applying for position in middle management - want to be prepared for the interview

[Juicifer]

Hi,

Our family moved to this country in 2005. I was working in middle management as account manager until that time but since the first day I noticed how hard it is to get back in that role. I have been in average paying sales and customer service jobs just to support my family, somehow not getting past that ceiling that you hit as an immigrant.
Last year I worked as executive director for a non profit something that I loved but unfortunately the contract wasn't renewed.

So I started working in a call center. The company has a good culture and I like it there. Now, the position for Operations Manager became available, or rather they created that because they are doing very well. I applied for this position, I'm positive I can do this plus I have been working there for a while. I am not sure whether they would consider my skills to be a bit old but I'm going to give it a try. I think the position is considered middle management and from what I do now it is quite a jump up.

I want to get prepared. I contacted the Multi Cultural Center to get a mock interview but so far I haven't heard from them. What do I do to get prepared? I have the job description and I run parts of questions that might come up in my mind a thousand times. The thing is, I'm not only an immigrant (so my grammar/spelling isn't always the best), I'm also transgendered. The culture in the company is really open with this, there are a lot of openly gay people and I never had issues myself. I have noticed in the past that people still look a bit iffy when it comes to transgendered people and now I'm afraid this might prevent me from getting the position (my spouse thinks this is ridiculous, she says that as long as I don't make an issue out of it they won't either. Which makes sense.)

What do I do to get prepared? Anyone in HR that can tell me about the tricks & tips? I would really appreciate it!!

[herbgeek]

At the middle management level, I would say they would be more concerned with fit than they would be with technical skills. They'll likely want to know how you would improve things (or which things you would choose to improve and why) or save them money. Another thing to collect are stories of accomplishments or stories that would answer typical questions (tell me about a time when you conflicted with a co-worker, what did you do). Anything you can recollect that would be similar to the job functions would be good to write down or review in your head. What you want to do is to reduce their impression of any risk- you've done this sort of job before, you know what you are doing, you aren't going to be a whacko. That sort of thing.

For what's it worth: I was middle management and laid off from my job in 2007. I was born in the US. I am starting a new job next week after 3.5 years of actively looking (I did some self employment first). This has been the worst economic times I have ever seen (I'm 51). So while you may be/have had trouble being an immigrant, I wouldn't be so quick to assume that was actually the case. I have a BS in Engineering, and an MBA, have always kept my skills current, am reasonably intelligent, socially aware for the most part and helpful, I bathe, did a lot of volunteering and networking and STILL it took me 3.5 years to get another job. I work in software development, and ethnicity has only been an issue when someone couldn't speak English well enough to be understood. I can't say its the same for other fields, but software development tends to be more merit based.

[SteveinMN]

herbgeek (as always) makes many excellent points. So does your wife -- I don't think the transgender issue is an issue unless you make it one.

From my experience (yeah, I did that, too), here are some things I think you need to prepare for:
- Would this position have you supervising people who are now your peers? That can be tricky. You'll need to think about how you would handle the potential resentment of others in your moving on (and up) and/or how you would handle existing workplace friendships in light of this change in your relationship.
- In middle management, you are putting yourself in the position of having to keep two audiences happy: your supervisors and the people you supervise. Their goals are not always mutual in the short run. You will need to show that you can be loyal (sadly, probably more to management than the rank-and-file) in the face of (potential) unpopularity. You will need to demonstrate to those interviewing you that you have a plan to address workplace friendships and workplace hierarchy. At the same time, your job primarily will be (should be) to provide the motivation to those you supervise in pursuit of organizational goals.
- I would try to demonstrate that you know what your company's values and goals are and how they apply to daily interactions.
- I wold be prepared to tell the people hiring you why you want the job in the first place. In my case, I realized there were some things I wanted to do in my then-current line of work that I could not achieve by myself. It also turned out to be a tremendous growth experience. I think the question will come up.
- I think it's an excellent tack to show that you are successfully performing many of the responsibilities of the new job -- but I would not make it look like you have it all down now without ever having sat in that chair. That takes a lot of the risk out of choosing you without making your management feel like you are done learning and will never change aspects of your workstyle or personality which could be improved (from their perspective).

Good luck!

[rodeosweetheart]

Jucifer, best wishes on the interview process! I think the transgender part of the equation really works in your favor, as it is in all workplaces best interest to adjust to cultural diversity. You will probably bring sensitivity and compassion to the workplace, and they are lucky to have you!

[Juicifer]

Hi guys,
You all gave me good information to think about! Thanks very much, I'll get back after the interview! :)