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I've been in my current position for 10 years.
The last few years have been great and I've been able to develop a good network at upper levels.
Now there is a position above me in a different department that is going to be opening up in the next 6 months.
I'm not in a line of work that would normally be considered for this position. I'm a lawyer and this is more of a strategy position.
How do I go about letting the right people know I'm interested in the potential position?
I'm worried that if I don't approach my contacts in the right way, they might undermine my efforts rather than support me, because the thought of me doing strategy will seem so foreign to them.

Thanks for any advise

Kevin1's picture

Hi,

Do you know who the decision makers are or will be?  What are your relationships with them like?   Can you build on the relationships now so that you will be able to make such an advancement at some time coming up?  What do you think are their impression of you at this point?  Is there something you may have to work on?  

Is there some 'strategy' work you could volunteer for and work a little extra now?

If you have the right relationship, and you've volunteered to do some strategy work, then it is a lot easier to ask a question like, 'I've really enjoyed helping the organisation out with strategy.  What do you think I would need in order to work work full time in strategy?'.

And be prepared to be rejected wholly or partly and have to do some groundwork to be considered 'ready' or 'viable'.

Hope that helps a bit.

Kind regards

Kevin