decision?”

    What you learn: When to follow up. Indeed's guide for employers tells them to share their decision timeline with internal applicants.

  6. “If I'm not selected, what would make me ready next time?”

    What you learn: What to work on. An HR consultant quoted by SHRM calls it a best practice to tell internal candidates why they didn't get the job and how to be ready for the next one.

Practice the interview out loud

Paste the internal posting, and an AI hiring manager asks about that job, follows up on what you skip, and ends with “What questions do you have for me?” It doesn't know you already work there, so say so in your first answer and it can ask about it. Your answers are scored on five skills.

Practice the interview

More to practice: Phone screen questions · Tell me about yourself · Reasons for leaving a job · Why do you want to work here? · Why are you interested in this position? · Where do you see yourself in 5 years? · Salary expectations · Questions to ask the interviewer · Hiring manager interview questions · Explaining an employment gap · Behavioral interview questions · Situational interview questions · How do you handle conflict? · What is your greatest accomplishment? · What are your weaknesses? · What are your strengths? · What not to say in an interview · How to answer interview questions · Why should we hire you? · Second interview questions