I have an absolute advantage in my deparment, Should I apply for a senior engineer, even if I have not been in the company for many years? [closed]

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

Here is my situation, I have been working in my company for over a year now, when I joined the team, I quickly learned that I had an absolute advantage in the UNIX environment and that I was more knowledgeable in many other areas than most of my peers; I began to give out plenty of my ideas to improve the systems in the department. Most engineers do not have a lot of experience in this area and on top of that they are slowly becoming obsolete in knowledge because they are hesitant to learn the new stuff that is required to keep the systems in good shape. The department opened a couple of senior positions as promotions. My question is, should I apply even though I do not comply with the requirement of X years of experience within the department? and also none of the engineers at the department comply with it either.

manpreet 2 years ago

You may be knowledgeable, but keep in mind that some of those people have worked there for a lot longer than you have, and that promotions are typically more political in nature rather than based on technical expertise.

You may go speak to your boss and throw your hat in the ring, as it were, but never put your coworkers down by saying that you're better than them, and thus you deserve the job. Instead, focus on your technical knowledge, familiarity with the systems, and ideas for improving them.

Boss, I know that I don't fulfill all the requirements which you've listed for the senior positions, but I'd like to ask you to consider me for them none the less. I am very familiar with the UNIX environment, and have helped bring about some very useful innovations in the department. Furthermore, I am very familiar with our systems, and have here a list of suggestions for potentially improving our systems which will bring additional benefits to the team and the company. I think that my knowledge and experience in this field compensate for my lack of seniority in the company.

Even if you bring forward excellent arguments, however, keep in mind that your manager's hands might be tied. Good luck.