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I want to know your thoughts on how posting for an internal position in another division might be interpreted. Would I be viewed as someone interested in advancement or as someone not grateful for what has already been given to me?
I work for a large property and casualty insurance carrier and I believe that I have accumulated divisional good will from my upper management (in NY and Atlanta). My company has a more senior level position open in a different division. I need to preface that I don't meet the minimum criteria of the posting as I lack underwriting experience. I do however believe that I have the skills to be effective in the position. Realistically I believe I have a slim chance to receive the offer. I am focusing on the interviewing experience as a positive for me and hope that it would be seen as my statement that I am interested in further development.
I have been in my current position for 3 1/2 years. It was strictly an individual contributor postion (even though I have a manager title) until about 6 months ago when my divisional upper management approved a direct report for me to manage and train. This opportunity has never been offered to any other Account Manager (AM) in my division - nationwide.
Although the AM position exists in other divisions (including the division with the open position), I am the first person in my division in Atlanta to be an AM. My work has been recognized and used as a training tool for other AM's throughout the country. This led to my current direct report.
To obtain the underwriting skills noted in the job posting would mean that I would have to take a step backwards from my current position for an overall movement forward in my career.
I appreciate your thoughts.
Something to consider
Your actions are in some way going to be interpreted by your organization and only you can get a sense of how people you work with will feel if you apply for a position you don't end up receiving . However, 3 1/2 years is plenty of time to begin looking in other parts of the company for advancement. Your title of too soon seems a little off. Six months might be too soon or if you were in some type of development program, but instead you are the one developing others in your division, including your peers.
Most companies have a 1 year period in which you cannot apply elsewhere internally and anything below that could be perceived as overly ambitious.
The real question you will have to ask yourself is: Is this what I really want to do with my career? Don't consider the money necessarily but will getting this promotion really make you happy in the near term (5+ years).
While having to learn underwriting may be a minor setback and of course not getting the position because of it may be a risk, always look at the big picture and where such skills will set you up in the future. Taking a step back to move forward is usually worth it.
Finally consider the risk of applying and not getting the job versus the opportunity to be a leader within your own organization via your management example. Think too on what happens if the organization does not like the added costs of directs for the AM position.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.