Promotion advice?

[ChillyMcFreeze]

PDQ - I might psych myself out and delete some details!

*poof*

Edit: Thank you for your suggestions and well-wishes!

[isabel]

First, congrats! How exciting!

I would not accept the position until the title and salary/benefits are ironed out. You could sell yourself short if you've already accepted and they come back with a number that doesn't work.

Do you have management experience?

One of the things I would consider asking is what it is they hope *you* will bring to this role. It would be helpful, in my mind, to understand why they selected me over others, since it seems like this was out of the blue. Knowing that information could help guide you in understanding what is most important and possibly the right methods for managing your new team.

[yogapants]

How exciting!

I doubt anyone would ask you to commit before the details are ironed out.

My best question is always, "What does success in this new role look like?" The more you can nail down clear criteria, the easier it will be to determine whether success is achievable.

[cville]

What transition support will be available? What training and development opportunities will be made available?

What are management's expectations of you in this role vs. your current role?

What's the career path FROM this role?

Why is this position open and why aren't the current level down folks within the program being considered for promotion? (Maybe just suss this out sideways. I walked into a job not knowing that peers had applied and been rejected and, like, hated me for it. Fun. It took some time to work out.)


And I'd want alllllllll the metrics. Salary, hours, benchmarks, etc.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Dec 5, 2019 9:55:39 GMT -5 isabel said:

Do you have management experience?

I do not, and that's the part that freaks me out the most. I had hoped to be able to hire one direct report within the next year. A role like this was more like my 10-year plan. Again I ask, why me??

Definitely asking about support and training in the area of management. One of my would-be direct reports knows my history well, and while we're friendly, I could see that being a pain point.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Dec 5, 2019 10:10:18 GMT -5 cville said:

Why is this position open and why aren't the current level down folks within the program being considered for promotion? (Maybe just suss this out sideways. I walked into a job not knowing that peers had applied and been rejected and, like, hated me for it. Fun. It took some time to work out.)

We did address that when my boss presented the opportunity. He is pretty new as well and has had real trouble getting in with the long-time staff members. Part of that is his leadership style and part is their intransigence. He said right out that it would be a bumpy transition. After my lack of management experience, that's my biggest concern. 

PDQ - Will delete. *poof*

[madringal]

What are the goals for this role?

How will those goals be measured?

What training can they offer you to ensure that you will be successful in this role?

I CANNOT stress enough how important it is to be paid VERY well to take on a management role. Especially a role that manages several different departments. It is hard. Some days it is so very hard. It will likely all be rewarding, but once you are a manager you never get to truly be "off". You immediately have to kick into crisis mode if something happens. You can do this, you will be awesome at it - and make sure they pay you for that.

Also, besides pay, it is important managers get sufficient vacation time, because you will likely work more hours then you are now. Be sure they give you a fair increase there as well.